Study Conducted by Sport Tourism Canada at the November 2022 Event

Sport Tourism Canada (STC) studied the economic impact generated by the 2022 Canada Life Vanier Cup. The 57th edition of the Canadian football championship took place in London, ON at Western University on Saturday, November 26, 2022. This was the first time that London has hosted the Vanier Cup.

The economic impact study was commissioned by Tourism London. Research was done with a team of on-site data collectors, using devices and QR codes to collect surveys, as well as post-event surveys sent to ticket purchasers, media, participating teams, staff and organizers. Using the STC Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (steamPRO), the report found that the combined spending of out-of-town participants, staff, spectators, and other visitors who travelled to London to attend the event, totaled just under $1.8 million in spending, supporting over $2.4 million in overall economic impact for the London area.

“It was a terrific honour to host the 2022 Vanier Cup on our campus and we are delighted the game generated such a positive economic outcome for London. Western students, faculty and staff contribute to the community in countless ways through their scholarship, research, teaching and services to the community. We look forward to future partnerships with Tourism London and U Sports that benefit both our city and university.” Alan Shepard – President, Western University

“Tourism London was pleased to work with Western University and U SPORTS to welcome the Vanier Cup to London, Ontario for the very first time. This nationally televised event was a tremendous success and provided us with another opportunity to showcase London as an excellent sport tourism destination. As we continue to recover from COVID, it’s also important to see the significant economic impact this event had on our local economy. Thank you to Sport Tourism Canada for conducting the report and we look forward one day hosting this event again in the future.” Zanth Jarvis – Director, Sport Tourism, Tourism London

“U SPORTS is pleased with the results of the steamPRO analysis as it confirms what we already knew, that U SPORTS championships and in particular the Vanier Cup have significant economic impacts for the host cities. The 2022 Canada Life Vanier Cup was an amazing example of hoe Destination Tourism Organizations, Universities and U SPORTS can work together to leverage each partners strength to deliver impressive results for the local, provincial and national economies.” Lisette Johnson-Stapley – Chief Sport Officer, U SPORTS

Summary of Key Findings:   

  • $1.8 million of initial expenditures  
  • $2.8 million of overall economic activity in the province  
  • $1.3 million of visitor spending  
  • 3,9000 out-of-town visitors to London 
  • $700,000 wages and salaries supported locally  
  • 18 local jobs in London supported by the event  
  • $1.4 million boost to provincial GDP  
  • $585,000 taxes supported across Canada   

The full report is available here.