Measuring the Social Impact of Sport: The Benetton Rugby Case

Sport is not just about athletic performance. It is a powerful generator of social value, capable of transforming communities, shaping individuals, and creating lasting bonds. But how can this impact be measured? How can it be demonstrated that a sports club produces tangible benefits for athletes, families, and the local area?

Benetton Rugby, a historic Italian and European rugby club founded in 1932, chose to take on this challenge. After embarking in 2024 on a path to integrate sustainability into its organization in collaboration with NATIVA—from mapping the Club’s impacts, to measuring Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and developing its first Sustainability Strategic Plan—in 2025 the Club took a further step: understanding whether its activities generate real, positive impact on the territory and the reference community.

The challenge of carrying out the analysis was ambitious: applying our social impact assessment framework to all the Club’s core activities, moving beyond perceptions and sporting results to understand the actual change generated in people’s lives.

This was not just about collecting numbers, but about giving a voice to stakeholders—players, female athletes, young people, families, fans, and volunteers—to understand how the Club’s activities concretely influence their physical and mental well-being, sense of community, personal development, and shared values. By tracing the pathway from Inputs (resources and activities invested by the Club) through to Impact (the long-term change generated).

To address this challenge, we applied a structured methodological approach based on the principles of Social Value International, a global leading network on impact and social value. The scope included all sporting, social, and environmental activities carried out by Benetton Rugby during the 2024–2025 season: from the men’s and women’s first teams (Red Panthers), to youth and mini rugby, as well as community initiatives such as Match Day, RugbyTots, and the Torneo Città di Treviso.

Following the international IRIS+ standard (a platform developed by the Global Impact Investing Network for impact measurement), we built a dashboard of indicators to assess the Club’s impacts. The subsequent stakeholder engagement process was extensive: we administered targeted and differentiated questionnaires to each stakeholder group, collecting over 600 responses from players, female athletes, young people, families, fans, and volunteers, which were then analyzed.

The measurement returned a rich and articulated picture, confirming the Club’s significant impact across multiple dimensions and providing insights for improvement. Among the key results:

Physical and Mental Well-being: The Heart of Performance

Men’s First Team Players (56 respondents):

• 83% consider physical well-being an absolute priority
   
• 80% identify mental well-being as essential
   
• 45% acknowledge that the Club makes a real difference in supporting physical well-being
   
• 32% perceive a significant contribution by the Club to mental well-being
   

Red Panthers – Women’s First Team (34 respondents):

• 92% identify gender equality as the most important aspect
   
• 75% recognize a strong impact of the Club on physical health
   
• 53.6% perceive a positive or very positive contribution by the Club to mental health and to a sense of community and inclusion
   

Education and Values: Growing Through Rugby

Youth Rugby – Under 14, 16, and 18 Categories (59 respondents):

• 80% state that they have developed greater discipline and respect for rules through rugby
   
• 71% recognize an improvement in stress management and mental well-being
   
• 81% perceive the team as an inclusive and welcoming environment
   

Mini Rugby – Children Under 6, 8, 10, and 12 (67 parent respondents):

• 93% of parents recognize concrete support for their children’s educational journey
   
• 66% perceive an improvement in the child’s social relationships
   
• 61% have observed positive behavioral changes since joining the team
   

Match Day: More Than a Game, a Community Experience

Matches are confirmed as a powerful catalyst for social value. During Match Day (266 respondents):

• 81% feel less alone and part of a community
   
• 94% recognize shared values such as respect and solidarity
   
• 92% express satisfaction with Third Half activities
   
• 82% of volunteers feel more involved with the Club
   

RugbyTots and the Torneo Città di Treviso: Investing in New Generations

RugbyTots – Oval motor skills program for children aged 2–7 (45 accompanying adults):

• 89% of accompanying adults observe improved physical health
   
• 87% recognize the transmission of rugby values
   

Torneo “Città di Treviso” – Youth and mini rugby tournament (116 respondents):

• An estimated 17,000 participants over two days
   
• 91% recognize a direct impact on personal growth
   
• 79% perceive strong promotion of inclusion
   
• 93% consider the experience “unique” and of high educational value
   

Impact That Lasts Over Time

A particularly significant aspect emerged from the analysis of impact duration. We interviewed athletes and former national players who participated in the Torneo Città di Treviso in past years:

• 75% confirm that the tournament positively influenced their decision to continue practicing sport
   
• 67% state that friendships formed have lasted over time
   
• 54% recognize having developed lasting relational skills
   

Happiness, Connection, and Sense of Belonging

The end-of-season fanbase analysis (269 respondents) highlights that the Club’s activities generated:

• For 58%, happiness and personal satisfaction among the top three most significant benefits
   
• 42% place improved mood and mental well-being among the top impacts
   
• 36% perceive a stronger connection with the local territory
   

The results of this measurement demonstrate not only how sport can be an extraordinary generator of social impact, but also enable Benetton Rugby to identify areas for improvement and define more effective strategies to maximize positive impact in the coming years.

The social impact analysis was also published within Benetton Rugby’s first Smart Sustainability Report, a document that transparently, measurably, and systematically tells the Club’s 360-degree impact during the 2024/2025 sports season and sets out commitments for future improvement: systematic measurement and enhancement of the environmental and economic impacts of matches, consolidation of the local community impact plan, and training of people on sustainability topics.

These results and commitments confirm how rigorous measurement and an intentional strategy can turn sustainability into a true engine of growth and innovation even for a sports club, fostering a culture capable of engaging the entire ecosystem.