Engineering Better Sports Venues

Designing for Athletes, Spectators, and the Environment.

IMechE examines the integral work engineers do to design sports venues that are sustainable, inclusive and innovative and how this can be improved for both people and the environment.

Sport is a multi-billion-dollar industry that unites athletes and supporters globally. Mega sporting events like the Olympics and an increasingly diverse community of sport have accelerated the need for large sports venues that consider the varying needs of athletes and spectators. The large carbon footprint of sports venue construction and operations, coupled with a rapidly changing climate impacting the ability for sport to be played, means these venues must now also be resilient to, and mitigate their impact on, the environment.

Given these global challenges, the IMechE has explored the role of engineers in sports venue design. The report discusses the impact sports venues have on the environment and the people using them, highlighting sustainable and inclusive design considerations for engineers, and showcasing innovation as the way forward. Recommendations are made to help governments, sports organisations, governing bodies, and elite and community level venues to improve the experience of athletes and spectators and reduce environmental impact to ensure sport is viable well into the future.

Tom Greatrex, Chair of the Football Supporters' Association said, "the role that supporters play in providing and enhancing the atmosphere is integral to the spectacle of top class sport, as the behind closed doors period during covid demonstrated. ‘Football without fans is nothing’ is a frequently heard statement - but fans deserve to be a key consideration in the design of stadia, not just for their own safety and comfort, but also to ensure the acoustics and atmosphere are not compromised by stadia design. We very much hope those embarking upon new and refurbished stadia projects take heed of the findings of this study."