Hawthorn’s relationship with Tasmania continues to prosper, with a recent study valuing the club’s economic impact in Tasmania at $28.5 million in 2017.

The Pricewaterhouse Coopers report, which was commissioned by Hawthorn Football Club, Events Tasmania and the City of Launceston, gathered results from across the four home-and-away games and one JLT Community Series game the Hawks hosted at UTAS Stadium in Launceston last season. 

The total attendance of the five games in 2017 was 61,301, with around a quarter of these made up of interstate or overseas visitors and 77% of interstate and international visitors spending at least one night in Tasmania. The highest match attendance at Hawthorn’s games at UTAS Stadium in 2017 was 15,571, recorded against St Kilda in Round 6.

The direct and indirect expenditure figure highlighted in the report includes $19.8 million in match attendee spend, which was 13% higher than the last study conducted by PwC in 2014.

The study also found that Hawthorn’s relationship with Tasmania assisted in supporting an additional 137 jobs for Tasmanians.

Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves said the results of the study are pleasing for Hawthorn, the state of Tasmania and the City of Launceston.

“We’re extremely proud of our unique and successful, long-term partnership with Tasmania and we are delighted that together we continue to increase visitation to Tasmania and help strengthen the state’s economy,” Reeves said.

“We love playing footy in Tassie and are committed to bringing fans an elite and entertaining product.

“However, our partnership extends beyond the football field and we are equally committed to having an impact through a meaningful community footprint.

“We’re extremely grateful to the City of Launceston and the Tasmanian government for their support over the last seventeen years and are excited about what we can achieve together in the future.”