News article
Euro 2024: more than just football
Euro 2024’s organising committee aimed to host the most sustainable version of the event ever, while setting new standards for less impactful competitions.
While UEFA is set to publish a full comprehensive ESG report on this summer’s Euro in October, some initial figures have detailed the competition’s success in terms of environmental and social sustainability.
Some 81% of spectators used public transport to reach stadiums, while 38,000 people received CPR training in fan zones.
Over the next four years, €935m of Euro 2024 revenue will be redistributed between the 55 UEFA member associations through the HatTrick programme. Additionally, €331m has been awarded to associations in prize money and a further €240m has been given to domestic clubs that released players for the tournament.
Infrastructural developments to stadiums in Germany will continue to deliver benefits, and 190 amateur clubs, and 21 regional associations, have received a total of €7m in financial support for sustainability projects through the Euro 2024 climate fund.
Organisers committed to a circular economy as much as possible, aiming to reuse, reduce, recycling and recover waste. Altogether, UEFA invested €32m in implementing the tournament’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, including recruiting a team of 500 volunteers and sustainability managers at each of the 10 host venues.
From a reach point of view, 2.7 million people attended games in Germany and a further 6.2 million visited 18 fan zones across the country. More than 190 nationalities were represented among supporters at Euro 2024, and a global television audience of 5.4 billion enjoyed the football from home.
Euro 2024 took place between June 14 and July 14, with Spain beating England in the final in Berlin.
Image: Wikimedia Commons