Dubbo lacks accommodation needs for NSW Touch Junior State Cup

It is the first time Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) has hosted a junior sporting event of this capacity, with 187 teams registered to attend and a predicted 7000 people coming to the region.

NSW Touch general manager Dean Russel said there had been a small problem securing accommodation in the region but they were working with DRC to look at other areas in and around Dubbo, including places like Mudgee and Gilgandra.

Other options that they have been looking at include club houses.

"As well as some other options, club houses being available for our clubs to come into are like dorm-like scenarios," he said.

Despite the challenges, Mr Russel said it was better than not having enough teams competing.

"It's pretty well sold out across the city itself which is a good thing," he said.

DRC's manager for regional events, Kim Hague said when Dubbo was announced as the venue, they noticed accommodation was sold out within 24 hours.

To help the situation, Dubbo's Visitor Information Centre team facilitated a home-stay program to assist.

"Council has been working closely with the event organisers to make sure everyone attending has a place to stay," Ms Hague said.

"We are providing regular updates to properties and assisting with filling any cancellations that may come up.

"In addition, the council is working with hospitality venues, retail outlets and tourism attractions to ensure they are prepared to welcome participants and their families and make their stay enjoyable."

Dubbo Chamber vice president, Jason Dearmer said being able to accommodate an additional 7000 people to the region over potentially four nights is a massive task for accommodation providers in the region.

"They have all done their best to meet what is needed," he said.

Mr Dearmer said for the Dubbo region to meet the needs of more large scale events such as these, it was important for the accommodation sector to grow but also work with local and state governments on future needs.

He questioned what was the best type of accommodation to cater to events such as the NSW Touch carnivals.

READ MORE:

"Are more camping and caravan options the best, or facilities designed for large sporting groups, or traditional motel accommodation?" he said.

Due to the growth of various industries in Dubbo and with the tight rental market, forcing Dubbo residents to sleep in cars and tents, it is putting additional strain on accommodation providers, with spaces for tourism taken up by employees working or trying to find housing in the region.

Mr Dearmer said more forward planning may be needed with all stakeholders for future events such as Junior Touch Football Competition to help make it even more successful and a drawcard for more events.

With teams staying out of town, Mr Dearmer's primary concern was the experience and cost for people attending will have from a lack of accommodation.

"Having to travel from other towns to Dubbo and then back again takes time out of their visit to Dubbo and therefore the chance to experience what else is on offer here," he said.

"Costs associated with additional travel will also mean there is less money to potentially spend in our region when they are here, but also in regions where they may be staying due to that extra stress on time and the bank account."

One positive that Mr Dearmer could find was that the other towns around the area will benefit from the influx of accommodation and other services.

"It's a bad thing for Dubbo but good for other towns," he said.

With reports that teams have also had to pull out from the competition, Mr Dearmer said that was sad to hear.

"It means those teams and associated families don't get to experience our great region and interact with fantastic businesses while here," he said.

Mr Dearmer said where possible he would love if they could capture the feedback of visitors in Dubbo for the Junior Touch Football Competition to assess what can be done better in the region, what they enjoyed and what opportunities there are for all stakeholders to enrich events being held here and put plans in place to be able to meet needs of different events that may be attracted to our region.

"There's so many hard working businesses in Dubbo and so much to experience it's a shame if the full benefit of those are not realised when events like this come to Dubbo," he said.

Mayor of Dubbo Regional Council Mathew Dickerson said he was looking forward to welcoming the players and their families to the city.

"There has been a lot of work behind the scenes in preparation for this event. Our staff have created and prepared 30 playing fields and are ready to welcome the competitors, match officials and supporters," he said.

The event is free and the general public are welcome to visit the Lady Cutler Precinct to watch any of the games.

The grand finals will be played on Sunday, February 25 with the best of the junior teams from the northern region of NSW hoping to secure a spot in the Junior State Cup Final Series.

Road closures will be in place around the Lady Cutler Precinct during the event and there may be some traffic congestion during the time.