The Football Association England and UEFA have announced that the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament is set to be the biggest women’s European sporting event in history.
The Pre-tournament Impact Report, produced by EY, projected that the tournament is expected to deliver £54 million (just over $95 million AUD) in economic activity to the nine Host Cities of Brighton & Hove, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Rotherham, Sheffield, Southampton, Trafford and Wigan & Leigh.
The Host Cities are expecting 96,000 international visitors from 95 territories and there will be engagement from fans from all over the world as the international broadcast audience could reach over 250 million across more than 195 territories. Host cities will also see a positive socio-economic impact thanks to over 5,500 people taking part in the volunteer programme.
The report reveals ticket sales for the tournament are on track to double the attendance of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 in the Netherlands that welcomed just over 240,000 fans. 51% of football fans plan to attend or watch the games that will take place up and down the country across nine English cities in 10 stadiums.
Providing a platform for greater participation in the game and community engagement, the tournament also represents a huge opportunity to drive a further step change in women’s football in England.
The UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 aims to leave a lasting legacy by inspiring the next generation of players and fans, providing opportunities for more than 500,000 women and girls to participate and engage with football through focused efforts of legacy groups within each of the Host Cities, with many more additional opportunities nationally.
Baroness Sue Campbell, EURO 2022 Board Member and Director of Women’s Football at The FA, said:
“With less than 50 days to go until the Tournament gets underway, this report highlights what we can achieve with a continued focus on capitalising on the opportunities offered by UEFA Women’s EURO England 2022 and importantly how we can measure our success.
“Our aim is twofold: to deliver a record-breaking tournament and to leave a tangible legacy to grow the women’s game. By inspiring fans at home and abroad, and by committing to provide playing opportunities to girls in every school and club across the country, I am confident we can deliver on both aims.”