Today (Tuesday 10 October), it was confirmed that the 2028 Men’s European Championships will be hosted in the UK and Ireland. It is fantastic that our ambitious five-nation bid has been successful and as such, we will host what is quite possibly the highest profile international event since the London 2012 Games. However, while we can draw some comparisons with the scale and popularity of the London 2012 Games, the Euros 2028 will be a single sport, multi-location spectacle, and we won’t see women or disabled people on the field of play, and their approach to securing long term impact – which should be the ultimate prize for any event organiser – needs to reflect this.
The UK is seen as a world leader when it comes to hosting events and we only needs to look at the huge variety of success of events in the 11 years since London 2012 as testament to that. From the Cricket and Rugby World Cups, Diamond League Athletics, the Coronation, anniversaries and Cities of Culture to Glasgow and Birmingham hosting the Commonwealth Games, Eurovision and the Women’s Euros. We have put on events with variety and spectacle which the public will never forget whether they were lucky enough to get tickets or watched at home or with their communities. We hope that EURO 2028 will continue that proud tradition.
With the spotlight falling on the cost of events, naturally questions will be asked by some commentators about our priorities and whether the benefits of hosting the Euros will be worth the cost. We know from our evidence that all sporting events have the potential to leave a lasting social as well as economic impact. The reach of men’s football remains unparalleled and for EURO 2028, with its multi-location reach across five nations, the potential for a lasting legacy which makes a difference in those communities is astounding – arguably a bigger impact than one focused on a single place.
However, even with our track record of spectacular events, we are still missing opportunities to really maximise their power for people and places. To ensure that this does not happen again with these Euros, the plan for long term impact needs to be backed into the plans from the starters whistle. Our Power of Events Inquiry, launched in January 2023, set out a set of recommendations that can help the hosts and host cities plan for legacy. We recommend that:
- The responsibility for long-term impact must be with those who are around to deliver it such as local and combined authorities – not just sitting with a temporary organising body. There should be clear accountability for delivering these impacts before, during and after the event and governance structures to monitor progress.
- There should be demarcated funding for legacy for the host communities, with representatives from the areas can have a say in how it is spent
- Greater attention needs to be paid to who benefits from events and who is left out, committing to setting a new standard for accessibility and inclusion for disabled people and ticket pricing options and fan zone events that don’t exclude people on low-incomes and fostering a culture that is welcome to all ethnicities, genders and sexualities.
- Organisers and host cities most of the opportunity of the event to intentionally use the shared love of the game to bridge divides – across Nations, geographies, cultures and generations – to tell a story that brings us together.
- If they are using volunteers, there must be a plan to link them with the local volunteering infrastructure to maximise their investment and keep them engaged for years to come.
- Crucially, evaluates and reports on impact openly and transparently, including over the long term.
We want to see the Euros 2028 leave a blueprint for how single sport, multi-location events can leave a lasting impact for fans, players and crucially the people in the communities that host them this fantastic spectacle.