The trickle-down effect of the UEFA EURO 2024 on individual sport participation

Research question This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the trickle-down effect of the UEFA EURO 2024 on sport participation in Germany by examining all three facets (hosting, sporting success, role models), four hosting conditions (proximity, live experiences, event-leveraging initiatives, media consumption), and its inspirational (sport and football participation) and motivational dimension (sport duration, number of sports).Research methods The analysis used ex-post (n = 10,935) and horizontal panel data (n = 7498) from a representative survey of the German adult resident population, with the latter dataset offering insights on behavioral changes in sport participation.Results and findings Host City effects are evident for ex-post football participation, while sport participation, duration, and number of sports are higher in rest-Germany. Event-related activities (e.g. watching games in the stadium and at live sites, visiting a fan zone and a ‘stadium of dreams’) and perceiving the German national team as a role model for conveying sport-related values are positively associated with all sport participation outcomes. However, event-related activities might have been a substitute for sport participation for some residents. In the behavioral change analysis, inspirational effects are more pronounced for football participation and role modeling of the national team represents a cushion against decreasing participation.Implications The findings can be used to justify public spending on major sport events, especially because many effects occur beyond the ten Host Cities. Sport managers and policy makers learn about the relative importance of live spectating experiences and event leveraging initiatives in facilitating the occurrence of trickle-down effects.