Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes hopes a sold-out women's State of Origin next week kicks off a series of blockbuster sporting events in Newcastle.
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Newcastle are on track to host a sold-out Origin II at McDonald Jones Stadium on June 6 with over 27,500 tickets snapped up by Wednesday and more set to be released in coming days.
Councillor Nelmes expects a full house to prove pivotal to the city becoming a regular women's State of Origin fixture as well as strengthening its case to be a host city for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2026 followed by the men's (2027) and women's (2029) Rugby World Cup.
"We did a lot of advocacy last year together with Townsville to get the game in Newcastle and we're really close to selling it out, and importantly we need to beat Queensland with our crowd numbers and also on the field," Cr Nelmes said.
"We've been real leaders here in Newcastle supporting women's sport. We've held the crowd record for the Matildas before the World Cup and people realised what a great sporting team they are.
"We put in for the [FIFA] Women's World Cup and we will absolutely put in for the Asian Women's World Cup. We hosted the men's Asian Cup back in 2015 and it was a really successful event.
"We're also be putting in for the Rugby World Cups."
Newcastle was awarded an Origin after strong support for the Newcastle Knights' NRLW side last year, including a then record for a stand-alone women's match of 12,689 when they hosted Brisbane in a semi-final on September 24.
A record women's Origin crowd of 25,492 turned out at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on May 16 and a national television audience of 940,000 tuned in as the Sky Blues beat Queensland 22-12.
NSW can wrap up an historic first-ever, three-match series victory with another win in Newcastle.
"[Origin I in Brisbane] not only broke crowd attendance records but it also broke television viewer records, so all eyes will be on Newcastle for the women's State of Origin," Cr Nelmes said.
"I'm hoping that selling out McDonald Jones Stadium and having a bumper crowd and setting a new record for women's rugby league will also help us secure the game next year."
Cr Nelmes also believes a packed stadium for Origin next week further highlights the need to deliver the proposed Hunter Park sport and entertainment precinct at Broadmeadow.
"We've gone out for a number of years now and really gone after major concerts, sporting events, elite sporting events, to not only bring that content to people who live in Newcastle and the Hunter but it also drives that interest in Newcastle," Cr Nelmes said.
"People then see us on that national stage, on that global stage, and we have seen a marked increase and net migration of people wanting to live and work in the Hunter.
"Diversifying that economic base has lifted that standard of living for most people in Newcastle.
"At the moment, when we're looking for feedback on some of the most significant planning changes in this city's history, they all centre around a sport and entertainment precinct with this stadium at the centre."
"We're well and truly on track to sell out the game," Mantle said.
"Newcastle keeps getting behind all of these events and it's a big reason why we keep getting them.
"We've distributed just over 27,500 tickets. There's a few things we're working through at the moment in terms of holds to be released, so there will be a few more tickets go on sale in the coming days.
"But I certainly think that they'll get snapped up pretty quickly and I'm expecting in the realms of that 28,000 to 29,000 on the day."
A home crowd of 29,548 for the Newcastle Knights' NRL elimination final victory over Canberra in September last year is the largest for a sporting event at the venue in its current format.
Mantle said capacity was 30,000 and a new top mark could be reached.
Newcastle will have home-grown players Yasmin Clydsdale, Olivia Higgins and Caitlan Johnston running out for NSW at McDonald Jones Stadium while their Knights teammate Tamika Upton will be in the Maroons side.
