Fan zone figures dazzle

Just over seven million supporters spent time in the eight fan zones in the host cities during UEFA EURO 2012, with the huge facilities in Kyiv and Warsaw proving to be the most popular of all in Ukraine and Poland.

Following on from the success of the project at UEFA EURO 2008, fan zones were set up in the centre of all eight host cities at the 2012 finals, to offer visiting supporters and locals a place to mix and watch matches together on the big screens. The amount of people who chose to come to the fan zones was truly stunning, with several fan zones having to be extended to deal with the sheer number of visitors.

The aggregate total number of fans to visit the eight fan zones was 7,005,000, with Kyiv boasting over 25% of that total – 2,186,000 visitors. Poland games in Warsaw ensured a massive crowd of 1,402,538 over the course of the finals.

Superb entertainment programmes, activities for fans of all ages and stalls selling food and drink ensured that the fan zones were busy throughout the tournament, with daily aggregate crowds of around 400,000 for much of the group stage.

The biggest night of all came after most visiting fans had gone home, with around 539,000 gathering in the eight fan zones to watch Spain defeat Italy in the final.