Sheffield will host the ISU Figure Skating European Championships 2026 this January, bringing elite international competition back to the city and creating a notable homecoming for one of Team GB’s leading skaters. Luke Digby, now a senior international competitor, will return to the same Sheffield arena where he once took part in the event as a flower boy during the 2012 Championships.
Since that early experience, Digby has gone on to help achieve Britain’s strongest European pairs result in more than 30 years. His return highlights both personal progression and the wider growth of British figure skating ahead of a major event on home ice.
To widen access to the Championships, Sheffield based social impact platform Tickets for Good has partnered with event organisers. The collaboration is intended to ensure the competition reaches a broader local audience, including people who might otherwise be unable to attend. An initial release of free tickets was taken up within days, with a further allocation of discounted tickets now available.
The partnership is designed to strengthen the Championships’ connection with the city and encourage local engagement with a world-class sporting event. British Ice Skating has reported increasing interest in the sport following recent international success, including a World Championship bronze medal for Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson and a top-five European result for Digby and his skating partner Anastasia Vaipan-Law.
David Hartley, Event Director, said: “Bringing the ISU Figure Skating European Championships back to Sheffield is a huge moment for our sport, and we want the whole city to feel part of it. Partnering with Tickets for Good helps us open the doors to more people who might not otherwise get the chance to experience a world-class event on their doorstep. Stories like Luke Digby’s — from flower boy in 2012 to representing Team GB on home ice — show exactly why this week can be so powerful for the next generation.”
Bethany Rutt, Head of Business Operations at Tickets for Good, said: “As someone local to the region, it’s really special to see the European Championships come to Sheffield. Luke’s journey from flower boy to elite athlete is a lovely example of what early exposure to live sport can do. We’re proud to be part of making that kind of experience more accessible and we hope this event sparks something in the next generation too.”
The ISU Figure Skating European Championships 2026 will take place at the Utilita Arena Sheffield from 13 to 18 January. The event is expected to attract strong home support, with Olympic qualification places at stake and the Winter Games approaching shortly afterwards.
Although Tickets for Good is rooted in Sheffield, the organisation has expanded rapidly. It now works with more than a third of the UK’s top-tier women’s football clubs and has recently launched operations in the United States, where partners include the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. UK partnerships already include Chelsea FC, Sheffield FC, Manchester Storm and Nottingham Panthers, with further collaborations developing across sport and culture.
Tickets for Good aims to extend the benefits of live events by offering free or discounted tickets to people working in the NHS, education and the charity sector, as well as those affected by the cost of living crisis.
For more information about the Championships, visit https://www.europeans2026.com/. Discounted tickets for Tickets for Members are available now, visit https://www.ticketsforgood.org/ to get started.
