Sports stadiums across Greater Manchester "are providing a boost to the city region’s economy in innumerable ways," according to Ben Rooth of the MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS. They are "driving the regeneration of entire communities while simultaneously providing those areas with their own distinctive identity." For a start, there is "their importance on match days." But their importance does not "end there." When the sports fans walk out, the stadia "become venues for everything from weddings to community events as well as major conferences and concert destinations." And some venues have become akin to "celebrities" in their own right. Mention the words "Old Trafford" to "any football fan anywhere in the world" and the words "Manchester United" -- more likely than not -- "will subsequently be heard." University of Salford professor in sports enterprise Simon Chadwick "is unequivocal about how valuable stadia have become to the economic wellbeing of both Greater Manchester and Great Britain."
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He said, "Stadia really are immensely important now. At a tangible level, the stadia bring in fans and spectators who spend money locally on anything from drinks and food to hotels and shopping. ... At an intangible level, the stadia help maintain Manchester’s profile as being an important city for sport -- locally, nationally and internationally." Manchester-based law firm JMW and Barn Door Head of Corporate Mike Blood said, "The key to any sports facility creating economic benefits to the surrounding area is in maximizing its use beyond the regular and traditional match day activities. Having an iconic stadium that is used infrequently, like the old Wembley Stadium, has little benefit to the city and can rarely justify significant public funding." The extent to which the stadia based in Manchester and beyond generate wealth "depends entirely on how willing the clubs’ owners are to embrace -- and invest in -- those facilities beyond the match day experience." Blood added, "The challenge for Greater Manchester’s main stadiums -- like AJ Bell, Old Trafford, the Etihad and Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground -- is to be competitive with their area’s major arenas and venues. This means that they have to do more to maximize revenues in addition to what they make on match days by becoming multi-use facilities" (
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 9/19).
