Leaving a lasting legacy
The most goals scored in a football World Cup. The biggest and most inclusive Rugby League World Cup. The largest ever Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and the most sustainable Commonwealth Games. 2022 was a year filled with spectacular mega-events, all with ambitions for great success and a lasting legacy.
With the Netball World Cup, women’s football World Cup, men’s Rugby Union World Cup and men’s Cricket World Cup in the pipeline, 2023 makes for another exciting year for sports fans.
But what impact does a mega-event really have? What happens after the event is over? After millions, or sometimes billions of pounds, have been spent organising and hosting, years of preparation and disruption, and years of media scrutiny for the host country, the abiding question remains: is it all really worth it?
More than sport
For the International Rugby League, the goal was to deliver the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League World Cup ever.
It was more than just about the sport; it was about making a positive difference in people’s lives.
After overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, tournament postponement, and navigating a harsh economic environment and political instability, the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) finally concluded at Old Trafford in Manchester on 19 November 2022.
In total, 61 matches were played, with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments held simultaneously for the first time, ending with winners from all three tournaments brought together for a joint celebration and lap of honour.
The tournament attracted almost half a million spectators — the highest ever attendance at a Rugby League World Cup tournament, which included a world record for the number of attendees at a wheelchair game when more than 4,500 people attended Manchester Central for the final between England and France.
And for the first time, every match from all three tournaments was broadcast on the BBC with
a cumulative audience of 30 million. Most would say it was a success.
Experience
As a University with decades of experience researching mega-events, the influence they have, and the legacy they leave, Manchester Met made the perfect partner to reflect on the impact of the Rugby League World Cup.
Following the tournament, a team of researchers interviewed leaders of the councils from the areas that hosted World Cup games and heads of local rugby league clubs to find out their perspective on the impact on clubs, their organisations and communities.
The group also surveyed more than 2,000 people across England who had shown an interest in the RLWC2021 or had bought tickets to the event to gather their opinion on their experiences.
They found that the Rugby League World Cup brought excitement to the host local communities, and many said they would support a major sports event held in heir local community again.
“What the RLWC2021 team has done is absolutely unique,” explained Jonathan Grix, a Professor
of Sport Politics and Policy at Manchester Met.
“Usually when we think about legacy, we’re thinking about what comes next and what impact there
has been after the tournament, but the RLWC2021 team put all of their legacy investments into the community before the tournament — we’ve never seen this before.”
In 2019 — around two years before the World Cup was due to kick off — the Rugby League World Cup Social Impact Programme started offering cash to local communities to help them improve
facilities, equipment and offering educational programmes and supporting volunteers.
Since then, the programme has delivered almost 290 small grants, and more than 30 large grants, amounting to more than £30 million of positive change in communities across England.
In Wigan, the borough benefitted from the tournament through 28 projects that received a share of more than £2.2 million from the Created By RLWC2021 Capital Grants programme, with additional funding from Wigan Council, helping to provide better facilities for grassroots clubs.
The projects ranged from providing a new rugby league kit and equipment for Golborne High School to a new 3G pitch for Leigh Minors Rangers.
Identity
“Rugby league is in the veins of every person in Wigan. It is the bedrock of our borough and has
helped produce some of the greatest players the game has ever seen,” explained Councillor David Molyneux MBE, Leader of Wigan Council.
“That is why it was so important for us to be involved in the Rugby League World Cup last year, hosting three matches in Leigh and the quarter-final double header in Wigan.
“The impact of the tournament, both on and off the pitch, was huge. As well as providing fantastic
memories, the matches attracted visitors from across the country and the world, helping to boost the local economy and instilling a strong sense of pride in our borough.
“Rugby is such a huge part of our identity. It’s important that we continue to harness its power for
good and keep the legacy alive for years to come.”
With a focus on inclusion, other projects included funds for eight specialist wheelchairs for the
Sheffield Eagles, which allowed them to establish a wheelchair rugby league squad and join a competitive league last year.
The grants were awarded with the whole community in mind. Salford City Council, in partnership with Salford City Roosters, was awarded a large grant to help build a new clubhouse and changing rooms to replace their existing facilities that were beyond economic repair. The facilities will not only be used by the rugby league club, but will also be available for the whole community.
A success
“Overall, the International Rugby League has achieved its goal and actually may have created a new model for other major sport events to take forward,” said Prof Grix.
“It really showcased the ‘minority’ in the sport — women’s and disability rugby league — and gave it a boost.
“But it’s not the event itself that’s had the impact. It’s all of the work that’s been done before and around it, and I am confident that it will leave a legacy in all of those areas it has invested in.
“It shows that you do not need to host a sports mega-event to have an impact — in fact, evidence is
building that more local, regional and national events can generate more social impact than bombastic, one-off multi-billion dollar mega-events.”
Further analysis of the research will also delve into whether there is any difference in the opinion of women, those with disabilities, and between people on different income levels.
Jon Dutton, Chief Executive, RLWC2021, said: “Our strong social purpose was to deliver a tournament that made a demonstrable impact off the field as well as on it. Our commitment to investment in rugby league communities was a key part of our vision when we bid for the event in 2016, and we have backed this up despite encountering significant adversity along the way.
“Measuring success has always been an important part of our journey, and we welcome this report as a tool that may be useful to the sport and those that follow us.
“Delivering events is harder than ever before, but the impact can be more significant if the vision is clear at the outset. Rugby league will continue to play a huge part in many people’s lives, and we hope that our tournament has inspired more people to engage with, participate in and enjoy this wonderful sport.”
FIFA World Cup, Qatar
At the other end of the mega-event scale is the FIFA World Cup. In a BBC poll, the 2022 World Cup was voted the ‘best tournament this decade.’
Saudi Arabia’s opening victory against Argentina, Japan’s comebacks against Germany and Spain, and Morocco’s trilogy of triumphs against top 10 teams — not to mention Argentina’s nail-biting win over France in the final — made it a tournament that left a legacy of brilliant football, shock results and high drama.
But the 2022 World Cup will also be remembered as one of the most unusual and politically scrutinised sporting events.
When Qatar was picked to host the 2022 World Cup some 12 years ago, the room was filled with
shock, surprise — and a little bit of suspicion.
“When you consider the countries that Qatar was up against — the UK, USA, Australia, Japan — you’ve got four much bigger nations, who are much more established countries in terms of their domestic football leagues, sports leagues, and sports participation, so the initial reaction was shock,” said Dr Paul Brannagan, a Senior Lecturer in Sport Management and Policy at Manchester
Metropolitan University Institute of Sport.
“How has this tiny county, which has never even been in a World Cup, got this tournament?”
Having finished his undergraduate degree in Sport Studies, looking at what to do next and with a passion for mega-events, Dr Brannagan started a masters degree in Sociology of Sport, completing a dissertation on the 2022 World Cup — the first Middle Eastern World Cup — before continuing to complete a PhD on the topic.
Before he knew it, Dr Brannagan had spent over a decade researching the tournament. “It is one of the most fascinating sociologica l studies of a mega-event ever,” said Dr Brannagan.
“One of the smallest countries in Asia with no sport credentials, spending the best part of £200bn on this tournament. Why?”
Dr Brannagan spent time in the country, talking to the Qatar Supreme Committee responsible for organising and delivering the tournament, various arms of the Qatari government, and various cultural and sporting organisations to get a better understanding.
“Qatar was conscious that it was in a part of the world which had a lot of recent instances of civil and political strife and war,” said Dr Brannagan.
“If you’re in a region that’s known to be hostile, it really impacts your tourism and trade, even if you’re one of the safest countries in the world. So, for Qatar, it is a lot more than just putting itself on the map. It really wanted to educate audiences on what the Arabic people stand for, what Qatari people stand for and really what they wanted to give back to society and the international world.”
Non-sporting controversy
At the start, Qatar promised to “make the world proud of the Middle East.” But before long, the event was overshadowed by non-sporting controversy. Questions were raised over Qatar’s suitability for the tournament, its lack of infrastructure, and the nation’s extremely hot summers, disrupting the usual football calendar.
And beyond just logistics, there were the politics of the host nation: its human rights record, its LGBTQ+ laws, and its treatment of women were thrown into the spotlight.
Dr Brannagan explained: “From 2012 onwards is when the media scrutiny really started to hit Qatar, and this is when I had to shift from not only finding out ‘why’ Qatar wanted to host this event but also understanding the negative consequences of this for Qatar. You got this event to improve your image, but has it worked, or has it backfired?”
Reflecting on the tournament months after the final whistle was blown, Dr Brannagan says its legacy is yet to be seen.
“Measuring the legacy of mega-events is quite complex and can take many years to see its real impact," he said.
Making changes
Since Qatar was thrown into the spotlight, receiving unprecedented scrutiny, the desert nation has made some changes. The kafala sponsorship system that gave employers the power to deny migrant workers permission to leave the country or switch jobs was officially abolished in 2020.
Qatar has also worked closely with the International Labour Organization on reforming its labour laws, which now set a minimum wage for all workers regardless of nationality.
“Mega-events can also be used by non-state actors, such as journalists and campaigners, to raise their own concerns and help to make changes, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen here,” said Dr Brannagan.
“Would Qatar have got rid of the kafala system without the World Cup? Possibly at some point, but it would certainly still be in place now.
“There are still a lot of issues in Qatar that haven’t been addressed yet, but I think these changes are extremely important and will be the tournament’s biggest legacy.”
But what started as an unusual tournament with a vicious build-up ended the same as any other.
“Qatar is the perfect example of how mega-events work politically,” explained Dr Brannagan. “Most countries who host these events get a lot of scrutiny in the pre-event stage, but as soon as the first whistle is blown, all that scrutiny is forgotten.
“A lot of people, including myself, thought it would be different this time, but Qatar is the quintessential example of this working. People now have a lot more positive things to say about
Qatar — all down to the memorable football.
“I think that as a country, they will be surprised at the scrutiny they received. But I hope they will look back and say that the scrutiny made them a better and more progressive country and that social development will continue post-2022.
“Ultimately, I think that Qatar has benefitted from hosting the World Cup. There’s no bigger stage than a mega-event, and they managed to pull it off in sporting terms.”