A EURO to remember
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
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UEFA's EURO 2024 tournament summary has been published, providing a behind-the-scenes look at how teamwork on and off the pitch made the competition a resounding success.
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A colourful celebration of football
After a pandemic-affected EURO 2020, full stadiums of packed fans made a welcome return to the competition – and in record numbers.
As well as the 2.7 million people who attended games in Germany, there were a further 6.2 million visitors to the 18 fan zones across the country, where fans not only embraced the festival atmosphere but also took part in potentially life-saving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training.
More than 190 nationalities were represented among supporters at EURO 2024, even before taking into account the staggering cumulative live global TV audience of 5.4 billion.
Showcasing Europe's footballing finest
The on-pitch excellence had a distinctly Spanish flavour. Player of the tournament Rodri and young player of the tournament Lamine Yamal were two of six Spaniards in the team of the tournament, with Yamal's sensational equaliser against France in the semi-finals named goal of the tournament.
That strike made Yamal the youngest-ever EURO scorer, but the old guard proved their worth, too. Croatia talisman Luka Modrić became the oldest scorer in EURO history aged 38 years 289 days, while the indomitable Pepe became the oldest player to appear at a EURO; the Portugal defender was aged 41 years 130 days for the quarter-final defeat by France.
New standards set for sustainable competitions
From the off, UEFA was determined to make sustainability fundamental to the organisation of EURO 2024. Discounted and free public transport schemes helped 81% of spectators use eco-friendly transport to get to stadiums, each of which was committed to the principles of the circular economy – reuse, reduce, recycle and recover waste.
Overall UEFA invested €32m in implementing the tournament's environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, including recruiting a team of 500 volunteers and sustainability managers at each of the ten host venues. A comprehensive ESG report will be released in October to assess EURO 2024's sustainability performance.
Organisational expertise to the fore
Putting on a competition on the scale of EURO 2024 requires a huge logistical effort. UEFA's team services unit helped make things as smooth as possible for the competing teams, servicing the 24 base camps with 168 vehicles, 2,400 bibs and 180,000 drinks.
At the venues, UEFA's pitch consultants worked closely with ground staff to ensure player safety and consistency and even playing surfaces, while every EURO stadium had a UEFA medical team on hand.
Those efforts could not have been achieved without the contribution of the 16,000 volunteers and the 800-strong EURO 2024 GmbH workforce, a group of dedicated personnel responsible for the logistical aspects of delivering the tournament.
EURO's long-lasting legacy
The success of EURO 2024 will be measured not only by the month of footballing action but the impact in Germany and beyond. Over the next four years a record €935m of EURO 2024 revenue will be redistributed between the 55 UEFA member associations through the HatTrick programme. Additionally, €331m has been awarded to associations in prize money and a further €240m given to domestic clubs that released players for the tournament.
In Germany, the infrastructural developments to stadiums will continue to deliver benefits, while 190 amateur clubs and 21 regional associations have received €7m in financial support between them for sustainability projects through the EURO 2024 climate fund.
The feelings of unity, pride and joy generated by EURO are harder to measure but no less significant and will live long in the memory too.