FOR THE COMMON GOOD

A ‘one year on’ evaluation report on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games shows the event has contributed almost £1.2 billion to the UK economy and provided a “lasting impact” on widening access to sport and physical activity

The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham brought together 6,600 athletes and team officials from across 72 Commonwealth nations and territories. In April this year (2024), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published an evaluation report, detailing the social and economic impacts of the event after the first full year, up until the end of 2023. The 184-page document provides an in-depth analysis of the Games’ wide-ranging legacy across both the West Midlands and the UK not only in sport and physical activity, but as a whole – in areas such as skills, education, culture and business development.

The headline figure from the report shows that the event contributed £1.2 billion to the UK economy, with nearly half of that in the West Midlands alone. The event has also contributed £79.5 million in social value, including community benefits and increases in wellbeing and earnings of volunteers and those trained as part of the Games.

Wide benefits

The event was the biggest multi-sport event to be held in England since London 2012 and broke the record for ticket sales at a Commonwealth Games. As a result, Birmingham saw a significant jump in visitors due to the Games, with a 6 per cent increase in visitor numbers when compared to pre-pandemic levels. There were also global TV views of 834.9 million, over 215 million digital views and 141 million interactions on social media.

The Games were delivered on time and under budget, with £70 million of surplus funding being reinvested in the West Midlands region as part of the Commonwealth Games Legacy Enhancement Fund. The fund has been designed to support business growth, inspire young people through sport participation programmes and youth projects, and financially support grassroots organisations.

In addition, the West Midlands saw a 27 per cent increase in foreign direct Investment projects between 2021-22 and 2022-23, almost seven times higher than the rest of the UK. The report also outlines that the Games could lead to over £150 million of further social value in the longer term, largely as a result of increased future earnings among those trained as part of the Games.

“With more than 1.5 million tickets sold, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games was a record-breaking event that is still having a positive impact on the region two years on,” says Sports Minister, Stuart Andrew.

“The report shows that hosting major sporting events in this country boosts growth, creates jobs and has a lasting social impact for communities.”

Sporting legacy

One of the Games’ stated ambitions was to inspire and enable people to improve and sustain levels of physical activity, with a particular focus on the most inactive and under-represented groups.

According to the report, event-related activities during the Games engaged a total of 6.9 million attendees, participants, volunteers and employees. The data shows that a large proportion were from Birmingham and the West Midlands.

A range of Games-related programmes and initiatives were delivered with the aim of removing community barriers to being active and improving levels of physical activity locally. These included the 21 national governing bodies (NGBs) involved in the Games activating more than 402,300 participants through the rollout of various sports programmes and events. The activities were driven through a £6.5m investment made by Sport England in the 21 NGBs to help them develop innovative, non- traditional or digital ideas to drive participation.

Other Games-related initiatives included 70 Active Street festivals which saw more than 10,400 people take part, while more than 2,450 schools engaged with Games-related Daily Mile resources. Local clubs also received a boost, thanks to more than 16,000 pieces of used Games equipment provided free of charge or donated to over 290 West Midlands organisations.

The Games gave us a wonderful platform to create lasting impact at community level

The report states: “Evidence indicates that the initiatives delivered contributed to removing community barriers to being active and improving levels of physical activity for those involved. Ongoing benefits are expected to be realised from the targeted physical activity programmes and the improved systems and services will support physical activity participation, delivering longer term health and wellbeing benefits in the region.”

At the local population level, more than half (52%) of the Birmingham residents surveyed in the one year post-Games Residents Survey perceived a positive impact of the Games on the quality of local infrastructure for walking and cycling. A similar figure (53%) also stated the Games had positively impacted the quality of local facilities for sports and physical activity.

According to the report, the Games-related investment appears to have substantially enhanced the quality, accessibility, and capacity of local sports facilities, and reduced proportions of ‘unmet demand’ across the Games host local authorities.

The Games’ facility strategy was to rely on existing venues, rather than build new ones, with Sandwell Aquatics Centre the only brand-new venue for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. There were, however, significant upgrades made to a number of facilities, including Alexander Stadium and Cannock Chase Forest – the latter hosting the Games’ mountain bike competition.

The report shows that “projections suggest lasting positive impacts” on community health and wellbeing.

“This is particularly evident through the investments and facility improvements made at Cannock Chase Forest, the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, and Alexander Stadium,” the report reads. “Evidence from the one year post-Games Residents Survey shows over half of Birmingham, Perry Barr, and Sandwell residents reported satisfaction with their local sports facilities (55%, 52% and 57% respectively).”

The impact of the Games on sport and physical activity participation can also be seen through Sport England’s Moving Communities platform data. One month after its opening, the Sandwell Aquatics Centre had acquired 4,400 members and welcomed over 60,000 visitors, with 70% of these participants coming from Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 1-3 areas.

In addition, average monthly throughput across all leisure centres in the Games host local authorities, as recorded on the Moving Communities platform, saw a 17 percentage point increase from pre- to post-Games, in comparison to a five percentage point increase observed in statistically comparable neighbouring areas that did not host the Games.

Making it count

In total, Sport England invested £35 million on new facilities and other projects designed to increase participation levels following the Games. Following the Games, Sport England also agreed a 10-year, £5.5m partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority, with the aim of making it easier for the region’s residents to walk, cycle, take part in exercise and play sport more frequently.

According to Sport England CEO, Tim Hollingsworth, the report shows how major sports events can be the catalyst for positive change at community level.

“The evaluation report for the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games is very heartening,” Hollingsworth says. “It illustrates – done right – the legacy of major events can be positive for improving access to sport and physical activity.

“The Games gave us a wonderful platform to create lasting impact at community level across the country by bringing us together through sport, community and friendship. Our £35million investment in the Games was targeted where it was most needed, delivering new facilities and creating ongoing volunteering and activity opportunities for local communities in the West Midlands.

“I’m proud of what we have achieved already and, through our 10-year partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority, we’ll continue to create inclusive opportunities for people to play sport and get active.”