As talks about the North of England bidding for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the 2040s ramp up, it has reignited talk about sports development and legacy benefits.

But what could hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in the North of England do for regeneration?

And more importantly, what happens when the crowds go home…?

Sport can be a powerful anchor for regeneration if approached in the right way, but the first hurdle is hosting the games and events in the first place. Often the numbers on paper focus on short-term cost, which can stop projects happening rather than the long-term economic and social impact and opportunities they can unlock.

Manchester provides perhaps one of the best examples in the UK.

The Etihad Stadium was built for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and subsequently converted to a football stadium. More than two decades later, it is now a global sporting destination and has helped anchor significant investment and regeneration across the wider area.

The physical regeneration and subsequent private investment have gone beyond expectations.

It’s not solely down to the Commonwealth Games – but it was the anchor for everything that came afterwards…from the takeover of Manchester City Football Club to the Council and Combined Authority’s focus on connecting the city centre to Ancoats and New Islington. Sport has been the anchor that has kick-started the regeneration.

Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games helped accelerate regen in the city’s East End, turning derelict land into new homes and delivering new community and transport infrastructure. And it instils a level of confidence to host major events that saw Glasgow pick up the 2026 Games at late notice.

Wembley tells a similar story, where the area around the stadium has transformed into an active year-round place.  And Stratford in East London, which has become a destination, attracting a variety of cultural and commercial offerings and investment post-Olympics.

This is on top of the large-scale public green space, which exists where once there was industrial land. 

During the World Cup, I got to enjoy the legacy of the Atlanta-hosted Olympics. The FIFA fan zone was in the Centennial Olympic Park, a 21-acre plaza that has transformed a downtown area with all the economic activity that now goes on around it.

Back in the UK, the 2012 Olympics also sparked investment in education and research facilities outside of the capital. Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, a collaboration that includes the local council, NHS, and private sector, is a growing cluster in the health, well-being, and sports sectors.

Linking sport, education, and research has led to long-term economic benefits for the area.

At the other end of the spectrum, major UK sporting events and sporting achievements can generate a lasting sense of pride in a place.

In 2014, the Tour de France Grand Départ was hosted in the North of England, with many yellow bikes still lining the streets and roundabouts in the Yorkshire Dales.

It’s the same with golden post boxes from the London 2012 Olympics celebrating sporting stars from a particular area. People still stop and take photos next to them. While here in Leeds, Olympic gold medal-winning boxer Nicola Adams adorns a mural celebrating famous faces in the city around the corner from the Royal Armouries.

The investment in sporting events and facilities has to look beyond what goes on inside stadia. The infrastructure around them is crucial, and the collaboration needed is plentiful.

And that thinking and partnership working is increasingly visible in projects being planned today.

In Birmingham it is hoped that plans for a new Birmingham City FC stadium will be a catalyst for wider regeneration on adjacent land, with a blueprint setting out a 20-year plan. Similarly in Leeds, proposals to expand Elland Road include regenerating the land around the stadium, connecting the site with a new tram network and creating a destination rather than simply a stadium.

There is already a good range of sporting venues across the North that could accommodate Olympic and Paralympic events, minimising the need to build new facilities, but athletes’ villages are an opportunity to create long-term housing at scale.

Athletes’ accommodation for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games was planned as housing for the local community – delays due to Covid meant the village never housed the athletes, but the development has continued as the Perry Barr residential scheme, set to deliver almost 1,400 homes.

And we’ve just made an exciting announcement to open our first international event in Australia. And I must say the buzz around Brisbane 2032 is very much evident.

Brisbane is hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2032, and the Queensland Government is drawing up proposals for homes and commercial space on vacant land around a sports venue, which will be converted to a 17,000-seat indoor area as the anchor. With plans at the iconic Gabba cricket stadium, there are some exciting sporting plans being delivered in Australia.

With collaboration and planning, there is so much that can be achieved beyond the roar of supporters.

Sport shouldn’t be treated as the end product but as the first step on a long-term regeneration journey.

We’ll be exploring how sport can act as a catalyst for investment, development, and regeneration during a dedicated day at UKREiiF in 2027, and if you’d like to find out more about that, you can message [email protected].