HOSTING cricket’s historic Ashes Test between England and Australia could be worth as much as £116m to Cardiff.

And a leading academic says the match – the first Ashes Test to be held in Wales – could help the city capture more world-class events in the future.

Professor Brian Morgan, of the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff’s school of management, has researched the potential economic benefits of hosting the opening game of the Ashes – one of the biggest matches in world cricket.

He predicts the five-day Test will have a huge short and medium-term impact on the city and help to generate between £85m and £116m over the next four years.

Prof Morgan explained: “In 1999, the year that Cardiff hosted the Rugby World Cup, the city welcomed an additional 1.24 million visitors from the previous year – an increase of 13.4%.

“It is estimated hosting cricket Test matches involving teams such as England, Australia and India could result in an 8% increase in visitor numbers graduated over a four-year period. This would be in addition to a medium-term annual increase of 1.23%.

“Depending on day visitor and overnight visitor spending, the value to the economy is estimated to be between £85m and £116m.”

Richard Thomas, managing director at Cardiff & Co, the organisation charged with promoting the capital, said: “This is the first time the Ashes has been held outside Australia and England but I’m sure the city will take the event in its stride, as it did with the FA Cup finals for six consecutive years.

“The feedback from people coming to Cardiff for major sporting events, both as organisers and spectators, has always been very positive.”

Sports Council research has found the Ashes Tests are among the top three events for economic impact both on each day of the match and in the longer term. The Olympics are regarded as the top.

The Ashes takes place in Cardiff from July 8 to 12 at Glamorgan’s new £9.5m Swalec Stadium at Sophia Gardens in the city centre.

Glamorgan’s commercial and finance director Alan Hamer said: “The economic impact of the 1st npower Ashes Test is significant for both Cardiff and Wales.

“Glamorgan Cricket alone has quadrupled its permanent head count and will employ over 600 casual staff each day. The biggest legacy will be the stadium itself – having cost over £14m to date – and will play host to further high-profile international matches over the coming years.”

According to Prof Morgan, Cardiff should be looking to take advantage of the global attention the Ashes receives and make the most of the overseas market.

He said the Welsh capital should be promoting itself as one of the best UK visitor destinations for short-break holidays or trips from overseas.

The Test series is expected to attract a massive global television audience similar to the 1.4 billion people who watched the final of the ICC World Twenty20 cricket competition in 2007.

“Take the Indian sub-continent, for example,” Prof Morgan added.

“It was recently reported when Indian cricketer Tendulkar took to the field against Pakistan, the TV audience exceeded the entire population of Europe.

“As an established events city, Cardiff is well-placed to tap into this very popular and lucrative market.

“A ‘Team Wales’ approach succeeded in bringing the Ashes to Cardiff and will continue to make the city and Wales an attractive proposition in the future.”

Mr Thomas added: “Cricket has a huge following in Australia and particularly on the Indian sub-continent where the growing economies and significant populations present excellent commercial and inward investment opportunities.

“Cardiff is now widely recognised as one of Europe’s major event cities. There has been a lot of investment in the city’s stadia – the Millennium Stadium, Swalec Stadium and the new Ninian Park Stadium at Leckwith – complemented by a significant investment in our hotels.

“These factors, combined, mean that Cardiff has never been in better shape in terms of visitor facilities. The Ashes will provide excellent exposure for the city-region and will hopefully be the first of many Test matches held in the capital city.”

It is estimated around 1.8 million people will come to the Welsh capital for the Ashes and as a direct result of the match over the next four years.

A spokesman for Cardiff council said they had a number of events planned to mark the Ashes in Cardiff.

These will include an “Aussie Zone” at this year’s Cardiff food and drink festival from July 10 to 12 where there will authentic food and wine from Australia.

Opening on Monday, there will also be an Ashes exhibition in the old city centre library running to July 12.