BUSINESS houses are expected to capitalise on the upcoming FMF Inter-District Championship (IDC) earmarked for October 7 to 12 at the Four R stadium in Ba.
Ba Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Dinesh Patel said the FMF IDC tournament would rake in immense financial returns for Ba Town.
“Like any other town, IDC will bring a lot of people to Ba which will obviously hype up the economic activity,” he said.
“Ba has not hosted a tournament for a long time since the stadium was damaged by Cyclone Winston, this will be the first major tournament in Ba.”
Mr Patel said a football match held in Ba a few weeks ago showcased the town’s capability to host large scale sporting events at its new stadium.
“A few weeks ago, we had the Ba and Labasa tournament, the crowd that came was enough proof that there will be a big turnout for the IDC and the community as well as the business houses are looking forward to it.
“There’s a lot of gains to be made by the business houses especially for the small businesses and the small stalls that will get a lot of revenue from this tournament.” Mr Patel said apart from the FMF IDC tournament, the Ba Football Association would also be celebrating its 90th anniversary.
“It will coincide with the IDC, and the Chamber will be involved.”
Ba Town Council Board of Special Administrators Chair Moshim Khan said a temporary floodlight would be set up at the stadium to cater for the night games.
“We are yet to have a final meeting with the Fiji FA executives, but we are ready to host the IDC and preparations are well underway,” he said.
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Note: This article was first published under the headline: Business houses expect economic benefits in Page 14 of the print version of The Fiji Times dated Thursday, September 25, 2025
