The Heart of Sport - Our Plan for Major Sporting Events

WEST MIDLANDS, THE HEART OF SPORT

OUR PLAN FOR MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS

WEST MIDLANDS THE BEATING HEART OF SPORT IN THE UK

“Our region has a track record of hosting some of the biggest global fixtures at some of sport’s most iconic backdrops. We have demonstrated –thanks to recent events such as the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, The Ashes and the World Trampoline Championships – that the West Midlands consistently delivers sporting spectacles with purpose, passion and impact.”

Neil Rami, Chief Executive West Midlands Growth Company

The West Midlands is a world-class host of Major Sporting Events with the ambition, experience, creativity and winning mindset to enable sports to flourish.

Home to sports fans of every generation and across almost 200 nationalities, our love of sport is clear in every corner of the region and in our track record of staging inspiring and sustainable events that drive longlasting and transformative legacies.

THE WEST MIDLANDS IS THE HEART OF SPORT

WORLD-CLASS SPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE

The West Midlands sits enviably at the heart of the UK, offering an extraordinary array of dynamic, diverse and state-of-the art facilities and world-class sporting backdrops including five major stadia, two arenas, racecourses, Edgbaston Priory, The Belfry, University training centres and the British Judo Centre, all within an hour’s drive of the UK’s second city.

With ambitions to achieve net zero by 2041, the region’s commitment to sustainability, health and wellbeing permeates across the breadth of the sporting industry.

CAPTURING THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF DIVERSE AUDIENCES

The West Midlands, home to a population of more than 4.7 million, has access to fans at unprecedented proximity and scale. This includes not only the loyal and passionate fanbase who have cheered for generations, but also newcomers and novices.

With 32% of its population under 25 and residents from nearly 200 countries calling it home, the West Midlands is a beacon of inclusion and diversity.

A destination led by innovation, the West Midlands is making strides in the Metaverse. The region creates 25% of the UK’s games output and is a thriving global esports hub.

UK-LEADING CONNECTIVITY

The West Midlands boasts unrivalled connectivity with Birmingham Airport linking to 400 global destinations and 90% of the country within a four-hour drive-time.

The region is affordable and accessible, offering great value for money compared to London across transport, dining, groceries and real estate. Its visitor experience includes a unique culinary scene featuring 11 Michelinstarred restaurants, vibrant performances at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Birmingham Royal Ballet, and more than 121,000 bed spaces.

A PASSION AND KNOWLEDGE FOR MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS

The West Midlands foresees an ambitious future for its sport industry, with its Major Sporting Events Delivery Plan outlining the region’s impressive goals and a £6 million major events fund. The Birmingham and West Midlands Convention Bureau - together with long-standing local events companies and venuesconsistently work with major sporting event organisers to ensure events run smoothly and successfully.

A WINNING SPIRIT AND A RICH LEGACY

The West Midlands has a track record in executing large-scale sporting spectacles, from the largest Commonwealth Games held in the UK to the excitement of recent Cricket and Rugby World Cups, the FIG Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships and IBSA World Blind Games.

The region also played an instrumental role in shaping Britain’s sporting tradition, pioneering sports such as rugby and lawn tennis, creating the Football League and hosting the forerunner to the Olympic Games in Much Wenlock.

Looking ahead, the forthcoming Kabaddi World Cup in 2025, European Athletics Championships in 2026 and European Football Championships in 2028 are just a snapshot of the prestigious sporting events that have chosen this region to play host.

OUR VISION: THE HEART OF SPORT

Our vision is for the West Midlands to become known globally for being a great sporting city region, hosting major sporting events, conferences and exhibitions which deliver positive benefit for our partners, businesses and communities.

OUR APPROACH

Deliver a global Heart of Sport campaign which will elevate our profile and status nationally and internationally and actively promote our world class hosting credentials and venues.

Work proactively with International Federations, National Governing Bodies, Rights Holders and partner organisations in the sports sector and economy to grow our pipeline and attract new business opportunities for the region.

Use our West Midlands Major Event Evaluation Framework to evaluate new and emerging opportunities and attract and host events which align with our values and deliver Return on Investment and Value for Money.

OUR GUIDING VALUES

We are a welcoming, young, inclusive city region which supports and celebrates our diverse and dynamic communities.

We aim to be bold, innovative and sustainable in our choices in helping to support and grow our existing world class event portfolio as well as attracting new and exciting formats and sports properties.

We will work collaboratively with public, private and voluntary community partners across the West Midlands to support the growth of our sporting portfolio of major events, conferences and exhibitions.

OUR OUTCOMES

Media Profile & Image - enhancing our status nationally and internationally as a world class major events region

Business & Economy - providing opportunities for businesses and the economy and help stimulate economic and employment growth

Engagement & Participation - Encouraging citizens of all abilities and ages to watch, take part and improve their mental and physical health and wellbeing

Environment & Infrastructure - enhancing environments, infrastructure and improve facilities and support sustainable practices in event delivery

Employment & Skills – developing and promoting volunteering, leadership and apprenticeship opportunities to enhance the skills, capacity and employability of our communities

Social Inclusion & Diversity – considering our diverse communities to ensure they are inclusive and connect with our citizens in a way that helps to deliver civic pride and cohesion

Power & Partnerships – supporting good ethical governance, providing leverage and soft power to position the region as a leading force in international sport and supporting our partnership programmes across the region

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

SECURING MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS FOR THE WEST MIDLANDS REGION

Secure a minimum of eight Major Sporting Events for the region, focusing our offer on events that will have the biggest positive impact on regional priorities and measurable outcomes.

ADVOCACY, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Strengthen our identity as the first-choice host region for major UK and international sporting events, promoting a compelling offer for sports stakeholders, fans and visitors.

REGIONAL COLLABORATION

Work collectively with regional partners, venues and host authorities to strengthen our collective regional proposition. Alongside local and national government agencies, private and voluntary community sectors, we will continue to grow our knowledge, capacity and skills and resource sharing opportunities.

INNOVATION AND INCLUSION

Boldly explore new and emerging event opportunities, technologies and sustainable commercial partnerships to create our own events, especially those which engage, inspire and include new, younger, more diverse audiences.

DATA, RESEARCH AND INSIGHTS

Use data, insights and ticketing technology to inform decision making, understand and grow our audiences, provide extensive and effective reporting, and increase the reach and impact of our marketing for the benefit of visiting rights holders.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT THE TIME IS NOW

Major Sporting Events are central to the growth of the visitor economy in our region, forecast to increase by almost £1.2bn by 2029. This creates a genuinely exciting opportunity to accelerate our desire to create a great place to visit and a healthier, happier, more prosperous region.

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME

On top of around 40 years of hosting major sporting events – including badminton, gymnastics, athletics, cricket, football and tennis - across our region, the outstanding success of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and our securing of SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2024 are evidence that there has never been a better time to showcase and celebrate the West Midlands as a leader in hosting major sporting events.

WE HAVE THE SUPPORT TO DO IT

The sports economy and Major Sporting Events within that are recognised as important by many stakeholders; central government, as part of the social and economic recovery from Covid and future growth of the visitor economy; UK Sport as part of their ambition to achieve Olympic success; Sport England, seeing the opportunity to promote physical activity and sport amongst the most inactive people and communities. With DCMS endorsing our ambitions and commercial partners in the region supportive of our plans, the stars are aligned.

WE’VE ONLY JUST GOT STARTED

A £24m Business and Tourism Programme (BATP) was developed alongside the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games to capitalise on the associated economic opportunities. It helped to create a long-term legacy by boosting perceptions of the West Midlands as a world-class destination for trade, investment and tourism.

Attracting and hosting Major Sporting Events formed a significant component of the programme, resulting in establishing a Major Sporting Events team, a Regional Advisory Group and a detailed delivery plan.

Major Sporting Events continue to be central to West Midlands Growth Company’s Global West Midlands strategy, acting to enhance the profile and reputation of the region, create jobs, facilitate regeneration and sustain vibrant visitor destinations. A £6m major events fund, drawing on Commonwealth Games legacy funding, has been an initial platform for our ambitious plans.

PROGRESS THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

In achieving our ambitions, we work closely with public and private partners alongside experts and leaders in the field.

To be successful in attracting at least eight major events by 2027, this bid must be driven by our Local Authority hosts, stakeholders and venues with a clear commitment to provide the necessary political support, resources and infrastructure.

For details of all the partners we work with, please see wmgrowth.com/partners

OUR PARTNER UNIVERSITIES

OUR WORLD CLASS VENUES

We have a wealth of world class indoor and outdoor venues across our region.

We have consulted with our partners and identified a number of iconic hosting venues across the West Midlands region with the facilities and infrastructure required to host Major Sporting Events including the ability to deliver business conferences and exhibitions in parallel.

The region is also blessed with a large number of parks and open spaces, including open water, which are suitable for hosting large scale outdoor sporting and mass participation events.

A full venue brochure can be found at: meetbirmingham.com

PRIORITY SPORTS AND EVENTS

AQUATICS

(e.g. Swimming, Diving, Syncro, Water Polo)

ARCHERY

ATHLETICS

(e.g. Track, Road, Mass)

BADMINTON

BASKETBALL

BOXING CLIMBING

CRICKET

CYCLING

(e.g. Road, BMX, MtB, Mass)

DARTS E-SPORTS

EQUESTRIAN FOOTBALL GOLF

GYMNASTICS

(e.g. Trampolining, Artistic, Combined)

HOCKEY

INCLUSIVE SPORT

(e.g. Special, Disability, Para, Wheelchair)

*based on Olympic and Commonwealth Games disciplines and others sports specifically identified by stakeholder feedback during consultation.

KABADDI

LAWN BOWLS

MARTIAL ARTS

(e.g. Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Ju-Jitsu)

MASS PARTICIPATION

(e.g. Cycling, Swimming, Running, Obstacle)

NETBALL RUGBY

(e.g. League, Union)

SQUASH

SNOOKER

YOUNG PEOPLE /SCHOOLS

TABLE TENNIS TENNIS

TRIATHLON

URBAN/ACTION

(e.g. BMX, Skateboard, Parkour)

VOLLEYBALL

WEIGHTLIFTING

WRESTLING

For details on how sports and events are considered and evaluated, please see Appendices 1 and 2.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

We use a robust process to identify the best opportunities based on their fit with the capabilities of the region and the strategic goals of our partners. We score these in order to target those where we have the greatest chance of success, working with partners to ensure we make robust, well-informed decisions.

PRIORITY

SPORTS

WEST MIDLANDS STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

OPTIONS APPRAISAL

PRIORITY VENUES

Which sports and events achieve best outcomes and ROI for the West Midlands against the evaluation framework

Which event assets are available and feasible to host and bid for in the target timeframe

TARGETS BY 2027

Invite discussions and expressions of interest

PREPARE BIDS

Work together with partners to support the development of bids to secure Major Sporting events

WEST MIDLANDS MAJOR EVENTS ADVISORY GROUP

We consult the cross-sector West Midlands Regional Advisory Group which provides insight and expertise, advise on bids and consider applications and expressions of interest

OUTCOMES AND IMPACT

Major Sporting Events can help to deliver one or more outcomes which are important to our region and our partners. Together we’ll use these themes to prioritise future opportunities. This includes looking at how they positively impact the profile, economic, socio-cultural, health and environmental outcomes for our residents, communities and businesses.

These include:

• Boosting tourism and visitor economy

• Enhancing image and profile of place

• Positive economic impact on local businesses

• Promoting and encouraging participation in physical activity

• Helping to raise the profile and participation in key sports

• Encouraging civic engagement and promoting social cohesion

• Enhancing the built and natural environment

We have set out how we will measure the outcomes and quantifiable impact of individual Major Sporting Events in Appendix 3.

Birmingham Alexander Stadium, Perry Barr

APPENDIX 1

EVENT CATEGORIES

These are the areas we have prioritised as part of the strategy - all events we bid for will fit one of these categories.

OLYMPIC AND COMMONWEALTH

Major events owned, funded and supported by NGBs and International Federations as part of their performance pathway.

PARALYMPIC

Major Paralympic events owned, funded and supported by NGBs and International Federations as part of their performance pathway.

MASTERS

Major events which are owned, funded and supported by NGBs and International Federations for older ‘Masters’ age groups.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

Major events of national and international significance which have been identified as West Midlands priority sports.

PROFESSIONAL

Major events which are part of the professional sporting calendar as either recurring or one off sporting events.

MASS PARTICIPATION

Major events which have thousands of participants in elite amateur, age group or participation classes.

URBAN/ACTION

Major events which take place in urban, city centre settings making use of infrastructure.

E-SPORTS AND GAMING

Major events which generally take place in arenas or large venues and are competitive individual and team versions of online e-gaming.

APPENDIX 2

EVALUATING THE OPPORTUNITIES

WEST MIDLANDS MAJOR EVENT DEFINITION

The Major Sporting Event landscape is complex and varied and we have developed an evaluation matrix which will help us to more objectively assess which Major Spor ting Event opportunities match our values, give us the greatest return on investment and help achieve our priority outcomes for our partners and the region.

NATIONALLY ENDORSED

Sporting events of national and international significance which have a positive impact on the profile and image of our region, attract visitors from across the UK and internationally and deliver positive social, economic, health and environmental outcomes for our residents, citizens and businesses.

We will give priority consideration to those major events which have been recommended and sanctioned by our partners at UK Sport, Sport England, National Governing Bodies and International Federations to help support the development of sport in the region through the hosting and delivery of Major Sporting Events.

INNOVATIVE Promote emerging sports, disciplines, formats, e-sports, new audiences.

INCLUSIVE Proactively engage communities, promote inclusive sport (amongst protected groups/characteristics), cultural engagement.

WEST MIDLANDS VALUES

Welcoming, Youthful, Innovative, Inclusive, Diverse, Collaborative, Sustainable.

SPORTS Sports which have been identified as priority or important to Local Authority partner plans.

VENUES Venues which are considered suitable for major events and actively seeking hosting opportunities.

OUTCOMES (IMPACT)

FEASIBILITY

Events which can deliver positive impact against two or more identified outcomes (Profile, Image,Economic, Social, Health, Environmental).

Realistic hosting opportunity due to cost, available funding, venue suitability, timeframes.

APPENDIX 3

OUTCOMES AND IMPACT MEASURES

PURPOSE

Why are we doing it

IMAGE IMPACT

IMPACT

What impact do we want it to have

Public awareness, perception of place, knowledge of place, UK and international markets, advertising and media value

ECONOMIC IMPACT

SOCIAL IMPACT

Visitor footfall, overnight stays, visitor spend, ticket sales, business benefits, investment in supply chain, employment and skills

HEALTH IMPACT

Social capital, cohesion, civic pride, wellbeing, volunteer training, community engagement, inclusion, impact on sports pathways

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

People actively taking part, supporting mental and physical health and wellbeing, volunteering, targeted interventions - low income, families, women and girls, communities

EVALUATION

How are we going to measure it

• TV, broadcast and social media coverage - total reach

• Advertising Value Equivalency

• How overall media coverage positively contributed to image of region

• Event days in city/region

• Overnight stays and net visits spend

• Number and value of contracts awarded to West Midlands companies by event organisers

• Net additional spend/economic value to host economy

• Proportion of the population who agree that the event contributed positively

• Wellbeing, skills, participation, community impact, social capital, capacity

• Equality Impact Assessment completed for event and effective measures put in place

• Number of attendees from city, region, UK

• Total volume of the audience stating the event has had a positive inspirational effect

• Number of attendees from target groups participating in event related programmes

Improving the built environment, civic infrastructure, enhanced sport facilities, public parks and open spaces, sustainability practices, zero waste, energy recovery policies

• Investment in new or improved infrastructure as a result of hosting event

• Evaluation against British Standard BS8901 on sustainable event management

CONTACT US

To discuss Major Sporting Events, please contact:

Strategic Lead Major Sporting Events, West Midlands Growth Company MSE.enquiries@wmgrowth.com

For

Major Sporting Events in the West Midlands, go to: meetbirmingham.com/sportingevents

The West Midlands region, go to: visitbirmingham.com

Image credits: Getty images for LTA, British Gymnastics, The Belfry Hotel & Resort, UK Athletics, Badminton England, Professional Squash Association.