Conference on UEFA EURO 2024 at the accadis Hochschule Bad Homburg: More than 120 sector professionals and students gathered on Monday for the conference day of the 5th Bad Homburg Sports Management Days. They engaged in discussions with renowned speakers such as Markus Stenger, Managing Director EURO 2024, Jens-Uwe Münker, Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sports, Dario Minden, fan representative Unsere Kurve e. V., Daniela Wahl and Moritz Krämer, Sportamt Frankfurt, Daniela Wahl and Moritz Krämer, Sportamt Frankfurt, about UEFA EURO 2024. The conference was hosted by accadis Hochschule Bad Homburg, the German Olympic Academy, the Landessportbund Hessen and the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and for Sport.
What can we expect from UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany?
As the host of the 17th edition of the European Championship, Germany is set to stage the most important sporting event of the coming years in 2024: UEFA EURO 2024. Anticipation is in the air! However, the experiences of the past World Cup in Qatar still linger. From Germany's perspective, things went well from a sporting point of view, and the political and social appropriation of such an event has rarely been more evident than in Qatar in December 2022. It is difficult to be impartial. But there is also a desire to learn from the experiences of past years and from the 2006 World Cup. The city of Frankfurt, for example, as one of ten host cities, wants to rebuild the fan area along the banks of the Main River. A major focus is on the issue of sustainability, which was not so central at the time.
Predictions from sports managers and economists on UEFA EURO 2024
In preparation for the Sports Management Days, a total of 15 speakers analyzed the current status and interviewed fans and other stakeholders. During three breakout sessions and a panel discussion, they discussed their findings and ventured a forecast or two as to how much "summer fairy tale revisited" will be in store for us in the coming year.
Markus Stenger (Managing Director of EURO 2024 GmbH alongside Philipp Lahm) and Prof. Dr. Thomas Bezold (Heilbronn University) agree: as the host country, the focus is not only on sporting success.
"For me, the European Championship will have been a success if the guests go home with a smile on their faces after the final whistle blows," said Stenger in response to a question from host Florian Naß (sports journalist at Hessischer Rundfunk and ARD), who skillfully guided the discussion. In addition, such an event is also always a trigger to keep the sports infrastructure up to date. "If you look at the stadiums in Italy, you can see what happens when a country does not regularly invest in major sporting events," Bezold adds. The professor also mentions social sustainability in connection with EURO 2024: "It would be a benefit if we present ourselves as a hospitable country and people still remember the event with fond memories years from now."
Big "One Year To Go" event planned for June 14, 2023
On June 14, 2023, the host cities will hold a "One Year to Go" event, which is intended to generate enthusiasm for soccer and the European Championship. There is not much time left until the kick-off on June 14, 2024 in Munich. The ideas are there, but Stenger would like to see a little more commitment from the politicians.
All in all, after the successful Bad Homburg Sports Management Days, we are looking forward with optimism to EURO 2024. We would like to thank all speakers and participants for the interesting exchange and the successful event.
A big thank you also goes to the supporters of the Bad Homburg Sports Management Days: Taunus Sparkasse, the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sports, Mainova and peiker CEE.
We are already looking forward to the 6th Bad Homburg Sports Management Days!