Sheffield will be one of the cities in England to host the cultural programme for the Women’s UEFA EURO cup this summer.
Many projects have been launched in Sheffield recently aimed at the regeneration of the city.
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Executive Member for City Futures: Development, Culture and Regeneration at Sheffield City Council, said: “Sheffield is a city full of creative talent and ingenuity, which is reflected in our strong cultural sector so I know this exciting programme will be a huge hit alongside UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. Bringing sport and culture together means we can really put on a show for all our visiting fans, inspire more local people to get involved and more women and girls to take up a long term interest in football.”
The Arts Council England granted them £800,000 for the commissioned projects through the National Lottery.
Art Council’s North Area Director, Sarah Maxfield, said: “We know the huge difference that taking part in arts and culture makes to people’s lives and so I’m delighted that the Arts Council is supporting The Football Association’s first cultural programme through our National Lottery Project Grants fund.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the combined forces of culture and sport inspire audiences during the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 and I hope it will encourage people, particularly women and girls, to get involved with both the competition and the different celebratory cultural activities on offer.”
The three commissioned projects will be led by the artist Emma Smith, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Idle Women. Such artwork will celebrate women football’s history to encourage young women and girls to be inspired. The Arts programme is managed by the Football Association.
Chris Bryant, the tournament director, said: “We are delighted to be working with such prestigious artists and organisations on bringing this programme to life. As we work towards tournament kick-off on 6 July we will be reaching out to local artists, musicians and community groups via our host city partnerships to share in the moment and deliver a programme of events in each region.”
