 Thousands of rugby fans came to watch rugby's European cup final |
Cardiff has welcomed tens of thousands of football and rugby fans in one of the city's biggest sporting weekends. On Sunday Watford beat Leeds 3-0 in the Football League Championship play-off final at the Millennium Stadium to win promotion to the Premiership.
It is reckoned to be the most valuable game in world football, and worth an estimated �30-�40m to the winners.
It followed Munster's 23-19 win in rugby's Heineken Cup final over Biarritz at the stadium on Saturday.
Such events are also worth millions of pounds to the south Wales economy, but this seems certain to be the last year Cardiff hosts such high-profile football fixtures, as London's Wembley Stadium nears completion.
The city has been staging major sporting events like the FA Cup final and the Football League play-offs since 2001, since the old Wembley was demolished and rebuilt.
Nigel Howells, Cardiff Council's executive member for sport, leisure and culture, said: "Events like the FA Cup final have boosted Cardiff's profile beyond all expectations.
 There was a festive atmosphere in the city before the match |
"There have been thousands of supporters during the last six years who have come to Cardiff for the first time and have been genuinely impressed by what they have seen.
"Cardiff is now perceived nationally as one of Britain's top cities and I have no doubt that major sporting events, such as the FA Cup, have played a significant role in that."
An estimated 150,000 fans were in Cardiff for the FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham last weekend.
Last year was a "bumper year" for tourism in the city, according to Cardiff Council figures. Visitors spent a record �505m in 2005 and almost 700,000 visitors stayed in paid accommodation in the city.
A further 489,000 stayed with families and friends, the council said.
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