Government fires starting gun on 2040s Northern Olympic bid

UK Sport has been commissioned to carry out an initial strategic assessment into a potential pan-Northern bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The assessment by arm’s-length body UK Sport will test if hosting the global spectacular could deliver transformational regeneration and growth in Northern towns and cities. Under the microscope will be factors such as potential cost, socioeconomic benefit and any bid’s chance of success.

Towns and cities across England could also benefit from a sports infrastructure accelerator programme, to remove barriers to major sports-led regeneration, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport said.

The government said it sees major sporting events and sporting facilities as playing a key role in driving economic growth, regeneration, improving pride in place, and bolstering the UK’s global appeal.

Northern Mayors and leaders wrote to DCMS in February calling for the government to back a North of England bid, and chair of The Great North and North East Mayor Kim McGuinness welcomed the news from Whitehall.

She said: “From our great cities and towns to our coastlines and countryside, the North has the venues, the passion and the sporting pride to deliver a world-class Olympic and Paralympic Games that showcases the very best of Great Britain to the world.

“A Great North Olympics would be a global showcase, leaving a legacy of prosperity, unity and renewal. It’s an opportunity not to be missed, delivering transformational investment in transport, regeneration and public spaces across the North of England. This could become the most people-powered Games ever hosted: inspiring millions of people into sport, volunteering and community action.

“Mayors and leaders across the North have made the case to Government, and I’m delighted ministers and sporting bodies are now exploring how we could turn this ambition into a reality. We stand ready to work together to develop a credible, deliverable vision that can make the case to the International Olympic Committee.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves referenced government support for the Northern Growth Corridor, and highlighted support for stadium regeneration projects such as Leeds United’s Elland Road.

The Government has also announced a wave of new work to use sport as a catalyst for local regeneration and economic growth. This includes:

A Stadium Regeneration Accelerator

A new cross-government programme will work with sporting bodies on priority sports infrastructure development projects that can help deliver regeneration and commercial growth. Funding will not be used for stadium redevelopment in itself, but the government will work with clubs and leagues to unlock opportunities for housing delivery, jobs, apprenticeships, transport improvement and community sports facilities.

DCMS will work alongside the Office for Investment (OfI) HM Treasury and MHCLG with sports bodies such as the Premier League, the Football League and WSL, to identify and unblock barriers to development. The OfI will act as the front door for potential investors to be involved in the programme.

Planned projects across England include proposals in Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool and London that have the potential to regenerate their surrounding areas.

A new Sporting Events Bill

Introduced to Parliament on Thursday, this is intended to ease bidding, securing and delivering major sporting events in future, including UEFA EURO 2028. It will also make the unauthorised resale of tickets for designated major events a criminal offence.

UK Government Strategy for Major Events

The government will set out its plans to support and provide leadership to the nation’s wider major events sector, by delivering a cross-sector strategy within the coming year. The strategy will cover major events in all sectors – cultural, sporting and business.

A Ministerial Adviser on Soft Power and Major Events

The government has appointed Labour peer Lord McConnell, a central figure in bringing the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow in 2014, to this role, which will support the government’s ambition to cement the UK’s position as the go-to destination for major events.

Ahead of the Olympics, the government is already backing bids to host the World Athletics and Para-Athletics Championships in 2029, as well as the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while the next two years will see events such as the Tour de France’s Grand Departs, and Euro 2028 in men’s football.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted huge investment and showed the best of Britain to the world.

“But while the North of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create, and the world-class events we attract – for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the North.

“Not any more. It’s time the Olympics came North and we showed what we can offer to the world. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we’re starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the North.”

Richard Masters, chief executive of football’s Premier League, said the current stadium investment pipeline across the organisation amounts to around £5b, with new and redeveloped stadia set to deliver more than 100,000 further seats for supporters.

Masters said of the need to back that up with wider improvements: “Developing partnerships to create transport and community infrastructure is often vital to unlocking redevelopment. That will help to strengthen the pipeline of viable projects and enable faster delivery, benefiting football fans as well as local residents and businesses. We welcome this programme and look forward to working with our clubs, the government, mayors and local authorities to help make it a success.”

As well as Elland Road’s redevelopment, Manchester City is nearing completion on an expansion scheme, while both Manchester Untied and Newcastle United have big plans at early stages.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “It’s right the government is now taking a serious look at whether a future Olympic and Paralympic Games in the North could become a reality. It’s an important first step in recognising the strength and ambition that exists across our whole country.

“I’m not simply backing the plan for a Northern Olympics because South Yorkshire has a long, proud and indelible sporting heritage that we want to recognise and show-off to the world, but because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to demand huge, transformational investment across the whole of the North.”

For now, DCMS stressed, this is purely an initial strategic assessment only, with no government commitment to a bid yet. UK Sport’s findings will determine whether to proceed with a more detailed technical feasibility study, examining the costs, benefits, and viability of hosting the Games.

Any final decision on if and when a future bid might take place will be for the British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association to take.