A study by the FA has revealed that Sheffield’s hosting in the Women’s Euro 2022 has boosted the city’s economy by £8.3 million.
Thousands of fans descended on the city for the four Sheffield-hosted games, before heading to watch their team at Bramall Lane.
Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development and Skills committee at Sheffield City Council, said: “When we bid for events like UEFA Women’s EURO, some people wonder why we do it. Well, here are eight million reasons, and that’s on top of the many other benefits we’ve all seen first-hand over the summer.
“Exciting and inspiring world-class sport live in our local stadium, three new attendance records set by Sheffield, thousands of visiting fans enjoying the city, Sheffield shown on TV screens across the world’s media, people coming together to celebrate the list goes on.”
The games hosted in Sheffield included all three Group C matches, and the highly anticipated England V Sweden semi-final.
Cllr Smith added: “We couldn’t be happier or prouder to have been a part of this and achieving such a significant boost to our local economy, more than double what we had hoped for, makes it even sweeter.”
The FA’s report also conducted a residents survey in which 95% of people surveyed locally said that they would be happy for Sheffield to host more major sporting events in the future.
Bev Ward, Host City Lead at the FA, said: “Sheffield was an incredible host across its four games, welcoming fans not only from the UK and Europe but from across the world.
“They also led the way with over 10,000 fans taking part in Fan Walks through the city centre, creating a carnival atmosphere and entertaining with residents on matchdays.”
It wasn’t just a financial benefit that the Euros brought for the city of Sheffield either.
Mrs Ward added: “There is a further lasting impact for the city region with the number of girls and women playing football rocketing since England’s historic win. The work of local legacy partners, including Sheffield and Hallamshire FA, is making a major difference to the local game.”
The Women’s Euros are thankfully not the last major sporting event to be held in Sheffield this year.
The City will play host to the Rugby League World Cup later this month and into November, also the Grand Prix of Figure Skating will be held at Ice Sheffield in November too.
