Staging of Women's Champions League final in Dublin could provide up to €17m economic dividend
Gordon Deegan
The staging of the Women’s Champions League Final in Dublin in 2029 is estimated to provide an economic dividend of between €8 million to €17 million.
That is according to Minister for State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Charlie McConalogue TD (FF), who has stated that provisional estimates suggest the potential cost to Government of hosting the event is approximately €3.25 million.
In a written Dáil reply to Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere on the issue, Minister McConalogue said that the estimated €3.25 million spend “includes policing, transport, host city costs and stadium operational costs”.
Last week, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) formally lodged its bid to host the Women’s Champions League Final here in Dublin in 2029, and the bid has the support of Government.
Dublin has already staged the men's Europa League finals in 2011 and 2024.
McConalogue said that the application “if successful, it would mark the first major women’s sports event to be held in Ireland”.
He said: “I understand that several bids are being made to host the event, and the UEFA Executive Committee will appoint the successful host later this year. Should the FAI bid be successful, this event represents a significant opportunity to increase the diversity of all who participate in football, particularly women and girls, and to further grow the women's game in Ireland. “
He added: “Hosting a major international sports event like this in Ireland provides a great opportunity for young people to see the world's best players up close. It could encourage young women and girls to take up football or remain in the sport, which is one of the key goals of the National Sports Policy.
McConalogue said that one of the key benefits of hosting major sports events is the boost to community pride and engagement”.
He said: “If the bid is successful, the FAI will develop detailed legacy plans. It is likely that the focus of any legacy programmes will be to ensure a lasting impact on the women and girls' game in Ireland and a positive social impact on local communities.”
He said: “In terms of economic benefits, while it is difficult to predict with certainty prior to knowing the finalists, recent iterations of the Final have been well-attended by both local and travelling fans.
He added: “Depending on the participating teams, the economic benefit is estimated to have a range of between €8 million - €17million.
"Regardless of which teams qualify, the game is certain to generate a boost for tourism in Dublin in May 2029 prior to entering the main tourism season."
The 2029 Champions League Women’s Final will come one year after Euro 28 where Ireland will be host to seven games.
Minister McConalogue said that “the Government will invest just over €92.9 million in supporting the event but it is anticipated that the tournament will generate €449 million of benefits for the country. Over 110,000 overseas visitors are expected to travel to Ireland for the event”.
Last week advancing the case for Dublin as a host Women's Champions League Final city in 2029 FAI CEO, David Courell said: "Dublin would be the perfect host city for the 2029 UEFA Women's Champions League Final because of our track record of successfully hosting major UEFA events, the strong working relationship that we have with Government, Dublin City Council and Aviva Stadium, the growing popularity of women & girls’ football around the country, and our ambition to deliver, what we believe, would be the best Final in the competition’s history
He said: “Irish football has a strong connection to the UEFA Women’s Champions League with four individual winners in Emma Byrne, Ciara Grant, Yvonne Tracy and Katie McCabe, while 11 different Irish clubs have competed in qualifiers since its inception. Now, we want to bring its showpiece event to Dublin to inspire the current and next generation of girls.”
