The Adelaide Oval will host a match during the NRL’s State of Origin series in 2023 following the success of its inaugural game last year.
The decision, announced today (Tuesday) by the NRL in conjunction with the South Australian government, continues the league’s policy of one neutral venue and one home venue for each of the states during the series.
The State of Origin is contested by representative teams from New South Wales and Queensland. The 55,000-seat Adelaide Oval staged a game for the first time last year, with 25,218 fans in attendance due to crowd restrictions caused by COVID-19.
Peter Beattie, commissioner of the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC), said: “We want to build on what we started last year. The Adelaide Oval match was a great success.
“We had a capacity COVID crowd and the way the city embraced the Origin Series gives us every confidence of filling the venue in 2023. State of Origin is the most successful sporting brand in Australia which we now play in the five biggest capital cities in Australia.”
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said the event would inject around A$15m (£8.4m/€9.7m/$11.7m) into the local economy. The game will be supported by the South Australian government through their tourism agency South Australian Tourism Commission.
“It’s a great result for rugby league fans, but also a big win for South Australian hotels, restaurants and cafes. More than 20,000 interstate visitors are expected to visit Adelaide to help celebrate the big match – injecting an estimated A$15m into the South Australian economy.
“Last year’s NRL State of Origin game was a real hit and delivered a cracking game in front of more than 25,000 fans – including 4,000 from interstate. Events like these create jobs and vibrancy in our great city and it’s fantastic to be able to welcome interstate Blues and Maroons fans back to Adelaide.”
The NRL announced last week that the State of Origin would return to the Melbourne Cricket Ground for this year’s series. The iconic 100,000-seat stadium will host the first game of the series on June 9 before Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane stages the second game on June 27. The series will conclude at Sydney’s Stadium Australia (formerly ANZ Stadium) on July 14.
The NRL has taken the game to other markets in recent years, with Perth’s Optus Stadium hosting in 2019.
Image: Michael Coghlan/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
