Wellbeing & Sport Scheme

Sports Diplomacy: Italy

WS-SDI-26

Sport is one of the UK's most effective soft power tools, opening doors that trade missions cannot and building relationships that translate directly into commercial and policy success.

Location

Italy

Timeframe

TBC

Delivery Partner

British Ambassador's Residence, Rome

Italian Senate

Sport e Salute

Ferrari

America's Cup

Athena Sports Group

Key Partners

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Attendees

MPs, Peerage & Parliamentarians

Focus Areas

Sports diplomacy; Soft power; International relations; Motorsport and football; Trade

Headline Outcomes

Members will understand how sport creates diplomatic, commercial and cultural relationships that extend beyond competition.

Wellbeing & Sport Scheme

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Overview

Sport is one of the UK's most effective soft power tools, opening doors that trade missions cannot and building relationships that translate directly into commercial and policy success. The cohort will head to Italy to see how the UK’s impact is felt across the America's Cup, Ferrari, AC Milan, the FCDO, and the Italian Senate.

Learning outcomes: See UK sporting influence in an international setting; examine links between sport, trade and diplomacy; understand how institutions use sport to build relationships.

Wellbeing & Sport Scheme

Other Modules

ukactive Constituency Module

Constituency visits to leisure centres and gyms, examining how local facilities support physical activity, public health and community wellbeing.

British Cycling and Warrington Wolves

Cycling is one of Great Britain’s most successful Olympic sports. The Cohort will visit British Cycling to find out how they support the elite cyclists and harness this to inspire the next generation.

Non-Premier League Football

Football beyond the top-flight is woven into the identity and economy of towns and cities, often as the largest single thing that happens there each week.

In and on the Water

As an island nation, the Cohort will discover how our interaction with the water and water sports, supports coastal communities’ wellbeing, tourism and maritime industries.

Wimbledon is recognised worldwide, as a soft power asset, the most prestigious tennis tournament and as a commercial benchmark.

Motorsport Valley is a £16 billion UK industry, supplying most of the F1 grid and feeding apprenticeships, and engineering skills into the wider economy.

Horseracing is a sport worth over £4 billion to the UK, a major rural employer, and built on a fragile economic model.

Parkrun Constituency Module

MPs can volunteer at or run/walk three parkruns over the course of the scheme to see how it brings communities together, encouraging movement and time outdoors.

London Marathon Finish Line Volunteers

The largest mass participation event and the largest single fundraising charity event anywhere in the world.

Tech & Broadcasting in Sport

Streaming, data and rights are reshaping how fans access sport, clubs make money and which sports get seen, with knock-on effects on grassroots participation.

Women in Sport Workshop

Women's sport has grown faster in the last five years than any other part of the UK sporting landscape.

Sports Diplomacy: Italy

Sport is one of the UK's most effective soft power tools, opening doors that trade missions cannot and building relationships that translate directly into commercial and policy success.

Rugby is at a crossroads, with the growth of the women's game and the continued success of international competitions being at odds with the struggles of the club game.

Business of Sport Roundtable

Sport is rarely treated as the serious UK industry it is, despite generating billions in rights, sponsorship, hospitality and export earnings, and underpinning a soft power position few other sectors match.

Football in the Community

Charlton Athletics’ Community Trust reaches young people, families and communities that fall through the gaps, delivering everything from mental health support to literacy programmes.

Premier League and WSL Football

The Premier League is a sporting crown jewel with economic and community benefit, and British soft power projected across the world.

National Parks and the Outdoors

Outdoor access enables grassroots cycling, walking and rural tourism, with real public health and rural economy returns.

Behind the scenes on raceday at Ascot, exploring the scale and craft of one of the world's great sporting venues and horseracing's wider role in rural Britain and the national economy.

Women in Sport Workshop and Women's T20 World Cup

A discussion on the current state of women's sport against the backdrop of the Women's T20 Cricket World Cup at Lord's

Social Impact and Action Sports

How does sport support those who are struggling in society. Empire Fighting chance works with boys and young men who struggle to stay in School.

British Cycling

Tour of the National Cycling Centre velodrome and high-performance facilities, looking at athlete pathways and grassroots participation programmes.

Visit to the rugby league club to explore community programmes, player welfare support and the challenges facing professional rugby league.

London Marathon

Community Health and Sport

Sports Diplomacy Visit to Italy

Newcastle United FC Visit

Two-day visit to Newcastle United Football Club, exploring Premier League operations, community engagement, and the unique relationship between one of the UK's largest clubs and its city.

Business of Sport Symposium

Interactive symposium exploring sports commerce, examining how sporting institutions deliver social impact, UK sports diplomacy, the future of sports broadcasting, and emerging challenges within sports commerce.

Charlton Athletic FC Visit

Half-day experience exploring community-focused football at Charlton Athletic FC, examining the club's work tackling knife crime and racism, governance evolution, and the operational realities of Championship-level clubs.

News & Insights

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