Stuart Ayres Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Geoff Lee Acting Minister for Sport Wednesday 2 October 2019 NRL CHARGES INTO SYDNEY CBD FOR GRAND FINAL The excitement and adrenalin of the 2019 NRL Grand Final kicks off in Sydney today with the NRL Fan Fest in Martin Place providing plenty for sports fans to enjoy in the lead up to Sunday’s blockbuster clash between Sydney Roosters and Canberra Raiders. Minister for Tourism Stuart Ayres said the NRL Grand Final is so much more than one game on one afternoon. “It takes months of hard work, decades of tradition and a week of anticipation before the fight for the Provan-Summons trophy at ANZ Stadium on Sunday,” Minister Ayres said. “It’s incredible to see Sydney swarming with enthusiastic NRL fans, many who are visitors, wearing their colours proudly and enjoying the icons of the Harbour City and their beloved icons on the field. “More than 400,000 people have attended the NRL Grand Final in the past five years, with more than a quarter being overnight visitors to Sydney generating $108 million in tourism related expenditure for NSW.” Acting Minister for Sport Geoff Lee said the atmosphere at ANZ Stadium on Sunday will be electric. The NRL Fan Fest in Martin Place will run Wednesday 2 until Friday 4 October and features: An Immersion Zone which allows fans to dive for a try, play video games and try out the NRL’s new school holiday program League Stars Meet and greets and live Q and As with NRL players on stage in Martin Place Presentation of the full teams involved in both the men’s and women’s Grand Finals, and retiring players on Thursday A Family zone area including coffee cart, colouring-in and board games alongside a range of other activities NRL chief executive officer Todd Greenberg encouraged the public to capture their own NRL Grand Final memories this week with the Harbour Bridge and at Fan Fest. “This is something we have never done before and it will ensure that Sydney is transformed into a celebration of Grand Final Week,” Mr Greenberg said..