England has hosted a number of high-profile sporting events in the past decade, including in football, basketball, rugby, hockey and more.
Events of such scale might encourage more people to take part in sport as a result of attending them or being exposed to the extensive media coverage the event may receive. The impact on participation, however, is not clear-cut, with the results varying significantly depending on the activity level of the population that's targeted.
Our Major Events Engagement Fund showed that, with careful planning, major events not only give our athletes home advantage and bring economic benefits – they can also inspire people to engage in sport by taking part, coaching, volunteering and spectating.
Legacy programmes linked to major events, like the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, play an important role in maximising the benefits of world-class athletes competing on British soil.
You can find out more about what we found from this fund and how to create a volunteering legacy from a major event on our research page.
We know it’s sometimes easy to look past the ‘invisible supply chain’ of people. But evidence shows activity and experience rely on the capacity, connections and support of the millions of volunteers and professionals in our sector and beyond.
The capacity, capability and reach of the workforce needs to be supported across the country and strengthened in the communities that need it most.
That’s why it remains an integral part of our Uniting the Movement strategy.
