With the Invictus games heading to Birmingham in 2027 and the Olympics underway, we investigate the economic impact sport is having on the region, the benefits to Birmingham of hosting the Ultimate Championships, the potential of the West Midlands as a sporting hub and how your business can benefit from sporting events.
Invictus Games
The exciting news that Birmingham is to host the Invictus Games in 2027 has been welcomed as a major economic boost for the West Midlands. When Birmingham hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2022 it contributed £1.2 billion to the UK economy and the Invictus Games will provide similar opportunities for businesses throughout the region. Sport is even big business when England losses – despite England’s heartbreaking loss to Spain in the final of Euro 24, it is estimated that the national economy still benefited by over £3 billion.
When it comes to hosting, following or just watching sporting events, there are lots of opportunities for business, especially in the sport, retail and tourism sectors. However, all businesses can take advantage of the ‘feel good factor’ associated with big sporting events such as the current Olympic Games in Paris.
Ultimate Championships
While global or national sporting events can really boost the local economy, regional ones can as well. BCU recently hosted the World Junior Ultimate Championships from 21-27 July 2024 at the Pavilion at Moor Lane in Birmingham, an international sporting event in which teams of junior (under 20) players from all over the world competed in the Women’s, Open, and Mixed frisbee divisions (Ultimate, originally known as ultimate frisbee, is a non-contact team sport made up of two teams of seven competing with a frisbee or flying disc on a playing field about the same length as a football pitch but narrower)
‘Hosting the WJUC was a great chance to see an emerging elite sport in Birmingham’ said Mark Jeffreys, Director of Sport and Physical Activity at BCU. ‘BCU has invested greatly into sport recently, in particular at the Alexander Stadium and the soon-to-be-built Beach Volleyball Centre at our facilities in Moor Lane. We want to provide opportunities not just for students but for the community in Birmingham – and events like the World Junior Ultimate Championships can hopefully inspire young people across the region to take up a new sport and see the benefits it can bring.”
When it came to the economic impact Jane Towey, Sports Development Officer at BCU Sport, said ‘Putting on Ultimate for a week gave a big boost to the local economy. There were approximately 1000 participants, alongside coaching and support staff, volunteers and spectators. Not only did the event bring in foot traffic and visitors to the area – with many staying at university accommodation in the city centre – but the publicity off the back of the event bought many others to Birmingham. The buzz around the event was really strong and many people when not competing or watching Ultimate headed into the city centre to eat, drink, shop and visit Birmingham’s many cultural attractions.’
West Midlands, a major sporting hub
The West Midlands Growth Company, the destination marketing agency for the region, is also very keen to attract new sporting events. It is running a Heart of Sport campaign to turn the West Midlands into a major sporting hub. ‘There are 4.7 million people who call the West Midlands home, and 32 per cent of them are under the age of 25,’ states Joel Lavery, strategic lead for the West Midlands Growth Company.
‘We also have communities representing 200 different countries, so it’s a very unique and diverse population. There are hundreds of individual sports, from big global mainstream sports to smaller niche ones with a strong and loyal following. Each sport will have their own National, European or World Championship events, not to mention many other mass participation or different types of new sports entertainment events. The possibilities are endless and add up to tens of thousands of events we could potentially pursue.’
How your business can benefit
All businesses in the region can take advantage of the great sporting boost to the local economy by
- Planning ahead to identify which sporting events are happening near you and finding out ways of actively supporting them
- Contacting BCU Sport Business Services to look at how it can help you capitalise on sporting opportunities.
- Prominently displaying that your business supports events, for example by putting up posters, distributing flyers in communal areas or putting up flags
- Offering special offers or deals associated with the event to your customers
- Approaching the organisers about sponsorship opportunities, in particular sponsoring teams or individual players
- Engaging staff in the event, for example through a sweep stake or by offering discounted tickets.
The key to boosting your business is to look at the opportunities associated with sporting events of all shapes and sizes, so focus not just on mainstream sports such as football, cricket and athletics but also look at the possibilities associated with new and innovative activities such as Ultimate, esports and urban sport. A full list of sporting events across the region can be found at Visit Birmingham.
