“I am pleased to confirm the Government’s support for this important event on the 2014 NSW Event Calendar,” Mr Souris said.

The Eastern University Games is the key event for Australian University Sport’s eastern region, comprising a multi-sport competition between universities in NSW and ACT. The 2014 event will be held from 6 to 10 July in Newcastle, and future years will see the Games held in other NSW regions.

Mr Souris said the event will see participants compete to be the East Region Overall Champion University across a range of sports, bringing many visitors to the region.

“This year’s Games will also feature the Australian University Championship Surfing, meaning surfers from universities all over Australia will compete at Newcastle’s spectacular beaches.

“The Games will bring an estimated 2,800 attendees to Newcastle in 2014, generating around $1.7 million in visitor expenditure,” he said.

Member for Newcastle, Tim Owen, said the event would showcase Newcastle’s sporting facilities to a large audience.

“I am happy to see yet another major event coming to Newcastle. Last year’s event, held in Wollongong, saw nearly 3,000 competitors from 20 universities compete in sports including AFL, golf, netball, tennis, OzTag, squash, lawn bowls and tenpin bowling.

“This year’s Games will show the diversity of sporting facilities in Newcastle, from world class squash and tennis courts and fantastic local playing fields to all the great venues at the University of Newcastle, which is university partner for the event,” he said.

For more information about the Eastern University Games, visit unisport.com.au/EUG

For information to help you plan a visit to Newcastle, go to visitnsw.com

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