UEFA EURO 2028 - impacts and legacy: island communities impact assessment (ICIA)

1. Step One – Develop a clear understanding of your objectives

1.1 What are the objectives of the policy, strategy or service?

UEFA EURO 2028 will be hosted across the UK & Ireland. As part of hosting six matches during the tournament, the Scottish Government will deliver an impact and legacy programme. The Scottish Government will focus its impact and legacy activity on programmes to:

• enable more people to participate in football – especially those from underrepresented groups and in less advantaged communities.
• Bring communities together to build social connections and civic pride.

The programme will complement wider activity that will seek to maximise the economic benefits of hosting the event.

Following consultation with a core group of stakeholders, we intend to apply a community led approach to the impact and legacy programme. This approach will empower communities to design and deliver activities that best suit their needs. This may mean a diverse range of programme activity and varied target audiences between different locations and communities across Scotland including its islands.

While the Scottish Government has a dedicated impact and legacy budget and has overall responsibility for the impact and legacy programme, it should be noted that common high level strategic missions have been agreed across host nation partners. We intend to appoint an impact and legacy partner, or partners, who will be responsible for the design and delivery of programme in Scotland.

Impact and legacy programme activity will be announced in due course, once further development work has been undertaken by the delivery partner(s).

1.2 Do you need to consult?

To respect commercial sensitivities and confidentiality of EURO 2028 partners, we have limited consultation to a focused group of partners, while preparing for broader engagement as development milestones are reached. Through ongoing development by partners, key stakeholders and others who may be involved in hosting, will be engaged to ensure inclusive and collaborative planning.

1.3 How are islands identified for the purpose of the policy, strategy or service?

Island communities are identified in line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.

1.4 What are the intended impacts/outcomes and how do these potentially differ in the islands?

As part of planning for EURO 2028 impact and legacy, delivery partners have agreed on a social impact and legacy framework for the event. This framework outlines key goals for partners to follow when delivering related activities. Based on this, the Scottish Government will focus on increasing participation in football, especially for those from underrepresented groups and disadvantaged communities. Another ambition will be to remove barriers, create opportunities, and bring communities together. A key objective of the impact and legacy programme is to have a Scotland wide reach. In deploying a community led approach we hope that communities across Scotland, including island communities, can engage and benefits directly from the programme – acknowledging opportunities and challenges are unique and differ across island communities.

1.5 Is the policy, strategy or service new?

The EURO 2028 impact and legacy programme and associated wider benefit realisation activity informed by the programme is a new programme being developed specifically in connection with Scotland’s involvement in co-hosting and delivering UEFA EURO 2028.