Landlords prepare for Euros boom
More than 33 million Brits will head to the pub to watch England play in the Euro 2024 tournament this summer, according to new research by Indeed Flex, the online marketplace for temporary work.
With Europe’s festival of football kicking off this Friday when Scotland take on tournament hosts Germany, the survey reveals that nearly half of the UK’s sports fans (49%) plan to watch as many matches as they can during the month-long competition.
One in eight Brits (13%) will head to the pub at least four times to watch a match during the four-week festival of football, with two fifths (40%) planning to soak up the pub atmosphere during the semi-final and 57% watching the final in the pub.
With England hoping to go one better than its Euro 2020 run - which saw it lose on penalties in the final against Italy - 62% of those surveyed said they would show their support this time by watching every single England match in the pub.
Less than two weeks after the champions of Europe are crowned in Berlin on 14th July, the sporting action will move to France when the Olympic Games get underway in Paris.
Indeed Flex’s survey also found that two-fifths of Brits (38%) intend to watch as many Olympic events as they can, while one in 10 (10%) plan to watch their preferred Olympic sports in the pub at least four times.
One guaranteed winner during the summer of sport should be Britain’s hospitality sector, which is gearing up for a surge in demand from fans keen to share the joy and excitement of live sport in their local pub or bar.
Many landlords and managers are responding by lining up an extended roster of temporary staff they can call upon during the busiest periods. In turn, this is creating earning opportunities for anyone keen to make some extra income by working temporary shifts.
Indeed Flex, which typically lists hundreds of temporary jobs for bar and waiting staff each day, reports that temp bar workers earn an average of £13.66 an hour. By working a four-hour shift just four times a week, they could earn £874 over the course of a month, all while witnessing some of the top sporting moments of 2024.
Novo Constare, CEO and Co-founder of Indeed Flex, said: “The extraordinary runs of the England's men at the last Euros and the Lionesses at last years world cup showed there's nothing like an international football tournament to bring a nation together and spark Britain’s bars and pubs into life.
“In the coming weeks, thousands of fans will meet up at the pub to enjoy the drama and thrill of live sport together. Landlords and managers need to ensure their operations are match-fit too, with enough good staff able to handle the sudden surge in customers.
“In a sector which has been under pressure ever since the pandemic struck, this is a potentially make or break opportunity. That’s why we’re seeing many hospitality employers taking on temporary staff, to ensure they are ready and able to maintain high customer service standards even during peak periods.
“Indeed Flex’s offers hospitality employers a way to find and engage skilled, vetted staff for both front-of-house and bar work, while also providing a marketplace that enables workers to pick up temporary shifts whenever and wherever they want them.
“Temporary bar jobs offer fans the chance to earn a decent wage and experience the electric atmosphere of the 2024 summer of sport first-hand — it's a win-win, whoever you’re supporting.”
