17/03/23

UEFA EURO 2028 matches being hosted in Cardiff as part of a joint bid by the Football Associations of Wales, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland would deliver ‘significant economic benefits for Cardiff and the Capital Region,' according to a Cardiff Council Cabinet report published ahead of a final bid submission.

Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, said: "Time and again Cardiff has shown itself capable of hosting world-class sporting events and they don't come much bigger than the UEFA European Football Championship.

"It's not just the significant economic benefits hosting games would deliver for the city and the wider region during the tournament, if successful, the bid would showcase the city, building on its reputation as an international events destination, bringing longer-term benefits for tourism. Importantly, it would also expand opportunities for people in Cardiff to participate in sport and physical activity."

The report recommends approving the submission of the Final Tournament Bid, approving the Host City Agreement, and continuing work to develop the UK & Ireland 2028 bid, as staging matches in Cardiff would:

• Deliver significant economic benefits for Cardiff and the City Region.
• Signal the Capital's post Covid Recovery and provide an anchor event for the development of a new 10-year event strategy.
• Build on Cardiff's reputation as an international events destination.
• Complement Cardiff's sporting event portfolio.
• Provide an international media platform that promotes the reputation of Cardiff and Wales.
• Support the development and sustainability of the cultural, creative event and tourism sectors through the delivery of the UEFA Festival and a cultural and heritage programme.
• Showcase Cardiff's heritage, venues, parkland, and waterfront.
• Support and promote the health and wellbeing agenda by expanding the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity and seeking to significantly increase the number of people wanting to play, coach, or volunteer within Welsh Football including establishing a legacy programme.

The deadline for final bid submissions is April 12^th2023, with UEFA expected to announce the winning bid in autumn 2023.

Cardiff Council Cabinet will take the report on the UEFA EURO 2028 Bid at its public meeting in County Hall from 2pm on Thursday, March 23rd. The full meeting agenda, as well as reports and non-confidential papers for all agenda items, are available to view herehttps://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=151&MId=7960&Ver=4where a live stream of the meeting will also be available on the day.

The UEFA EURO 2028 bid will be scrutinised by the Economy & Culture Scrutiny Committee at 5.00pm on Tuesday 21^stMarch.Papers related to this public scrutiny meeting can be viewed here: https://cardiff.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=142&MId=7941&LLL=0and a live stream of the meeting will be available here: https://cardiff.public-i.tv/core/portal/home