Birmingham’s sporting pedigree sees flood of organisations joining Chamber of Commerce

SPORTING bodies are clamouring to join the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group as the city’s reputation for attracting top class sports events gathers momentum.

As the Rugby World Cup is set to deliver an estimated £56m boost to the city, the chamber said the Birmingham’s sporting economy, together with that of the wider West Midlands, was now benefiting from a much higher profile.

Chamber chief executive Jerry Blackett said the Rugby World Club, which will see Villa Park host pool games when the event kicks off next autumn, was just one example of the scope of the sporting sector.

He said the business organisation had seen a surge in membership sign-ups from sports organisations.  Most recent is the English Premier rugby union club, Wasps, together with Championship club Moseley. Wasps will begin playing its home games at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena from next month after concluding a £20m deal with the stadium.

Other sports bodies that have signed up recently include The Lawn Tennis Association, Sport4Life, Sport Birmingham, and St. George’s Park in Burton, home of the Football Association’s national football centre.  

Blackett said: “We have seen a real surge in sports organisations joining the chamber in the last quarter. They want to use their membership to get much closer to business. This may be to form associations, obtain specialist financial advice or to promote their sport to the corporate world.”

Birmingham’s involvement with the Rugby World Cup kicks-off with a match between South Africa and Samoa in September.

An economic impact study has revealed that the event will deliver nearly £1bn of additive value into the UK economy as a whole.  

The study, which was undertaken by EY on behalf of the Organising Committee for Rugby World Cup 2015, England Rugby 2015, looked at the different ways in which a Rugby World Cup could benefit its host nation. It estimates that the tournament will generate a total output of around £2.2bn, which is in line with a previous economic study undertaken by Deloitte in 2008. The EY report predicts that this will translate into a contribution of £982m to national GDP.

The report states that Rugby World Cup 2015 is expected to attract more international visitors than any previous Rugby World Cup, with an estimate of up to 466,000 visits. Through spend on items including travel and accommodation, visitors are expected to contribute up to £869m in direct expenditure.

In 2011, 133,000 visitors stayed an average of 23 nights during the 44-day event with an overall economic impact of $NZD 1.73bn.

It is not surprising then that Birmingham’s inwards investment body, Business Birmingham is highlighting the Rugby World Cup and the Ashes Test Match at Edgbaston in July as two if its major investment opportunities in 2015.

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