Media releases
World Cup fever a win for local businesses
23 February 2023
Hospitality venues across the Greater Sydney area have enjoyed a significant uplift during the Women’s World Cup as many fans went out to watch the games and share in the excitement.
This provided a valuable mid-week boost for businesses as support reached fever pitch last Wednesday night for Australia’s Semi Final against England.
Westpac DataX’s research* shows local government areas that hosted live sites of this match saw an increased card spend in hospitality venues of 84 per cent, compared to average spend in the four weeks prior, which was significantly more than areas not hosting a live site (68 per cent).
Overall, there was an 80 per cent increase in card spend in hospitality venues across Greater Sydney. A significant increase in people going out to watch the game saw transaction volumes up 90 per cent.
Compared to the prior four-week average, spend at venues from interstate visitors also approximately doubled on the game night. In comparison, spending on food delivery apps was up just 0.6 per cent for the same period.
Westpac’s Managing Director, Cash & Transactional Banking, Mandy Rutherford said it was fantastic to see hospitality businesses benefitting from the groundswell of enthusiasm for the Women’s World Cup.
“We’ve seen people choosing to go out and enjoy the matches together which has provided great shared experiences for the community and local businesses in the surrounding areas,” she said.
“This uplift in activity provides a valuable economic contribution, whether it be venues putting on more staff to meet demand through to increased spend activity by patrons which is particularly valuable mid-week.
“Australia is a sport loving nation and support of the women’s team has been no exception, with hospitality spend for the semi-final even eclipsing this year’s State of Origin Game 3.
“Westpac is an active supporter of women’s sport through our partnership of the NRLW so it is fantastic to see how the nation has embraced the Aussies and women’s sport during this tournament,” said Mandy Rutherford.