Larissa E. Davies

Beyond the Games: regeneration legacies and London 2012

Regeneration is a concept strongly linked with major sports events. It is often used as a rationale to justify expenditure and gain local support. However, there is limited robust evidence to support the notion that major events deliver longer term urban regeneration. This paper examines the regeneration legacies of the Olympic Games by exploring evidence from previous host cities together with the regeneration legacy plans for London beyond 2012. It discusses the factors that contribute to success; the importance of monitoring and evaluation and the methodological challenges this creates. The paper argues that although regeneration legacies are a realistic expectation for cities that host the Olympic Games, they are dependent upon several success factors and can take many years to be realised. It concludes by suggesting a number of considerations for establishing a framework for holistic regeneration legacy evaluation in the future.

Sport in the city: Measuring economic significance at the local level

In many cities throughout Europe, sport is increasingly being used as a tool for economic revitalisation. While there has been a growth in literature relating to the specific economic impacts of sports‐led development, including professional sport facilities, teams, and sport events, limited research has been undertaken on the contribution of the whole sport sector to output and employment. In the United Kingdom (UK), studies have focused on evaluating sport‐related economic activity at the national level, yet despite the increasing use of sport for local economic development little research has been undertaken at the city level. To address this situation, this article uses the National Income Accounting framework to measure the economic importance of sport in Sheffield, UK. It shows that the value‐added in 1996/97 was £165.61m or 4.11% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), approximately twice the amount predicted from current national estimates. It is argued that this can primarily be explained by previous studies under‐estimating the economic importance of sport, largely due to methodological differences. It goes on to suggest that future research on the significance of sport should be undertaken at the local level to provide policymakers with information at the spatial level where regeneration programmes are being implemented.

Valuing the voluntary sector in sport: rethinking economic analysis

The voluntary sector plays an important role in the sports industry, as a provider of sporting opportunities and in the development of sport, from increasing participation through to supporting excellence and elite performance. However, despite this importance, research on its contribution to sport‐related economic activity is limited, with information on this sector remaining the weakest part of current economic assessments of the UK sports industry. The research presented in this article examines the economic importance of the voluntary sector, using a case study of Sheffield. It demonstrates that the sports voluntary sector in the city is considerably smaller than was predicted when using national estimates, and that this is largely a consequence of methodological issues relating to previous research. The article suggests that in the light of the findings and the increasing use of sport in urban policy, there is a need to rethink the methodology used to evaluate the economic contribution of the voluntary sector in the future.

Sport and economic regeneration: a winning combination?

In recent years, there has been a favourable shift in UK urban policy towards the use of sport as a tool for regenerating declining areas. Sporting infrastructure has been constructed in various British cities with a view to addressing the dual aims of sporting need and urban regeneration. However, evidence to support the notion that sport can underpin regeneration goals is highly variable. This paper will explore the growth of sport-related regeneration in the UK and examine the evidence base for this. In particular, it will focus on the economic literature and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of emerging evidence. It will suggest that with investment in sport likely to increase as a consequence of the London 2012 Olympic Games, there is a need to develop a greater understanding of the role of sport in the regeneration process, to maximize the potential benefits and to justify public expenditure on sport in the future.

Measuring attendance: issues and implications for estimating the impact of free-to-view sports events

A feature of many non-elite sports events, especially those conducted in public places, is that they are free-to-view. The article focuses on the methodological issue of estimating spectator attendance at free-to-view events and the consequences for impact evaluation. Using empirical data from three case studies, the article outlines various approaches to measuring attendance and discusses the key issues and implications for evaluating free-to-view sports events.

Evaluating event economic impact : rigour versus reality?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the methodologies used to evaluate major events. It aims to establish the most practically‐relevant methodology for analysing the economic impact of routinely‐held major events and to identify the key methodological issues for future consideration.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on empirical research undertaken by the Sport Industry Research Centre using the direct expenditure approach (DEA).Findings – The DEA is the most pragmatic and cost‐effective method for evaluating the economic impact of medium‐sized major events. However, the approach is only as robust as the quality of data utilised to derive estimates. Key emerging methodological issues are measuring attendance, consideration of direct first‐round leakage and treatment of organisational spend and event surplus/deficit.Research limitations/implications – The DEA limits the measurement of economic impact to first‐round spending associated with an event. It is not suitable for measuri...

Sporting a new role? Stadia and the real estate market

There has been a favourable shift in UK urban policy towards the use of sporting infrastructure as a catalyst for rejuvenating declining areas. Despite this recent trend, evidence to support the notion that stadia can underpin regeneration goals is highly variable. This paper uses a case study of the City of Manchester Stadium and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to examine the impact of stadia construction on the real estate market, an area of economic development that has been significantly under-researched, yet which forms an integral part of the regeneration process. It concludes by arguing that a more comprehensive understanding of the role of stadia in the regeneration process is required if policy makers are to justify future and sustained public investment in sport-related infrastructure, especially given the significant investment that is planned for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Sport and the Local Economy: The Effects of Stadia Development on the Commercial Property Market

The use of sports stadia for economic development and regeneration has gained increasingly credibility in recent years, both academically and in terms of UK urban policy. However, evidence to support the effectiveness of stadia for these purposes is highly variable. This paper uses a comparative case study of the Millennium Stadium and the City of Manchester Stadium to examine the effects of stadia development on the commercial property market, an area of research that has received little attention in the literature. It uses the expert opinion of professionals working in real estate, together with the experience of key stakeholders in Manchester and Cardiff to provide empirical evidence that stadia can create tangible and intangible impacts on the commercial property market, but that these are variable between different sectors. It concludes by arguing the need for further research on the role of stadia in the regeneration process if the impacts of these developments are to be maximised in the future.

Limited or lasting legacy? : the effect of non-mega sport event attendance on participation

Research question: It is often claimed by event promoters that hosting major sports events will inspire increased participation at grass-roots level. However, evidence of this linkage is scarce. This paper addresses the research gap by examining the legacy effect of ‘non-mega’ events on the sport participation levels of those who attend them. Research methods: Data gathered using a combination of face-to-face and online surveys with spectators during and following their attendance at one of nine events, held in England between 2010 and 2012, yielded 434 matched responses. Results and findings: The analysis revealed different types of increases in post-event participation behaviour of both previously active and inactive respondents, including ‘initial’, ‘sustained’ and ‘lagged’ effects. However, attributing causality for these positive changes in activity behaviour to a single event is problematic due to the range of other factors that audiences may experience with the passage of time, including other events. Implications: The key implication of the research for management practice is that major sport events can have a positive market penetration effect but market development effects are as yet unproven.

A wider role for sport : community sports hubs and urban regeneration

Abstract In recent years, sport has emerged as a catalyst of regeneration. However, much focus has been on event-related regeneration, with the use of smaller scale sports infrastructure for this purpose receiving less attention. This paper focuses on the contribution of community sports hubs to urban regeneration. Using evidence from a case study of Orford Jubilee Neighbourhood Hub (OJNH) in the UK, it examines the intended sporting, economic, social, physical and environmental outcomes of the project and evaluates whether these are being achieved. The paper argues that although there is evidence to suggest that as a sustainable sports facility, OJNH is achieving its sporting objectives; the regeneration impacts of the project are more variable. The paper concludes that while community sports hubs have the potential to create wider societal impacts, there is a need for further evidence to support the case and leverage maximum benefits for the local community in the longer term.