MD3078 - UEFA Champions League Final 2024 – Project Update

1.1.    As ratified through MD2487, the Mayor was asked to support The FA’s bid, made to UEFA, to host the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium. This would build on London’s hosting of UEFA EURO 2020, and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022; and help cement London’s status as the sporting capital of the world. London secured the UEFA Champions League Final in 2019, with the original intention that the match would be held in 2023. As a result of the pandemic this was postponed to 2024. 
1.2.    The UEFA Champions League Final is the most watched single-day sport event in the world, with an audience in 2021 of 120 million. The hosting of the 2024 Champions League Final will project imagery of London across the world via more than 40 national broadcasters; it will promote the city nationally and internationally as a destination to visit. It is estimated that it will also drive over £53m of economic value to the city. 
1.3.    The GLA has committed to deliver, through legal guarantees to UEFA, the following host city obligations:
•    develop a security concept and meet the costs associated with delivering a safe and secure host city for teams, officials, media, and fans
•    develop a host city transport plan, and meet the costs associated with any uplift in services that may be required to accommodate hosting the final
•    provide free public transport in London to all match ticketholders on the day of the game, if financially and operationally feasible for the GLA to do so 
•    provide free public transport to event-accredited personnel and volunteers for one week
•    secure reservations for hotel accommodation for teams and UEFA event personnel
•    arrange two fan meeting points in the city to allow fans of the competing teams to congregate at, and travel to, the stadium in a coordinated way
•    deliver a host city dressing programme for two weeks prior to the final, and for its duration; to offer the advertising space free of charge, and the host city must pay for the installation/maintenance and dismantling costs
•    provide venues and infrastructure for a number of city activations, including a site to host a giant inflatable Champions League Trophy, and a trophy tour experience for fans and local residents
•    provide a venue, and perimeter fencing, for the UEFA Champions League Festival, a four-day fan-zone site that will include football and sponsor activations, as well as merchandise and food/beverage outlets
•    deliver a Champions League Celebration Party on the eve of the final at a venue with capacity for circa 600 guests, including the competing teams, national football associations and UEFA personnel
•    protect UEFA against ambush marketing and counterfeit activities during the tournament in ‘clean zones’, including the immediate stadium perimeter and official city centre activation sites
•    support the overall promotion efforts of the tournament, including providing advertising space and other branding inventory in the host city for free.
1.4.    The agreed GLA budget, approved under MD2487, is £5.6m evenly split across 2023-24 and 2024-25. Although this budget was sufficient to deliver the contractual obligations when it was signed in 2019, the GLA is now facing a number of significant challenges that put pressure on the budget. These challenges include, but are not limited to, the following: 
•    Cost inflation driven by COVID-19, Brexit and the war in Ukraine, and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis.
•    Fan behaviour at the Men’s EURO 2020 Final, and te expectation of a significant number of travelling fans in 2024; and the impact this will have on safety measures and additional stewarding costs for the city. While fans can deliver economic benefit, the city needs to ensure they are managed safely. Moreover, the recommendations made in the Casey Review need to be adhered to in order to deliver a safe event.
1.5.    Over recent months, costs for basic production, infrastructure, staff, and stewarding have increased by at least 20 per cent – and in some cases, more than this. The projected budget outlined in this form is based on a full review of the existing budget, updated to incorporate these budgetary pressures, and deliver a safe event. The intention is that the uplift in budget should be funded from the Major Sports Events reserves fund.
1.6.    While the city has long experienced issues with the antisocial behaviour of football fans, it is important to respond appropriately to events at the Men’s EURO 2020 final at Wembley Stadium in 2021, and the UEFA Champions League Final 2022 in Paris. 
1.7.    On both occasions, the planned locations of fan zones were quickly filled with unprecedentedly large numbers of fans travelling without tickets – a trend that is becoming more and more common. 
1.8.    As outlined in Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s review of events surrounding the EURO 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium, fan zones are used by the police and other key agencies as a key crowd-management tool. There should be sufficient sites available to accommodate large numbers of ticketless fans.
1.9.    Trafalgar Square – initially earmarked as a screening site for ticketless fans for the UEFA Champions League Final – was originally budgeted to have capacity for up to 8,000 people. This will be insufficient should the city receive the large volumes of ticketless fans seen in recent years. Accordingly, alternative sites and solutions need to be looked at in order to deliver a safe event. 
1.10.    Behaviour issues are also exacerbated by the fact that the UEFA Champions League is a club competition, as opposed to an international tournament. There are clear historic rivalries between clubs, which will undoubtedly increase tensions. The need to separate the opposing teams’ fans will therefore add further complexity, and require more than one screening site in London. Increasing the number of screening sites and the site capacities will have a significant impact on the budget required to deliver a safe event that also complies with the GLA’s hosting contract. 
1.11.    These factors bring the licensing, operational and safety planning associated with all live elements of the event into sharp focus. The ability to manage large crowds (larger than anticipated in 2019) and potential antisocial behaviour will require a significant increase in stewarding provision – which acts as both a safety measure and a deterrent to bad behaviour. This essential focus on safety and security will have a significant impact on the budget required to deliver a safe event.
1.12.    In the likely event that the use of Royal Parks land is not permitted due to the nature of these events, the GLA will need to identify other event-site solutions that meet the requirements for a safe event. It will not be able to rely on the use of sites such as Hyde Park and Greenwich Park, as has been the case at previous events. The use of alternative site locations could have a significant impact on the budget.
Receipt of income and funding 
1.13.    The project is seeking to receive income and funding to reduce the call on GLA funds. This will be expected in the following areas, with the approach and likely income levels quantified when the final scope of the tournament has been agreed over the coming months. The GLA will exhaust all income opportunities to reduce the call on GLA funds. 

1.14.    There are several opportunities to raise funds and income towards the project, including the following:
•    Discussions to be held with other public bodies – including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), and the Home Office – specifically regarding the costs associated with safely and public order that will fall on the national policing budget absent any other agreement.
•    Within the Fan Party, UEFA sponsors or licensees who do not hold activation rights within their UEFA contracts are required to provide a fee in return for an activation space. This ground-rent fee is based on rates determined by the GLA and is invoiced directly by the GLA.
•    Any UEFA sponsors or licensees who are providing an activation at the Fan Party will be charged for any services provided. This includes power, water, security, cleaning, waste removal and plant hire. These services will be provided by the delivery partner but invoiced by the GLA directly to the UEFA sponsor/licensee.
•    UEFA sponsors and licensees may choose to finance additional marketing opportunities in the Fan Party (e.g. branded water-refill points). These activations will be delivered by the GLA Fan Zone team and contractors, on behalf of UEFA commercial partners.
•    The GLA has the right to sell a percentage of screen time to additional partners for a fee. 
•    Profit from food and beverage sold at the Fan Party. The food and beverage companies will deduct their fee and percentage share; the remainder would go directly to the GLA as income.
1.15.    In addition to cash income, the GLA will also seek benefit in kind – such as contributions to event programming or other content – to promote and enhance the tournament and wider programme.

1.16.    Across some project areas, sponsorship, other income, and concessions (if relevant and appropriate) may be sought. All sponsorship arrangements will be in accordance with the GLA Sponsorship Policy.
1.17.    This is an excellent opportunity to showcase London on a global stage (as outlined in paragraph 1.2) and additional budget will only continue to support and bolster this agenda.
1.18.    The Mayor is being asked to delegate authority to the Executive Director for Strategy and Communications, to accept income without the need for further decision forms, in order to be agile in accepting opportunities that may arise at short notice.
Updated project budget
1.19.    The rescoped UEFA Champions League Final budget is shown below and totals £10.406m. This revised budget allows the GLA to deliver the host city contractual commitments, at today’s revised costs and budget for the large-scale fan screenings, to deliver a safe event. The GLA will, of course, seek to reduce its financial commitment where possible, and as the event planning progresses. The majority of the project budget will be taken from Major Sports Events reserves.

Expenditure profile 

1.20.    The General Staff Authorisation (as given through Mayoral Decision-Making in the GLA) provides the authority for officers to implement this decision. However, in recognition of the fact that this is a significant budget, and a complex programme, it is appropriate that implementing activity is approved (and recorded as such) according to a documented scheme of approval. This is set out below and replicates the scheme of delegation used for the Men’s EURO in 2021, as detailed in MD2486:
•    up to £10,000 – Senior Manager, Major Sports Events 
•    up to £100,000 – Head of Events and Partnerships
•    over £100,000 – Executive Director for Strategy and Communications. 
1.21.    From January 2023, senior representatives from the GLA, The FA and the DCMS will be meeting monthly to oversee the project. An internal GLA group will also meet regularly to resolve any future changes in scope to the project, or discrepancies between the major stakeholders. Both groups work to: 
•    identify key strategic and operational issues/opportunities associated with the event
•    monitor project risk
•    oversee delivery of the GLA’s obligations to UEFA.
1.22.    A City Coordination Group combines the GLA and key agencies such as the Metropolitan Police and NHS England to safeguard the project’s reputational, and health and safety risks. Advice taken at these meetings informs tournament planning. This group will meet regularly from late spring 2023 onwards. 

1.23.    In Spring 2023, the GLA and The FA will re-sign the host city agreement to reflect the change of date for the UEFA Champions League Final, postponed due to the pandemic. 
 

2.1.    The objectives of the proposed uplifted expenditure remain as per in MD2487 – namely, to support delivery of: 
•    a safe 2024 UEFA Champions League Final
•    increased economic investment into London
•    increased international exposure of London
•    increased opportunities for Londoners to engage with major sports events through opportunities to attend, volunteer at, gain qualifications from, and participate in community sport activity that is linked to the event.
2.2.    Hosting the 2024 UEFA Champions League Final presents a significant opportunity to maintain and build on London’s reputation as a leading global city, and a destination for hosting the world’s biggest sporting events; and to demonstrate that this can be done safely and securely in London. 

3.1.    Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ of the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.2.    The Major Sports Events team will ensure that as many Londoners as possible, including those with protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010), are considered in the planning of the event, and have the chance to be involved in some way – be that through attendance at events volunteering, or supporting teams. 
3.3.    The Major Sports Events team has consulted with the Civil Society and Sport Unit to ensure the city-wide volunteering programme used to assign volunteers to fan zones and city centre locations addresses discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010. Team London volunteer programmes are open to all that apply, regardless of race, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment.
3.4.    Appropriate assistance to all Londoners and visitors will be available at Champions League fan zones and city activations. The volunteer recruitment strategy will encourage volunteers with language skills to join the volunteering programme. This ensures that the sites will be able to offer assistance to both Londoners and visitors with whom we may have previously been unable to communicate; and will foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it.
3.5.    Planning is being shaped by ‘London 2030 Tourism Vision’, (formerly ‘A Tourism Vision for London’) to ensure that visitors are provided with information in accessible formats to help them do more and see more in London. This information has been improved to help them find rewarding experiences. Visitors and Londoners alike are encouraged to explore areas beyond central London; this means persons who share a relevant protected characteristic will be able to participate in public life, or in any other activity in which participation by such persons is disproportionately low.
3.6.    The GLA will continue to work with Wembley Stadium to ensure that it is an accessible venue, with a relevant and effective strategy. Wembley’s access and inclusion strategy was developed, in consultation with statutory bodies, from the initial principle that the design of the Stadium should be inclusive to all. The strategy will be used throughout the project to mark out the necessary steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic, which are different from the needs of persons who do not share it. 
3.7.    The fan party and wider city activity will be inclusive and aimed at all Londoners. This will be achieved through the programme content; the broad and targeted approach to marketing channels; and access facilities at the event, which specifically aim to reduce barriers to attendance for people with disabilities or mobility issues. The event sites will be free of charge to ensure members of low-income households are able to attend and feel part of the event. 
 

Risks

Conflict of interest
4.1.    There are no conflicts of interest to note from any of those involved in the drafting or clearance of this form.    
 

This paper is requesting approval of the increased cost proposal of delivering the UEFA Champions League Final in June 2024. The total cost of the event is estimated at £10.406m: an increase of £4.806m on the previous approval, in MD2487, in 2019.
5.2.    The increase in cost largely results from revisions to the event following the Casey Review. These revisions were made to strengthen security measures and ensure that the event is safe for those attending the event; and in response to increasing costs resulting from Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, utility price rises and the cost-of-living crisis.
5.3.    The additional costs will be funded from the Major Sporting Events reserve. The balance is currently allocated as follows:

The balance of reserves is sufficient to fund the total estimated cost of the event. To note, this does not include any income potential to come from through concessions at the fan sites; sponsorship; and mitigating the total cost through value-in-kind contributions. These will be appraised accordingly, and any sponsorship aligned to GLA policy. The reserves balance will be monitored periodically and any changes to drawdowns reflected. 

Power to undertake the requested decisions
6.1.    The foregoing sections of this report indicate that the decisions requested of the Mayor fall within the statutory powers of the Authority to promote and/or to do anything that is facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, economic development and wealth creation within Greater London; and 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 between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
•    consult with appropriate bodies.
6.2.    Furthermore, the decisions above also fall within the statutory powers of the Authority under section 378 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 (the Act). Under that section, the Authority has the power to do anything for the purposes of encouraging people to visit Greater London and to encourage people from outside the United Kingdom to visit the United Kingdom via Greater London. As set out at paragraph 1.17, above, the hosting of the Champions League Final 2024 serves to promote London nationally and internationally as a destination to visit.
6.3.    In taking the decisions requested of him, the Mayor 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; advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it; and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.
Receipt of income
6.4.    Decision 2 (see ‘Decision’ section, above) relates in part to the receipt of income from sponsorship, concessions, and other contributions. Pursuant to section 93 of the Local Government Act 2003, the Authority has the power to charge for discretionary services. However, officers should note that this power is subject to a duty to ensure that, taking one financial year with another, the income from the charges must not exceed the costs associated with the provision of the services. Furthermore, under section 378(9) of the Act, the Authority may receive contributions towards its expenses in carrying out its functions. Accordingly, to the extent that income is unrelated to sponsorship and concessions, that income may also be received by the Authority for the purposes of its hosting the Champions League Final 2024.
Procurement
6.5.    In undertaking the expenditure set out in decision 1 above, officers must comply with the requirements of the Authority’s Contracts and Funding Code.  Furthermore, officers must ensure that contracts be put in place between the Authority and the relevant service providers and suppliers before the commencement of the relevant services and supplies.
The delegations
6.6.    Any function exercisable by the Mayor on behalf of the Authority may also be exercised by any member of GLA staff, albeit subject to any conditions that the Mayor sees fit to impose. To this end, the Mayor may make the requested delegations to the Chief of Staff and to the Executive Director of Strategy and Communications, if he so chooses.