Ryder Cup 2022

Legacy of Spain’s 2022 Ryder Cup Bid will help promote female a & disabled golfer participation

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Legacy of Spain’s 2022 Ryder Cup Bid will help promote female a & disabled golfer participation
As a key cornerstone to its legacy of hosting The 2022 Ryder Cup, Spain aims to use the enhanced profile, awareness and investment of the biennial event to help increase the country’s female and disabled golfer participation levels.  
The Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG) intends to change the way golf is perceived in order to inspire the next generation of players and boost development and participation levels.
As part of its 12-year ‘Ryder Cup Plus’ strategy, the RFEG will continue to invest in the game, to address some of the specific aspects raised by both female and disabled golfers, such as flexible playing options, access to facilities and coaching opportunities.
Jorge Sagardoy, General Secretary of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), said: “We are committed to increasing golf participation levels among female and disabled golfers.
“The Ryder Cup’s universal appeal provides a huge opportunity for the country to raise interest and awareness of the game and to encourage more people to enjoy golf.
“Already, over 30% of our members are women, which is a much higher proportion than other leading Spanish sports such as football or basketball. If we are successful in our bid, we aim to use the ‘2022 effect’ to help increase female membership levels to more than 40%.
“Research has shown that, as young female players progress through the age groups, golf can feel intimidating and inaccessible, but the RFEG aims to counter this by introducing a girls-only competition for 6 – 16 year olds. The concept has already been successfully piloted in Madrid and as part of our ‘Ryder Cup Plus’ strategy, all regional golf federations will implement the scheme over the coming years.”
In addition, Spain’s ‘Ryder Cup Plus’ plan will also see increased investment aimed at attracting more disabled golfers to take up the game should the 2022 Match come to Catalunya. This would complement the already established Spanish Adaptive Championships, which attracted 29 competitors from across the country in 2015 and continues to see participation levels increase each year.
Jorge continues: “The Adaptive Golf Committee in Spain has already successfully set up 33 schools across the country for disabled individuals. These schools run specialised golf tuition courses, which are led by qualified professionals and help to support learning and progress.
“We will continue to invest in schools and learning facilities to help encourage more people to play and enjoy this great game.”
Ryder Cup Europe will announce the successful host nation in Winter 2015.
Find out more about our bid: www.costabravabarcelona2022.com

Spain’s Ryder Cup Bid 2022 In Numbers

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As the race to select the host for The 2022 Ryder Cup enters the final stages, Spain has outlined its credentials to host golf’s biggest event:

  • €1.2 billion – the value of golf to the Spanish economy every year
  • 500 million – the TV audience The Ryder Cup reaches globally
  • 183 – countries in which The Ryder Cup is broadcast
  • 250,000 – spectators expected to attend The 2022 Ryder Cup over six days
  • 1,000,000 – children projected to be introduced to golf through Spain’s ‘Ryder Cup Plus’ junior inclusion programme
  • 1 – Spain’s proposed venue, PGA Catalunya Resort, near Barcelona, voted Europe’s Best Golf Resort 2015 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators
  • 6,705m – length of PGA Catalunya Resort’s critically-acclaimed Stadium course, one of the longest in Europe
  • 70,000 – number of spectators Spain’s Ryder Cup transport solution can move at the start and end of each day
  • 25,000 – car parking spaces, all within a 10 minutes’ drive of PGA Catalunya Resort
  • 300km/h – top speed of the AVE trains that connect Girona and Barcelona
  • 107,937 – hotel rooms within 150km of Spain’s candidate venue
  • 184 – number of European Tour events staged in Spain since 1972 (91 more than any other mainland Europe country)
  • 1912 – year of the first Open de España; still going strong after 103 years
  • 36 – appearances by Spanish golfers in The Ryder Cup team since 1979
  • 8 – times Seve Ballesteros contested The Ryder Cup as a player
  • 2 – Ryder Cup Winning captains from Spain: Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal
Commenting on Spain’s candidacy for The 2022 Match, Gonzaga Escauriaza, President of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG), said: “Our bid is centred on three concepts – History, Certainty and Passion. No other country in mainland Europe has contributed more to European and Ryder Cup golf, and our proposed venue is one of the finest and best linked in Europe. Furthermore, our bid sponsors share a unified passion to bring this, one of the world’s biggest sporting events, to Catalunya in 2022.”
Ryder Cup Europe, alongside a panel of independent experts, is currently analysing the four bids. An announcement of the successful host country and venue for The 2022 Ryder Cup expected this autumn.
Find out more about our bid: www.costabravabarcelona2022.com

Ryder Cup Europe examines 2022 bidders’ technical plans

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Ryder Cup Europe examines 2022 bidders’ technical plans
Ryder Cup Match Director Edward Kitson and team visit Catalunya to evaluate the Costa Brava Barcelona Ryder Cup Europe 2022 bid

As the process to select a host for The 2022 Ryder Cup moves into the final phases, Ryder Cup Europe has been visiting each candidate nation to evaluate the technical elements of each of their bids.

Ryder Cup Europe recently visited PGA Catalunya Resort to further evaluate Spain’s bid for The 2022 Ryder Cup Match. This is the next stage in the formal bid process that will select a host for the 2022 Match by the end of the year.

A modern day Ryder Cup counts itself among the world’s ‘mega events’. Consequently, the need for robust and innovative transport, security and logistics operations is essential.

Ryder Cup Match Director, Edward Kitson, Ryder Cup Operations Director, Antonia Beggs, and European Tour Director of Tour Operations, David Garland, spent two days with the Spanish bid team to gain a more complete understanding of the transport, parking, accommodation and crowd management proposals.

Edward Kitson said: “Hosting a Ryder Cup brings some unique challenges. Ensuring spectators, journalists and workforce enjoy the best experience possible every day requires detailed planning.

“Over the past two days, we have had a chance to experience the full spectator journey proposed in the Spanish bid dossier. We have visited the parking, experienced the journey times to the venue, met with a number of the proposed hotels and conducted a full review of the golf course.

“This has allowed us to understand how a Ryder Cup in Spain in 2022 could deliver the key elements we need. We have shared a number of observations and ideas with the Spanish bid team, and we look forward to working with all of the remaining candidate nations over the coming months to further refine their respective bids.”

Ryder Cup Europe 2022 will announce the successful host nation for The 2022 Ryder Cup in Autumn 2015.

Find out more about the bid at costabravabarcelona2022.com