UK’s Biggest Sporting Events This Summer
Sports fans in the United Kingdom are in for a real treat this summer, with the upcoming schedule featuring a host of top-class events.
Horse racing dominates the landscape during the early part of the summer, with Royal Ascot the unrivalled highlight of the flat racing season in the UK.
Tennis, motorsports, football and mixed martial arts are amongst the other sports staging major events in the UK over the summer months.
As recent research by Sports Today shows, broadcast and sponsorship deals will undoubtedly generate massive revenues for each of the events. Let’s look at what is on the agenda.
Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse is a major cash cow for horse racing in the UK, with its Royal meeting in June responsible for generating a big chunk of the revenue.
Around 300,000 people attend the five-day meeting each year, and millions more worldwide watch the prestigious event via television and live streaming services.
Prize money for this year’s Royal Ascot will be a staggering £8,652,500, a massive increase on the £6m on offer at the 2021 edition.
The mix of top-quality equine action, pageantry and high fashion makes Royal Ascot one of the most unique events in the UK sporting calendar.
Wimbledon
The third Grand Slam of the tennis season at Wimbledon is widely viewed as the most important of the four main tournaments.
It is a huge money-spinner for the All-England Club, with last year’s event generating profits of $58 million despite the reduction in capacity.
While that figure is slightly lower than the $67m made by the venue three years ago, it still represents an excellent return in a difficult economic climate.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) receives the majority of the profits, while the UK government also chips in around $29m to support the sport at all levels.
British Grand Prix
Given the popularity of Formula 1 with sports fans across the country, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone always attracts massive crowds.
Around 60% of Silverstone’s £60m annual turnover is generated by the event – figures that demonstrate the importance of the race to the circuit.
A full house last year helped to swell the coffers at Silverstone and another sell-out is on the cards this time around.
Whether they will see a British victory is hugely debatable, as seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is currently struggling to produce his best form for Mercedes.
Women’s European Championships
The UEFA Women’s European Championships in England this summer could be a pivotal moment in the future of women’s football in general.
UEFA has doubled the prize money to €16m for the tournament, with the distribution including guaranteed amounts and performance-related bonuses.
The UEFA Executive Committee has also introduced a club benefits programme, setting aside €4.5m to reward European clubs for releasing players for the tournament.
While these revenues are dwarfed by the men’s game, they are clearly a step in the right direction for women’s football.
UFC London
The UFC recently announced it will return to London for the second time this year at the O2 Arena on Saturday, July 23.
Following a three-year hiatus, UFC resumed in the UK during March in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 17,000 fight fans.
The $4.5m gate made it the highest grossing single sporting event in the arena’s history, and similar figures will be generated this summer.
With UFC boss Dana White also promising to stage a pay-per-view at the O2 in the future, mixed martial arts fans in the UK have plenty to look forward to.
