Liverpool Goes for Gold with Commonwealth Games Bid

Liverpool will be unveiling a bold innovative vision for the Games in our vibrant, welcoming city. This will give the city the chance to rise to the challenge and show the very best of Britain as an outward-looking Nation!

Liverpool has put forward a bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with Mayor Joe Anderson insisting that if the city region is successful, this could be “a catalyst for regeneration” across Liverpool.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games was set to be hosted by Durban, South Africa, but David Grevemberg, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation has since revealed that the city didn’t meet the requirements set out by his organisation and so the search for a new city began, with the CGF keen to announce the new host by the end of 2017.

Mayor Joe Anderson initially showed interest in the 2026 Games, but has moved the bid forward to apply to host the now vacant 2022 Games, which could boast huge benefits for Everton Football Club, and propel Peel’s £5-billion-pounds Liverpool Waters regeneration scheme much sooner than it was supposed to be started on.

If the city is successful, it could see the completion of a dual-purpose athletics venue, with the sporting facility also becoming home to Everton Football Club. This was an unlikely occurrence when Liverpool put forward a bid to host the 2026 games as Everton wasn’t keen on waiting almost a decade for a new ground, and instead wanted to complete the construction in just three years.

Should Liverpool secure itself as the host city, Everton could save more than £100m by holding off for a few months as the club could share construction costs with the Commonwealth Games’ organisers.

The last Commonwealth Games in 2014 was held in Glasgow, and according to the Scottish Government, they contributed 80% of the costs whilst Glasgow city council provided 20%.

The next Games in 2018 will be held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Liverpool City Council is still working on the figures to showcase exactly how much the 2022 Games could benefit the city and boost jobs, visitors, business and Liverpool’s overall reputation, but the figures from when Manchester hosted the 2002 Games are available for reference, with some also available from Glasgow too.

In terms of boosting jobs, the Manchester Games created 6,300 full time equivalent jobs according to an official report, while Glasgow’s Games created 2,100 jobs over a seven-year period. Merseyside’s businesses could expect to land some fantastic new contracts in association with the Games after Manchester companies were estimated to have earned an extra £22m, and in Glasgow around three-quarters of the £669m construction work around the Games benefited Scottish firms.

The 2022 Games would also boost the number of visitors that embark on the city who tend to spend plenty of money. Manchester welcomed an extra 300,000 visitors a year, spending around £18m across the city’s bars, hotels and restaurants.

In Glasgow, 690,000 people attended at least one ticketed Games or associated event, with 250,000 staying at least one night in Scotland, with those visiting Glasgow spending an average of £98-aday.