Bathurst Regional Council has remained tight-lipped about its negotiations with Penrith Panthers to play five matches at Carrington Park over the next five years, particularly the sum it will pay to Panthers to host the games.

Earlier speculation suggested council would pay around $50,000 to the NRL club, but it is now clear the cost to ratepayers will be much higher.

The Western Advocate now believes council will pay at least $200,000 a year to Panthers, though council refuses to confirm that figure.

The final details of the Panthers contract are contained in a confidential report to tonight’s council meeting, but it has not been made available to the media or public.

But acting general manager Bob Roach yesterday confirmed council would enjoy a number of “revenue streams” by hosting the match.

“Council has an agreement with Penrith Panthers in relation to the conduct of the match,” Mr Roach said.

“We are the promoters and the event managers and council has a revenue stream from the match which will include ticket sales, some signage on the ground and other arrangements like corporate hospitality.”

Mr Roach said pricing details would be released in the next few weeks and tickets would be available through Ticketek, Bathurst Panthers and other outlets.

With Carrington Park having a capacity of 13,000, however, council would need to collect just $20 a ticket to cover its outlay. It’s likely tickets will cost more than that, though.

Mr Roach said council would have to pay for any costs associated with running the event – such as security and any policing needs for the match – but at this stage there were no plans to charge visitors for parking.

Council is negotiating with local rugby league clubs about providing refreshments at the ground to help them make money as well.

Mayor Gary Rush would not be drawn on the final figure being paid to Panthers, either, but said he believed council had negotiated a good deal for ratepayers.

He said three matches – NRL, NSW Cup and under 20s – would be played on the night, meaning at least 100 players would be in town along with coaching staff, trainers and team officials.

Panthers players would also be made available to council for promotion opportunities.

“There were many factors for councillors to consider when deciding if this was a good deal or not, including the fact they will be playing here in our bicentenary year [next year] and the cultural impact of a game like this,” he said.

“Part of the undertaking is that Penrith players will be available to support cultural or community initiatives and also the development of the sport.”

The mayor provided just one clue about the cost to council, though, when asked about the fact Hobart had also been bidding to host the Penrith matches.

Reports earlier this year said the Tasmanian Government was willing to bankroll Hobart’s bid to the tune of $1 million a year, but the mayor said that sort of figure would have been a very bad deal for ratepayers.

However, when asked if $1 million over five years might be closer to the mark, he said: “$1 million over five years? That would be a good deal for council, I reckon.”

The first of Panthers’ five games in Bathurst will be against the Cronulla Sharks on July 26.