Soccer: Chelsea coming for exhibition match against Perth Glory

The London-based club will play Perth Glory at the new Perth Stadium in a friendly match.

Tourism Council WA chief executive Evan Hall said hosting the event would draw about 15,000 interstate and international visitors.

“Because this event is exclusive to Perth, it will draw thousands of diehard soccer fans from the east coast and overseas, particularly Asian markets, where the code is incredibly popular and people will travel to experience a Premier League team closer to home,” he said. “As winter is a slower time for tourism in Perth, there will be plenty of hotel rooms available to host these additional visitors.

“The visitors for this match will spend an anticipated $15 million in WA’s shops, hotels, bars, restaurants, taxis, venues and attractions, boosting the WA economy and employing 160 people full time for a year.”

Mr Hall said securing events like the Chelsea match, State of Origin and Bledisloe Cup for Perth were great for putting the city on the world map and creating a tourism boost.

“However, we need these big events to be off the back of a well-developed and well-funded calendar of events that attracts visitors year in, year out, creating ongoing permanent jobs,” he said.