UEFA Women's EURO 2022 Arts and Heritage programme kicks off today

Brighton & Hove is part of an exciting Arts and Heritage programme which kicks off today alongside the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.

The programme celebrates and explores the rich history of the women’s game, revealing untold stories of women’s football and encouraging more people to be inspired by the tournament.

Taking place across nine host cities and ten stadia, the cultural offering runs throughout the tournament, from today until the Final at Wembley on 31 July.

Lottery funded

Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England and the host cities, the arts and heritage programme will bring the worlds of sport and art together in a national celebration which is set to reach 3 million people.

The programme is managed by The Football Association (FA), the national governing body of football in England. It is the first time the organisation has run such a programme alongside a major tournament, which it hopes will establish female role models for both girls and boys through the arts. 

It is supported by UEFA, Canal & River Trust, the Mayor of London and the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Live performance

Artistic Commissions include The Supercompensation Cycle by Emma Smith - an immersive and participatory artwork that invites the public to ‘warm-up’ for each match by echoing movements collected from residents across all host cities, presented as a holographic-like film installation and live performance.

The work takes inspiration from the players who sustained the women’s game during an era when it was declared that football was not something women should do with their bodies.

Drawing on historic footage of players’ abstract warm up moves, the work celebrates the unheralded expertise of all bodies and how we move. A team of eleven holographic films embedded in specially designed sculptures form an installation that is accompanied by an immersive soundscape created in collaboration between the artist, musician YaYa Bones and sound engineer Daniel Halford.

New anthem

The Beautiful Game, a new Anthem to celebrate the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 by composer Shirley J. Thompson OBE, and local anthems, composed with residents and seven emerging female composers from each host city, will be performed in Fan Parties on match days.

Developed and recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and host city residents, resources are now available to download for learning, performing and celebrating during the tournament period.

A world-first ‘Momentum’ Challenge is also available online, inviting the public to test their football and rhythm skills by performing a football rhythm to orchestral backing track.

Free talks

During the tournament period, a panel series in collaboration with Sound Voice will feature ten free talks by leading figures from the worlds of music and sport, exploring areas of intersection and opportunity between the two sectors. Book a free ticket, find out when the RPO quintet will be performing and download the Anthems and Momentum Challenge.

Creative resource pack

Deborah Goatley-Birch has designed a new creative resource pack for libraries across the country which is now available to download. The resource pack will enable communities to come together to celebrate and enjoy the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.

It includes activities inspired by football fan objects such as rosette and banner making and includes a reading list of books that feature trailblazing sports people. 

Exhibitions

Heritage Projects include eight outdoor and eight indoor exhibitions on view across museums and sites in the host cities. They include Brighton Museum & Art Gallery’s ‘Goal Power’ exhibition, which explores the history of the women’s game telling the stories of resistance and perseverance of women players, as well as their passion for football.

A new heritage website will also be launched in the coming weeks and features 36 memory films from players and their allies who have supported the women’s game over the past 65 years.

Sounds and Stadiums

Other events in the city include ‘The History of Women in Football and Music’, a Sounds and Stadiums panel event which will be held at the Jubilee Library on July 19 at 6pm.

The event is part of a series exploring the intersections between Music and Sport with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sharing stories

Julie Hemsley, the first female member of The FA Council (1993), Assistant Manager of the England Women’s National team (1992) and former player at Brighton & Hove Albion Women& Girls FC said: “It has been a joy to work with everyone involved in delivering the arts and heritage programme. It has reunited many of us players for the first time in decades and it has been a delight to share our stories and memories.

"The programme reveals the importance of each past and current player and the growth of the women’s game.’

Photography competition

A fan photography competition is also part of the arts and heritage programme to celebrate the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. The organising team has partnered with Getty Images to give fans an opportunity to capture their experiences of the game. Amateur and student photographers are invited to enter their top five images from the tournament.

Up to 30 competition entrants will be in for a chance for their images to be included in an online exhibition and be archived at the National Football Museum alongside those of the Getty Photographer in Residence this autumn.

Three winners will receive tickets to an international England Women’s match in October, along with a Women’s EURO goody bag. Getty are also supporting workshops in Host Cities so young people can archive their images of the tournament.

Preserving football history

Sporting Heritage is hosting free training courses in preserving football history this September for women’s football fans or clubs who have a heritage collection or would like to start one. The first course focuses on collecting, sorting, storing and sharing football stories. The second explores managing collections to support effective audience engagement.

British Library is asking the public to help preserve football history, by nominating a website to be archived on the UK Web Archive. Collecting websites that are linked to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, is free to do, and fans are asked to send in sites directly online. 

Find out more about the  the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 arts and heritage programme including events in each city.