Mid-West to Generate Over €4 Million in Sports Tourism Revenue

Pictured are the sports ambassadors recognised by Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau for the valuable international sporting events they’ve secured for the Mid-West region. The Awards were presented during the UL Sports Tourism in Ireland Conference
Pic. Brian Arthur

Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau honours sports ambassadors at annual UL Sports Tourism in Ireland Conference as Limerick highlighted as a model host city for international sports events

The Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau presented awards to 15 sports ambassadors to acknowledge their efforts in securing valuable international sporting events for the Mid-West region.

Eight major international events scheduled at the University of Limerick in 2025 and 2026 are set to attract thousands of overseas visitors, delivering an estimated €4 million boost to the regional economy.

Sports Tourism provides a massive boost to a host city and county. Sports event participants tend to stay on average 5-7 nights and often travel on to other parts of Ireland. Not only do the thousands of additional visitors provide a huge benefit to the local economy, there is also the potential for international broadcasts at some events and millions of social media views, promoting Limerick to visitors around the world.

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University of Limerick (UL), one of the region’s flagship venues, alone welcomed over 7,750 participants in the last two years for International events like European School Chess Championships, European Ultimate Frisbee Championships, Tag World Cup, Flag Football, World Archery and many more, delivering an economic boost of almost €5.5 million.
Ian Costello, Munster Rugby, spoke at the Annual Sports Tourism in Ireland conference about how the All Blacks match at Thomond Park last November was worth €3.6 million to the local economy.

Speaking at the awards ceremony during the Conference in Limerick, Danielle Devaney, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau, said, “Our ambassadors work tirelessly with us and Fáilte Ireland to bid for and win international events for the Shannon Region. Each sports delegate is worth over €700 to the local economy — that’s how valuable this segment of tourism is for the region.

“Without these ambassadors, we simply couldn’t compete internationally, never mind achieve the success we have. Today is about recognising their incredible work and saying thank you.”

David Ward, UL Events, University of Limerick, said, “We’re proud to play our part and work with such outstanding ambassadors. UL’s state-of-the-art sports campus is ideal for international events, offering everything from pitches to accommodation in one location.

“In recent years, we’ve hosted World & European Championships for a wide variety of sports, including hosting back-to-back major international events like Masters Ultimate Club Championships 2022 and EUF 2023 European Ultimate Championships and now we’re looking forward to hosting the WFDF World Ultimate Club Championships in 2026. Working closely with our Ambassadors and understanding their needs makes this possible.”

Rob Hartnett, Director, Sport for Business, said, “The Mid-west region is incredibly fortunate to have so many world-class venues and facilities. Every year, thanks to the collaborative effort of stakeholders across the region, new and exciting events are secured.

“It’s a real testament to the ambition and teamwork of organisations like UL, the Shannon Region Conference & Sports Bureau, and Limerick City and County Council. Sporting events don’t just bring excitement — they leave a legacy and deliver significant economic value to the local economy.”  

Often, the ambassadors are volunteers within their local sporting organisation with full-time jobs bidding on events that can take years to deliver. Among the Ambassadors recognised at the Sports Tourism in Ireland Conference were: Christy McElligott, EAFF Amputee Football National League 2025/ EAFF European Amputee Football Championships 2024; Pat Hickey, DTL European Championships 2023; Adam Taylor, Emerald Isle Cup 2022; Alice Sherratt & Gary McIlroy, Eurocycles Eurobaby Junior Tour of Ireland 2024; and Sergej Dikun, EOSF European OCR Championship 400m 2025.

Also recognised were Kevin Devaney, European Youth Darts Championships 2026 / Six Nations of Darts 2024; Michelle Mulcahy, FIT Atlantic Youth Touch Cup 2025; Aidan Maguire, IFAF European Flag Football Championships 2023; Desmond Beatty, The European School Chess Championship 2024; Barry Walsh & Liam Grant, WFDF World Ultimate Masters Championships 2022; Mike O’Connor, World Wall Ball Championships 2024; Pat Quigley & Daniel McCarthy, TAFISA – European Sport for All Games 2026; and Tamas Heitzmann, European Foam Dodgeball Championships 2025 / Dodgeball European Championships 2025.

Sport for Business and the University of Limerick hosted their second Annual Sports Tourism in Ireland Conference in Limerick on Tuesday, April 29th. The conference examined case studies of events that have been attracted to Ireland in recent years and looked at ‘What International Federations Look For in a Host City.’  Discussions also took place about the new International Sports and Events Arena planned for Dublin, the newly redeveloped Shelbourne Park Stadium and Ireland’s position as a venue for an enormous range of sporting events.