The trickle-down effect of the UEFA EURO 2024 on individual sport participation

Research question: This study provides a comprehensive analysis
of the trickle-down effect of the UEFA EURO 2024 on sport
participation in Germany by examining all three facets (hosting,
sporting success, role models), four hosting conditions (proximity,
live experiences, event-leveraging initiatives, media consumption),
and its inspirational (sport and football participation) and
motivational dimension (sport duration, number of sports).
Research methods: The analysis used ex-post (n = 10,935) and
horizontal panel data (n = 7498) from a representative survey of
the German adult resident population, with the latter dataset
offering insights on behavioral changes in sport participation.
Results and findings: Host City effects are evident for ex-post
football participation, while sport participation, duration, and
number of sports are higher in rest-Germany. Event-related
activities (e.g. watching games in the stadium and at live sites,
visiting a fan zone and a ‘stadium of dreams’) and perceiving the
German national team as a role model for conveying sport-related
values are positively associated with all sport participation
outcomes. However, event-related activities might have been a
substitute for sport participation for some residents. In the
behavioral change analysis, inspirational effects are more
pronounced for football participation and role modeling of the
national team represents a cushion against decreasing participation.
Implications: The findings can be used to justify public spending
on major sport events, especially because many effects occur
beyond the ten Host Cities. Sport managers and policy makers
learn about the relative importance of live spectating experiences
and event leveraging initiatives in facilitating the occurrence of
trickle-down effects.