The return of the prestigious Inter Dominion to Newcastle has only enhanced the City’s reputation as a “sporting mecca”.

That’s the astute observation of Jeremy Bath.

The chief executive officer and his City of Newcastle team have played an integral role, in recent times, to attract some of the biggest events to the Hunter to combat any COVID-induced economic hangover.

Now, places in the $1.1 million Tabcorp Inter Dominion Championships final will be decided on an action-packed night at the Newcastle International Paceway on Sunday 5 December.

“It’s fantastic news to have it back in Newcastle for the first time in more than a decade,” Mr Bath said.

“We need to appreciate the Inter Dominion is the absolute pinnacle in harness racing – it’s the Melbourne Cup of the sport throughout Australasia.

“That’s how big it is.

“To have one of the qualifying legs in Newcastle is a real vote of confidence in the City – in its excitement and support of harness racing, as well as the local club.”

Mr Bath admitted the world was Newcastle’s oyster.

“Just think about it, we’ve got the Matildas here in less than a fortnight, at McDonald Jones Stadium, against a world powerhouse in the USA,” he said.

“We’re expecting a crowd in excess of 20,000 to come to that game.

“Then, of course, we’ll host the Inter Dominion at Newcastle Harness Racing Club in Broadmeadow.

“In March, we’ll stage Surfest and the Newcastle 500.

“That opening round of the Supercars will see upwards of 200,000 people.

“It just shows exactly what is going on in Newcastle at the moment.

“There’s so much to be excited about.

“This year, already, we’re had the Wallabies, the All Blacks and the Pumas playing international rugby union; and we’ve had the World Surf League (WSL) choose Newcastle to host its inaugural event in NSW.

“The list goes on and on of major sporting events that are occurring in the City, often for the first time.

“And, even better, they’re all saying the same thing: ‘we can’t wait to come back’.”

Mr Bath said it wasn’t a fluke the prestigious events were landing on the City’s doorstep either.

“Nothing happens without a lot of effort,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.

“But, council’s worked hard to attract these events to Newcastle.

“There’s also a fair bit of financial investment involved, too.

“City of Newcastle is an active investor in the sporting space – and it’s something we’re extremely proud of.

“We recently worked closely with NSW Harness Racing, Venues NSW and Destination NSW, for example, and have done so with all major sporting codes to make sure that when they’re looking to put on an event, Newcastle is first and foremost in their minds.”

For many decades, the City was primarily known as the home of the Knights (NRL) or the Jets (A-League).

However, that standing has lessened significantly in recent times.

“One of the great things that’s really become apparent with our City over the past couple of years is the diversified nature of the sporting events that we want to support,” Mr Bath said.

“It’s not just a rugby league town; it’s not just a football town.

“We support rugby union, harness racing, surfing – you name it, we’ll get behind it.

“In fact, we’ve got so many events, we almost can’t keep up.

“It’s a really exciting time to be in Newcastle.

“And, City of Newcastle is making sure we don’t lose momentum out of the pandemic – and subsequent lockdowns.

“We’re ready to go with these major events, desperate to come here and put on a show for the people.”

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