Yorkshire sports economy grew during Covid lockdown as rest of country shrunk

Spring 2020 was a grim time for the country as society went on the defensive against the coronavirus pandemic.

The economy suffered, the collective mental health of the nation dipped and our brave NHS was under siege.

And yet amid it all, somehow, Yorkshire’s sports economy actually grew.

And not only that, our region outperformed the rest of the UK despite the challenges created by Covid.

According to a joint report conducted by law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), entitled ‘Competing for Growth’, there were only eight cities in the whole of the UK that experienced growth in the sports sector - and they were all in Yorkshire.

The sports sector is defined as operating activities, sports facilities, sports clubs, fitness facilities and the manufacture of sports goods.

The report measured the amount of people employed in the sports sector, be it at leisure centres, sports clubs, swimming pools etc.

York saw the fastest growth in sports GVA (gross value added) between 2019 and 2020, expanding by a third (33.3 per cent) year on year.

According to the report York also topped the league table for employment growth, adding over 500 jobs.

The report also found that Huddersfield boasts the largest sports economy (relative to its local economy as a whole) with sport accounting for 1.92 per cent of the town’s GVA.

Wakefield, Doncaster, Sheffield, Hull, Bradford and Rotherham all recorded growth in its sports economy. The closest city outside of Yorkshire in the table was Leicester, which saw its sports economy shrink.

Although Leeds was just outside the top 10 for GVA growth, the city recorded a 17.6 per cent increase in employment.

All told, the top nine cities reporting double digit employment growth were all in Yorkshire, and amounted to some 5,825 jobs created in 2020.

When you think back to those times that’s a staggering number, given sporting institutions like Ilkley Tennis Club was shut for a period, Ponds Forge International Sports Centre was mothballed and threatened with closure, and there were many other tales of economic hardship across the region.

Not all clubs, institutions and facilities survived, and for some the battle is still ongoing.

But as Josie Dent, who helped author the report for the Centre for Economics and Business Research, told The Yorkshire Post: “In that year Yorkshire cities were particularly resilient for their sports sector.

“Given the numbers, it suggests that in Yorkshire it wasn’t just that the furlough scheme protected jobs it was that these sectors expanded.

“So potentially when people couldn’t do other activities in the months where it was possible to meet friends outside and play a game of football, people in Yorkshire were actually getting out and using these facilities, whereas in a lot of other cities, the figures suggest they weren’t.

“And because of that Yorkshire saw growth rather than a decline that was common in other cities and regions.”

Yorkshire’s resilient sports sector can also have a knock-on effect for other areas.

“Sport is such a great sector and can generate economic activity,” continued Dent. "If you go to the gym, or a club, not only does it have great benefits for your physical and mental health but also has a knock-on effect of work productivity, but also how happy your are.

“It’s a great sign that we’re seeing growth because it benefits other sectors.”

Figures for 2021 are not yet available, when the further lockdowns in January had another debilitating effect on not just sport, but society as a whole. As Britain continues trying to emerge from that bleak chapter with a cost-of-living crisis engulfing large parts of society being the latest challenge, the report suggested three key areas that sport should develop to maintain its robustness.

“Growing women’s sport is one of those pillars,” said Dent. "With the Lionesses successes in the summer, hopefully that translates into more women getting involved in a variety of sports."

The other two are climate change, by providing funding and guidelines for green objectives for clubs, and financial sustainability, through legislation for a new independent regulator for English Football.

Thomas Barnard of Irwin Mitchell’s Sports sector team said: “The challenge for the Yorkshire region will be to ensure this development continues and investment in green initiatives and unlocking the power in women’s sports could prove a cost effective way to continue making strides.”