DD2717 - EuroHockey Championships 2027

Major sports events in London 
1.1.    London has created a lasting legacy from the 2012 Olympics, by delivering a huge portfolio of major sports events in the decade since. These include the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2015; the 2017 World Athletics Championships and World Para Athletics Championships; and select matches of the 2020 UEFA European Championships, and the 2022 Women’s UEFA European Championship. 
1.2.    To maintain its position as the sporting capital of the world, London must continue to secure and deliver a strong portfolio of major sports events over the next 10 years. It has already secured events including the Major League Baseball London Series 2023, 2024 and 2026; the UEFA Men’s Champions League final 2024; and the UEFA Men’s European Championships 2028. Looking ahead, there is a need to secure further international major sports events – particularly those showcasing mixed gender and para sporting events, as London seeks to keep leading the way in celebrating equality and diversity in sport.
1.3.    London has been the home of international hockey since the 2012 Olympics. It has hosted: 
•    the EuroHockey Championships (men’s and women’s) 2015
•    the Hockey Champions Trophy (men’s and women’s) 2016 
•    the FIH World League semi-finals (men’s) 2017
•    the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup 2018
•    FIH Pro League home matches 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
•    a host of international test matches and domestic championships.
Hockey in the UK and London 
1.4.    Almost 1m people play hockey each year in the UK – mostly in education environments, and through a strong club base. Approximately 150,000 play organised hockey in around 750 England Hockey member clubs. There are 82 clubs and 17,000 club players based in London. 
1.5.    The England Men’s team are currently ranked number two in the world. The GB Women’s team have achieved big tournament success, obtaining medals at the last three Olympics. The England Women’s team won Gold at the last Commonwealth Games in 2022.
1.6.    England Hockey’s bid for the EuroHockey Championships is aligned to several strategic objectives: 
•    Inspirational international success: Hosting an international championship allows fans to see and meet players; and enhances local media coverage to inspire future players. It also provides a home advantage for qualification to the 2028 Olympic games. 
•    Lead positive change: Match broadcasts, particularly free-to-air, bring hockey to new audiences. Hosting the Intellectual Disability (ID) Championship will also be a great opportunity to promote disability sport and help leverage wider equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) investment.
•    Drive visible impact: Visibility is important to attract major commercial partnerships. Big Stadium Hockey (BSH) gives a unique opportunity for sponsors and many fans to watch live games. Broadcast with full stadiums will be available via over-the-top platforms and social channels; and will promote the sport as a thriving commercial proposition.
•    Responsible leadership: Hosting major events shows that England Hockey is a realistic challenger sport in eyes of partners, other sports and the hockey community. It is focused on events being financially sustainable, whilst saving international programme costs by playing at home.
1.7.    England Hockey, with the support of UK Sport, is bidding for the EuroHockey Championships in 2027. This event is an integrated men’s, women’s and ID competition, with the men’s and women’s competition acting as a qualifier for the LA 2028 Olympics.
1.8.    The EuroHockey Championships are held internationally every two years, with England hosting its last event in 2015. Other event hosts are: 
•    2017 – Netherlands 
•    2019 – Belgium 
•    2021 – Netherlands 
•    2023 – Germany 
•    2025 – Germany.
1.9.    For the event in 2027, there would be 12 nations per gender competing over a maximum of 10 consecutive days. England Hockey’s preferred dates are still to be confirmed; the two options are Friday 16 to Sunday 25 July 2027, or Friday 20 to Sunday 29 August 2027. The ID Championship would normally take place over the last three days of the event.
1.10.    England, as the host nation, would gain automatic qualification, with further qualification spots available to the other home nations. England Hockey expects the men’s and women’s England teams to at least reach the semi-finals; and aims to achieve a medal for each team, plus Olympic qualification. 
1.11.    Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre (LVHTC) has been chosen to host up to and including the quarter finals (the first seven days of the event), as it is the UK’s only purpose-built hockey arena. LVHTC is on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and is a legacy venue from the London 2012 Olympics. 
1.12.    For the final three competition days (semi-finals and finals), England Hockey is proposing a move to BSH. A temporary, portable pitch allows hockey to use existing stadiums built for other sports, and maximise existing infrastructure, to drive commercial opportunities for the host, stadium owners and the rights holder. England Hockey has been at the forefront of this pitch technology; in 2019, it successfully used BSH overlay at the Stoop in Twickenham (for FIH Pro League) and in Dublin (for Ireland Women’s Olympic qualifying event). This would be the first use of BSH in a major international final, showcasing London as a leader in innovation and technology in sport.
1.13.    England Hockey has carefully considered BSH as strategic approach. It strongly believes this proposition adds the following benefits:
•    Winnability: It will provide a more attractive bid to EuroHockey, which would be the first continental federation to deliver its Championships using a BSH platform, aligning to its strategy and vision. The 15k stadium capacity enables EuroHockey to exceed, by 50 per cent, the capacity delivered for any of its previous Championships. It will increase the potential value from EuroHockey’s commercial partners, and be attractive to new partners.
•    Financial: LVHTC’s maximum overall capacity is approximately 10,000. The increase from the current capacity of 3,000 would likely cost an extra £1.2m (including inflation) for additional temporary infrastructure, staff and contractor resources. The net cost of delivering a BSH infrastructure solution will be approximately £200,000, reducing the financial risk and increasing the benefit provided through additional seating for the semi-finals and finals, which are high-demand sessions. 
•    Commercial: A BSH solution will provide appeal and leverage with sponsors; and provides a hospitality solution that can also deliver an upside in permanent, ready-to-go facilities. The opportunity to increase the number of partners multiplies the associated benefits and opportunities (e.g., marketing, social impacts, value in kind etc).
•    Engagement: It is important to England Hockey to make the sport accessible to as many of its members as possible; the two-centre approach delivers on this objective. The change in venues for the later stages of the event brings into play different markets, and spreads the event’s reach. It is considered that this approach’s uniqueness will also appeal to broadcasters and viewers alike, further increasing reach and event value. 
1.14.    In its unsuccessful bid for the 2026 Men’s Hockey World Cup, England Hockey carried out a comprehensive, nationwide expression of interest (EOI) process for potential BSH stadiums. It had ten stadium EOIs from eight different cities. There are two BSH options for the 2027 European Championships: Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton; and the Stoop, Twickenham. Both have a capacity for around 15,000 fans, which is considered optimum for the final three days of the EuroHockey Championships. 
1.15.    Should the event be secured, England Hockey proposes to carry out a mini-tender process with these two stadiums, to ensure competitive pricing. It will consider other factors, such as partner funding implications, before selecting the BSH venue. 
1.16.    Operational delivery of the event will be managed internally by England Hockey; a local organising committee (LOC) will be set up within the organisation. The LOC will be responsible for the detailed operational planning, management and delivery of the event, in line with the approved strategic objectives and event budget. The LOC will act as the decision-making forum for all operational plans.
1.17.    England Hockey, UK Sport and other funding partners (including the GLA) will establish the Stakeholder Management Board that will have ultimate responsibility for the event. The Stakeholder Management Board will provide formal updates to EuroHockey and the England Hockey board. 
1.18.    England Hockey will be submitting the provisional budget for the EuroHockey Championships 2027 as follows: 
 

1.19.    England Hockey’s sponsorship strategy is to secure a base of £175,000 in sponsor income, targeting a mix of national and international brands. The strategy would focus on long-term partnerships, visibility, brand alignment and high-value sponsorship deals.
1.20.    England Hockey has engaged with the GLA to support the partner funding-income – it is already putting in £250,000 of its own funding, plus staffing costs to support the event. UK Sport, which is funded by DCMS, has confirmed that if the bid is successful, it will support the event with £1.2m of funding.
1.21.    England Hockey has gone through a robust ticket-modelling strategy, and is confident in its potential to generate the predicted revenue. Approximately half the player base from London and the South East of England would be within an hour’s travelling distance of the proposed event venues in London. England Hockey can draw on its strong database of 70,000 fans, 150,000 registered players and 429,000 followers across social media.
1.22.    As well as attracting current fans, England Hockey is keen to use this event to identify potential new audiences. This includes youth, young families and sports enthusiasts who may not yet be hockey fans. It wants to focus on diverse groups to broaden the appeal of the sport to drive future participation.
Funding proposal
1.23.    England Hockey is asking, as part of the bidding process, for an indication of London’s funding contribution. London has specified that funding would only be confirmed following award of BSH to a London venue. 
1.24.    The GLA will be one of several funders. The breakdown is as follows:
•    UK Sport – £1.2m
•    England Hockey – £250,000 plus staffing value in kind 
•    GLA – £150,000.
1.25.    The current budget process – which includes a growth bid for major sports events, combined with the base level of programme funding for major sports events – can accommodate up to £150,000 of grant funding and £19,100 of in-kind support to England Hockey (as set out at paragraph 1.29, below). The intention is to fund this project from the Major Sports Events programme budget. 
1.26.    This proposal splits the funding across two financial years: £50,000 in Q4 of 2025-26; and £100,000 in Q4 of 2026-27.
1.27.    Section 12 of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code provides that decisions to award grant funding should generally be based on the outcome of a transparent, competitive application process. In this case, however (as with the majority of major sports events), the funding decision is based on assessment against the GLA’s major sports events framework objectives to: deliver economic impact; provide broadcast and exposure opportunities; and offer meaningful community engagement to London’s communities. The rationale for funding England Hockey to deliver the event is that it is the official body set up to deliver the EuroHockey Championships 2027. 
1.28.    The funding would only be awarded to England Hockey if: their bid be successful to host the EuroHockey Championships 2027; and a London venue is chosen to host the semi-finals and finals. 
In-kind support 
1.29.    As part of London’s bid submission, the city has offered the following in-kind support to England Hockey, should their bid to host the EuroHockey Championships be successful: 
•    promotion imagery – free use of Trafalgar Square for promotional activity (all associated production costs to sit with the organising body) (value in kind estimated at £8,000) 
•    transport and accommodation planning – advice and introductions to relevant organisations, including TfL 
•    ceremonies and civic events – use of City Hall for a civic function (value in kind estimated at £11,100) 
•    city volunteering programmes – introduction to Team London and the London Ambassador scheme 
•    marketing communications support – amplification of messaging through the GLA and Mayor of London channels 
•    Civil Society and Sport programmes – opportunity to work with the GLA’s Civil Society and Sport teams to realise tournament legacy aims and objectives through the GLA’s established projects and community connections.
Project governance 
1.30.    If the bid is successful, the GLA would form part of the stakeholder management board to monitor and measure project progress, risks and finances.
1.31.    The lead officer from the Major Sports Events team will share an update on project progress with their senior manager on a regular basis.
1.32.    The GLA will also attend any sub-groups relating to marketing and legacy development. The lead officer from the Major Sports Events team will ensure that relevant GLA teams, and London & Partners, are included in these meetings to offer project advice and support; and to ensure the project aligns with Mayoral strategic priorities. 
 

2.1.    The EuroHockey Championships 2027 will deliver on London’s priorities in the Major Sports Events Strategic Framework. It will do so in the following ways: 
•    develop an exciting pipeline of future sporting events, boosting London’s economy and reach 
•    raise the profile of London as a destination for tourism and business, via international and domestic broadcast and press coverage 
•    support the development of skills for specific identified groups, and offer long-term benefits to London and Londoners
•    support London’s sustainability ambitions, and ensure positive impact of events in the capital
•    engage Londoners through interventions including community schemes, volunteering opportunities and coaching programmes
•    support London as a host of men’s, women’s and disability sports events.
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, the Mayor and the GLA are subject to the public sector equality duty and must have due regard to the need to:
•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
•    foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. 
3.2.    The “protected characteristics” are age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage/civil partnership status. The duty involves having appropriate regard to these matters as they apply in the circumstances, including having regard to the need to: remove or minimise any disadvantage suffered by those who share or are connected to a protected characteristic; take steps to meet the different needs of such people; and encourage them to participate in public life or in any other activity where their participation is disproportionately low. This can involve treating people with a protected characteristic more favourably than those without one. 
3.3.    In relation to the EuroHockey Championships, the Major Sports Events team has consulted, and will continue to consult, a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that as many Londoners as possible, including those with protected characteristics, are considered in the planning of the event and have the opportunity to be involved in some way. 
3.4.    We will work to ensure that the volunteering programme eliminates discrimination and is open to all, regardless of race, disability,  age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment. 
3.5.    We will ensure that appropriate assistance is given to all Londoners and visitors at the event and activations in London. We will work to ensure that Londoners and visitors with whom we may have had difficulties communicating, and those with accessibility issues, are given the necessary tools for maximum engagement in the tournament.
3.6.    In formulating our plans for the EuroHockey Championships, the GLA will consider our duty to foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. Our plans for delivering the project will specifically aim to celebrate London’s diversity, and attract interest in the tournament from across London’s diverse population. Our volunteering offer will promote integration between those with a protected characteristic and those without. Our promotional and marketing communications will seek to target and maximise engagement in the tournament from across London’s broad population.
3.7.    England Hockey is bidding for the event on the basis that it is an integrated men’s, women’s and ID competition delivering a legacy programme, alongside the spotlight it will bring to all players of the game. 
3.8.    Driving equality through improving accessible access and engagement in sport is at the heart of the tournament. The ID tournament being played at the same stadium venue as the men’s and women’s competitions will hugely benefit those with disabilities, showing that hockey can be played by people of all abilities. England Hockey will reach out to community groups with invitations to the matches, to inspire them into seeing that hockey could be a sport for them.
3.9.    England Hockey will use the tournament as a focal point for several elements of its EDI framework and plans, which aim to: 
•    reflect society and ensure hockey remains relevant in the 21st century
•    ensure safe, respectful, inclusive cultures valuing and welcoming everyone
•    enable anyone, from any background, to participate in hockey
•    ensure that hockey maintains an excellent reputation for commitment to EDI.
3.10.    Key plans within the framework, which would be bolstered by hosting this tournament, are:
•    to support key figures in hockey to implement change
•    to listen to feedback and reduce identified barriers 
•    to increase members’ confidence in creating inclusive environments
•    to have targeted programmes for underrepresented groups, to make the pathways more accessible
•    to increase play opportunities for people with disabilities and long-term health impairments.
 

Impact assessment for London 
Economic impact 
4.1.    Using the UK Sport Event Impacts tool, England Hockey has estimated the event’s direct economic impact on London to be approximately £10m, through direct spectator and attendee spend.
Global reach 
4.2.    The 2015 EuroHockey Championships in London delivered a cumulative audience of 8.5m viewers across 587 hours of coverage. The women’s final, involving England, produced the largest audience of any fixture in the tournament, with 1.3m viewers. 
4.3.    In 2018, the Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cup in London reached a cumulative TV audience of 9.57m viewers (average viewers). The top three markets were the Netherlands, India and Belgium.
4.4.    The 2018 event generated over 1.6bn event impressions (one impression being a single person viewing for at least 30 seconds). India accounted for one-third of this; however the Netherlands contributed 491m impressions, driven by live coverage on public broadcaster NOS. 
4.5.    For the 2027 edition, England Hockey intends to buy back the domestic rights as part of the bid, in order to secure coverage through a free-to-air broadcaster in the UK. In 2015, it secured BBC Sport for this purpose.
4.6.    The Championships have extensive coverage across Europe – including broadcast rights sold in London’s target international markets, such as France and Germany. This would be a huge opportunity to promote the Mayor of London brand, and ensure coverage for the city across the UK and key international markets. 
Environmental impact 
4.7.    England Hockey is proposing to use the EuroHockey Championships to pioneer new technology that would transform the environmental impact of international hockey on a global scale. 
4.8.    England Hockey, following approval from the FIH, intends to use dry turf at the 2027 EuroHockey Championships finals. This removes the need to water the pitch, which will dramatically reduce the sport’s environmental and financial impacts. The pitch expected to be used for the event will be climate-neutral, with a positive carbon footprint and 80 per cent organically based fibre. 
4.9.    England Hockey has proposed that the GLA could retain the turf’s legacy, relocating it to a community facility in London following the event. 
4.10.    London would be at the centre of this narrative. The event would showcase the city as a world leader in enhancing the sustainability of major sports events, and supporting community legacy projects. 
4.11.    England Hockey has completed a sustainability audit for the EuroHockey Championships against its own sustainability policy. It has a clear set of recommendations in its event planning – such as single-use plastics, reuse of the BSH pitch, and the strategic of using an existing stadium rather than building temporary infrastructure.
4.12.    The Major Sports Events team would work with England Hockey to further develop its sustainability strategy for the event; and to ensure there are processes in place to measure the tournament’s environmental impact. 
Social impact 
4.13.    The EuroHockey Championships 2027, and the EuroHockey ID Championships 2027, aim to transform the sport from a community and inclusion perspective. England Hockey has strong ambitions to make a long-lasting social impact and improve people’s lives through hockey. 
4.14.    England Hockey has proposed the following key themes: 
•    EDI
•    health and wellbeing 
•    education, jobs, skills and local economies 
•    sustainability and environmental standards. 
4.15.    England Hockey has outlined the key programmes expected to feature in the impact programme for EuroHockey 2027: 
•    EuroHockey ID Championship: an opportunity to showcase disability hockey and expand the Flyerz programme (England Hockey’s flagship grassroots disability hockey programme) across England. The Hockey ID Championship is an established competition, with teams from nine nations at the last event; the format is now an established Special Olympics category. This would be a unique event providing opportunities to showcase Olympic and Paralympic sport on the same stage; and promote London as an inclusive, welcoming city to athletes of all ability. 
•    Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) Community Plan: use the event to further scale and improve the profile of the ongoing community programmes that they deliver in partnership with LVRPA such as Holiday Activity Fund and Walking Hockey. 
•    Community tickets: offer free tickets to local community groups, disability groups and school children to give them a taster of international hockey, and inspire them to pick up the sport. The GLA would work with England Hockey to support the distribution of these tickets, and ensure that they reach targeted communities in London that would not ordinarily come to hockey.
•    Hockey Makers: use England Hockey’s flagship volunteer programme to give individuals training and development opportunities, to make a real and positive impact on the sport for its long-term future. Team London would be engaged in this process to support the recruitment of more London-based volunteers, reflective of the local community, to ensure a diverse pool of volunteers. 
•    Stakeholders activation: use the event to bring together key stakeholders – such as areas and counties, and community and youth leads – for learning, development and future motivation. 
•    EDI: be focal point for several elements of England Hockey’s EDI framework and plans. 
4.16.    As a funder, the GLA would be fully integrated into social impact planning, in partnership with the England Hockey development team. England Hockey initially ringfenced £50,000 from the event budget towards social impact; and included a full-time Social Impact Manager in its staffing structure for the event. 
4.17.    Using the GLA’s network, and resourcing from England Hockey, structures are in place for the EuroHockey Championships to have tangible impact on Londoners, promote inclusion and engage new fans to the sport.
4.18.    England Hockey has a long-term investment in Lee Valley as a host of its international fixtures. As such, there will be many opportunities, in the years following this event, for those showing an interest to continue their involvement in the sport. 
4.19.    The EuroHockey Championships scores highly on the Major Sports Events strategic assessment across sustainability and social integration. The event provides a unique opportunity to showcase London as a leader in innovation, for creating more sustainable major sports events; and as a pioneer in putting ID hockey on the same stage as men’s and women’s international qualification for the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA.
Link to Mayoral strategies and priorities
4.20.    The table below shows how the event aligns to the Mayor’s current 2024 manifesto. 
 

Risks
4.21.    The table below details the risks associated with this work, and mitigations. 
 

Conflicts of interest
4.22.    There are no conflicts of interest to declare for those involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.
 

5.1.    Approval is sought for £150,000 from the Major Sporting Events budget, to stage the EuroHockey Championships. This will be split as follows: £50,000 in 2025-26, and £100,000 in 2026-27.
5.2.    The budgets over the next two financial years are yet to be approved, and any expenditure is expected to be met within the Major Sport Events planned budget, irrespective of any growth bids.
 

6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications concern the exercise of the Authority’s general powers, falling within the Authority’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further, or that are facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, the promotion of economic development and wealth creation, social development and the improvement of the environment in Greater London. In formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:
•    pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
•    consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities betweens persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2.    In taking the decisions requested, the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty – namely, the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; and advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; sexual orientation) and persons who do not (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
6.3.    Paragraph 1.25, above, indicates that the contribution of £150,000 from the Major Sports Events programme budget, towards the staging of the EuroHockey Championships, amounts to the provision of grant funding and not payment for services. Providing that England Hockey’s bid to host the event is successful, and London is chosen to stage the semi-finals and final, officers must ensure that the funding is distributed fairly; transparently; and in accordance with the GLA’s equalities policy, and with the requirements of section 12 of its Contracts and Funding Code. Furthermore, officers must ensure that an appropriate funding agreement is put in place between, and executed by, the GLA before any commitment to fund is made, and before any funding is paid.
6.4.    Sections 383 and 384 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the Act) makes the GLA responsible for the care, control, management and regulation of Trafalgar Square. The £19,100 of in-kind support to England Hockey (in relation to venue hire of Trafalgar Square and City Hall for ancillary events) sought under this decision form may reasonably be viewed as falling within said sections as it relates to the management of Trafalgar Square. Section 34 of the Act also enables the GLA to take steps that are calculated to facilitate, or are conducive or incidental to, the exercise of any functions of the GLA. Any entry into an agreement for the EuroHockey Championships may reasonably be viewed as facilitating the GLA’s functions under sections 383 and 384 of the Act.
 

7.1.    The project will be delivered according to the following timetable: