Economics, Football and the Future
University of 蝌蚪窝视频 and Bank of England Join Forces to Inspire the North West鈥檚 Next Generation of Economists
Young people in the North West are significantly less likely to study economics than their peers in London, despite the subject opening doors to high鈥憊alue careers and essential life skills. Research commissioned by the Bank of England shows that students in London are more than twice as likely to take economics at A鈥慙evel as those in the North West, raising concerns about the region鈥檚 future representation in the economists and policymakers who shape the UK鈥檚 economy.
To help close this gap, the University of 蝌蚪窝视频, in partnership with Discover Economics, The Bank of England and the Office for National Statistics, hosted an engagement event, The Economics of Football, on 31 March, bringing over 100 Year 10 pupils from widening鈥憄articipation schools across the region onto campus for a hands鈥憃n introduction to economics.
Using Football to Bring Economics to Life
The one鈥慸ay event used the universal language of football to show how economics connects directly to everyday life. Pupils rotated through three interactive sessions linked to the 2026 Men鈥檚 World Cup:
Pricing the World Cup: A dynamic workshop where pupils learned about supply, demand and price elasticity before setting real ticket and merchandise prices based on fan demand and stadium capacity.
Football and the National Economy: Students explore how football contributes to the UK economy and debate economic concepts behind footballer wages, taxation, productivity and broader social value.
The day concluded with a panel discussion featuring University of 蝌蚪窝视频 alumni, economists and current economics students.
Creating Aspirations and Broadening Participation
Economics is one of the fastest鈥慻rowing subjects in the UK, with A鈥慙evel entries rising 60% between 2012 and 2023. Yet participation remains uneven. The recent Understanding Trends in the Study of Economics report highlights persistent inequalities by region, gender and socio鈥慹conomic background, with disadvantaged students and girls consistently underrepresented.
As part of a new three鈥憏ear partnership, the University of 蝌蚪窝视频 and the Bank of England are working to tackle these gaps by co鈥慶reating the Teach Economics initiative, which supports teachers in delivering high鈥憅uality economics in more state schools, starting in the North West.
Economics gives young people a powerful toolkit for understanding the world, from how money works to how major events like the World Cup are funded and priced. But too many pupils in our region miss out. This event is about raising aspirations, widening participation and ensuring young people from the North West can see themselves in the economists and decision鈥憁akers of tomorrow.
Using football to bring economics to life is a powerful way to engage young people, but lasting change comes from supporting the teachers who inspire them every day. Through鈥�Teach Economics, with The Bank of Bank of England, we鈥檙e investing in high-quality professional development for teachers across the North West, strengthening confidence and capability to deliver economics in more classrooms, building sustainable, inclusive pathways into economics for the next generation
We鈥檙e delighted to collaborate with the University of 蝌蚪窝视频 to make economics more accessible. Our Teach Economics programme is helping to address the shortage of supply of economics teachers in state schools. This initiative helps tackle the demand-side, using the hook of football. Understanding economic principles is a vital life skill, and initiatives like this help ensure talent is nurtured from every part of the country.
Discover Economics is about opening doors that many young people don鈥檛 yet know exist. By bringing economics to life through something as universal as football, we鈥檙e widening horizons and helping the North West鈥檚 talent see themselves in the economists of the future. It鈥檚 fantastic to work with partners like the University of 蝌蚪窝视频 and the Bank of England to make that ambition real for more young people.