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2024 Touch World Cup delivers £10 million economic benefit
The Federation of International Touch (FIT), England Touch and the University of Nottingham have today released the 2024 Touch World Cup impact report, unveiling a £10 million economic benefit for the local area.
The report was produced in-line with UK Sport's framework for measuring the impact of major events and draws from arange of data sets including a bespoke participant survey to assess the economic, social, reputational and environmental benefits of hosting the Touch World Cup.
The headline number of £10 million, excluding travel to the event, was made up of £4.7m of participant spend fromplayers, referees and support staff who on average spent £1570; and £5.3million from visitors, spending an average of £781 per person.
Event Director and former CEO of England Touch, Chris Simon, believes the better-than-expected numbers are down to the increased number of visitors to the event: “The survey showed that on average, each participant was accompanied by 2.27 people – a higher number than we expected. This led to estimated attendances throughout the week-long competition of 10,000 per day, with a peak of 25,000 over the finals weekend. Many visitors stayed for mostof the week, with many international visitors extending their stay beyond the end of the event.”
Chris, who has now joined FIT as the organisation’s first Chief Operating Officer expects the popularity of Touch to continue to grow, both in terms of participation, but also the wider following for the sport: “Historically Touch hasn’t had the public following and has relied on a pay-to-play model.
"The World Cup has shown us that there is a wider appeal for the sport. We had the support of 15 partner organisations, both financially and in kind. Despite having over 3,000 players from 39 countries, more people watched the event than participated in it and the media reach and wider publicity created substantial awareness outside of our traditional audiences.”
As well as the larger than expected economic figures, the report also emphasises the social impact the event had on volunteering and touch participation.
England Touch Chair, Tim Loveridge welcomed the report findings: “The economic impact is tremendous, but the results also demonstrate the inclusivity of the sport, and the opportunity for local skills development. We had over 1,300 children from 28 schools attend taster sessions and hosted additional participation activities for the LGBTQ+ community and older (70+ years old) adults.
“We had the fantastic support of over 300 volunteers, many of whom were juniors, using the event to develop their skills prior to going into employment. Overall, the event was bigger and had more impact than any of us could have imagined and I’d like to once again thank everyone who made it such a success.”
As event hosts, Christine Bailey, Assistant Director of Sport at the University of Nottingham said: “Sport is at the heart of our communities, fostering health, education, social integration, and economic growth.
"We are immensely proud of the positive impact the Touch World Cup has had, both locally and nationally. This prestigious event has been a fantastic platform to showcase Nottingham’s established reputation as the home of sport in England and we hope its success continues to inspire more individuals to get involved in sport and physical activity, driving a lasting legacy for future generations.”
Looking ahead to the next World Cup in New Zealand, FIT Chair, Peter Topp said: “Many thanks to the team at the University of Nottingham for leading this piece of research.
"The results further demonstrate the increasing influence hosting Touch events is now having – both on the local economy, but also the wider social and reputational impact.
"As we move into the next four-year cycle for the sport, I am excited about theopportunity for Touch and especially the World Cup, being hosted by our colleagues at Touch New Zealand in 2028.”
