Tamworth eateries have reported big crowds across the CBD as hungry rugby league lovers poured in to cafes and restaurants.

Inland Cafe owner Kristy Sollars said staff were kept busy for much of the weekend which was great news after a recently quite period.

“It was great, I hope we get another one and I hope we get it soon,” she said.

“We definitely saw a change and new people in the town.

“It was a constant run.”

But it wasn’t just the eateries benefiting from the football crowds either, with many turning to local pubs and clubs for post-game celebrations or commiserations.

The Albert Hotel’s manager Andy Sloan reported an influx of patrons late on Saturday night for post-football parties.

“From our side of things it was quite good,” he said.

“It was a good mix, we usually get a good live entertainment crowd, but mixed in with a whole lot of football jerseys it was a good night out.

“A lot of the after drinks would have happened at other pubs in the CBD and then they came to us at about 11.30pm.

“We trade right through until 2.30am.

“We have that (time limit) to ourselves and there were still plenty of people about.”

Tamworth Business Chamber president Jye Segboer said it was a busy weekend for business in the city, however he believed the football crowds were predominately from the region.

“I certainly think it has put Tamworth in a wonderful light in terms of national spotlight,” he said.

“Any opportunity for Tamworth to be showcased is fantastic for the region.

“In terms of local tourism spend, that style of event doesn’t bring in huge numbers of visitation, a lot of the tickets were sold to locals or people in outlying regions.

“But the overnight visitation it does bring generally is great and from a retail and hospitality perspective it has a trickle down effect.”

Mr Segboer said he’d received reports of longer wait times at local cafes and long line ups at local pubs.

“It’s wonderful to see people spending within the region,” he said.

Saturday night’s game saw about 10084 football fans pack into Scully Park in the biggest event it has seen.