The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and The Football Association (FA) (UK) recently released the ‘UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 post-tournament Flash Impact Report’ that outlines the key initial impacts measured to date post-tournament.
‘UEFA’ stated that the report produced by the professional services firm Ernst and Young (EY) analyzes data across six categories: Operational Success, Growth of the Professional Game, Physical Exercise, Sport and Grassroots Football Participation, Economic Impact, and Social Impact and Enhanced International Reach.
Nyon (Switzerland)-based the Union of European Football Associations is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer in Europe and the Eurasian transcontinental countries of Russia, Turkey, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
London (UK)-based The Football Association (FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in its territory.
The 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 or simply EURO 2022, was the 13th edition of the UEFA Women’s Championship, the quadrennial international football championship organized by the UEFA for the women’s national teams of Europe. The match took place on July 31st, 2022 at the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium in London, England (UK), to determine the winner of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. The match was contested between hosts England and Germany. England won their first women’s EURO in 2022.
Ernst & Young Global Limited (EY) is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England, UK. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers, it is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms.
‘UEFA’ further stated that in addition to UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 breaking several attendances, broadcast and social media engagement records, the report shows the key statistics of operational success, the increase in new opportunities for female participation and indictors of the future legacy of the tournament.
Below are the key figures outlined in the report:
Operational Success
- 574,875 total match attendance across the tournament, including 110,555 international spectators from 104 countries;
- Record breaking final with 87,192 attendees, and an average match attendance of 18,544; and
- Eighty five (85) percent of spectators are likely to attend professional international and domestic women’s football events again in the future1.
Growth of the Professional Game
- Two hundred and eighty nine (289) percent increase in media rights values since the previous Women’s EURO;
- Eighty four (84) percent of spectators say UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 has improved their perception of women’s football1; and
- Eighty eight (88) percent of spectators are likely to watch a professional international or domestic women’s football event on TV in the future1.
Physical Exercise, Sport and Grassroots Football Participation
- Over 416,000 new opportunities created in England across schools, clubs and the community to engage women and girls in grassroots legacy football activities across the Host Cities. This includes opportunities to play, coach, officiate, and volunteer; and
- More than half of local residents and two in five spectators and tournament volunteers have been inspired to do more sport and physical activity generally, as a result of UEFA Women’s EURO 20221.
Economic Impact
- Host Cities received a £81m boost in economic activity as a result of the tournament;
- Domestic and international visitors made over 552,000 day and overnight trips to Host Cities; and
- £44m total spectator spending around matchdays and trips across England.
Social Impact
- Seventy four (74) percent of local residents feel that the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 has brought their local community closer1; and
- Eighty four (84) percent of participants reported that participating in the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Legacy activity/activities has improved their confidence and self-esteem1.
Enhanced International Reach
- The most watched Women’s EURO ever, with a projected global live viewership of 365m, across 195 territories; and
- Globally, UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 generated 453m cumulative social interactions, with TikTok (39 percent) and Twitter (21 percent) contributing the most.
Noted Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s Chief of Women’s Football, “This report confirms the positive impact UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 is still having long after the final whistle, and the historic legacy of this tournament. We must now capitalize on these successes to continue advancing our game for girls and women, to secure further commitments to women’s football as well as to showcase the benefits of hosting this tournament as the bidding process for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 is underway.”
Baroness Sue Campbell, UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Board Member and Director of Women’s Football at The FA, added, “Our aim for this tournament was twofold: To deliver a record-breaking tournament and to leave a tangible legacy to grow the women’s game. We saw records tumble over the Summer and this report not only confirms that, but importantly highlights its incredible short-term legacy on growing the game. Fans have been inspired to play and support, with record attendances witnessed in our domestic leagues and a soldout Wembley Stadium to look forward to in a few days’ time. Our work certainly does not stop here, we will continue to use this tournament to inspire positive change, not only in our host Cities, but across the country.”
This report is a follow-up of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Pre-tournament Impact Report released in May. Further developments in participation and interest in women’s football, as well as the legacy of UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 will be monitored for the full post-event impact study, which will be published in the Summer of 2023, one year after the tournament.
Click here to see the post-tournament flash impact report.
1Based on independent surveys of spectators, local residents in Host Cities, tournament volunteers, and legacy program participants.
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