A study of the impact of the Women’s Euros football tournament on host cities has shown that Sheffield’s economy received an economic boost worth £8.3m
The study, by the FA, UEFA and UK Sport calculated that the tournament generated £81m economic impact across cities nationally.
On the weekend of Sheffield’s opening fixture between Netherlands and Sweden, city centre footfall increased by more than 10,000 (22%) and all of the city’s hotel rooms were fully booked.
In line with the aims of the tournament UEFA Women’s EURO delivered on every level in Sheffield, bringing in thousands of fans from across Europe, inspiring hundreds more women and girls locally to get in to football, uniting communities, setting new records, broadcasting the city across the world and bringing millions into the local economy.
Sheffield hosted three group C fixtures, between Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden plus the semi-final between England and Sweden which gave spectators one of the most memorable moments of the tournament ‘that back heel’.
The city was awash with colour as thousands of visiting fans took over bars and pubs and gathered for the pre-match fan parties at Devonshire Green, before taking their spectacular fan walks to the stadium.
Testament to the city’s stacked up credentials as the home of football, three new tournament attendance records were made at WEURO2022 fixtures in Sheffield – highest attendance for a non-host nation fixture – twice – and highest ever semi-final attendance.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “With the cost-of-living crisis and over-stretched budgets we’re often asked about the future of events in the city. But we’re ambitious for Sheffield and we understand how culture, sport and leisure go hand in hand to strengthen our economy and improve the health and wellbeing of our population. Being able to back that up with the findings of this study supports our approach and inspires us to keep striving to attract the highest calibre of events to Sheffield.”
