Candidate Host Cities revealed
England 2018 announces 12 cities for Bid Book inclusion.
17- Stadiums to be named in the Bid book
England 2018 has today announced the Candidate Host Cities to be included in their final submission to FIFA in May 2010.
The following will now become Candidate Host Cities for the England 2018 World Cup Bid: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle/Gateshead, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield and Sunderland.
Between them, the Candidate Host Cities have made over £300m worth of financial guarantees towards a World Cup in England if the country is successful at the FIFA vote in December 2010. There has also been a commitment of over £100m towards legacy and urban regeneration projects. This funding is in addition to the £300m worth of FIFA required guarantees signed-off by the government on 15th December 2009.
The process has seen a variety of stakeholders work together including RDAs, local councils, sports governing bodies, school boards, FAPL and FL clubs, non-league and grassroots football. Each of the Candidate Host Cities has also run its own 'Back the Bid' campaign which has demonstrated a groundswell of public support and involved a range of celebrities including Sting, Noel Gallagher, Lennox Lewis and Andrew Flintoff.
The decision was reached by a technical panel chaired by Brian Mawhinney and including England 2018 Chief Executive, Andy Anson, and Chief Operating Officer, Simon Johnson. Each of the cities involved in the Applicant Host City process made a final presentation to the panel at the QE2 building in London from Monday 14th December.
Each city was assessed on a total of 67 criteria and 82 sub-criteria with a team of industry leading experts providing a written recommendation to the technical panel. During the process the cities received two inspection visits and also produced outline and preliminary bids before the final submission to England 2018 on 26th November 2009.
Brian Mawhinney, Chairman of the England 2018 Technical Bid Panel said: "This is a tremendous day for the England 2018 World Cup Bid. The whole of football has worked in partnership throughout this process and it is significant that 8 Premier League clubs and 6 Football League clubs' stadiums will be named in our Bid book to FIFA. Additionally, many other clubs are under consideration as training venues.
"We are committed to producing a technical bid that exceeds FIFA's requirements and we believe the outstanding work of the Candidate Host Cities we will now be putting forward gives us the best chance to do this and be successful at the vote in December 2010.
"Our Candidate Host Cities provide an exciting mix of iconic venues, stadiums that can be extended and brand new builds. Importantly this process ensures our cities are 100% compliant with FIFA's technical criteria and that crucial guarantees have been signed ahead of our submission to FIFA on 14th May 2010. We look forward to the hard work ahead with our new Candidate Host Cities in finalising a technical bid this country can be proud of."
England 2018 Technical Director, Ian Riley, who was previously Technical Director for the South Africa 2010 World Cup Bid commented: "We've been delighted by the response of the cities to this process over the past 6 months. The technical team, including more than 30 industry-leading experts, has been able to build up extremely productive working relationships with the cities involved to ensure we deliver the best technical bid possible."
England 2018 Chief Executive Andy Anson added: "We thank all of the cities involved for their commitment, professionalism and enthusiasm. The passion for World Cup football demonstrated by the public during the Applicant Host City process has been staggering.
"It is also clear, that the whole of English football has been united behind the bid to help develop our technical submission, with support coming from the Premier League and Football League clubs through to the grassroots game. This makes everyone involved even more determined to produce the best bid possible and we are thrilled to have these Candidate Host Cities on board."
A final decision on the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be made by FIFA in December 2010.
Should England be successful, FIFA will make the final decision over Host Cities and Stadiums by 2013.
The following cities will be submitted as Candidate Host Cities in England 2018's final submission to FIFA on 14th, May 2010. Cities are listed in alphabetical order.
CANDIDATE HOST CITIES BY NUMBERS
12 - Candidate Host Cities
17- Stadiums to be named in the Bid book
£3m - Contribution towards the World Cup Bid marketing budget by the new Candidate Host Cities
£300m - worth of financial commitment guaranteed by Candidate Host Cities
£100m - worth of financial commitment by Candidate Host Cities to legacy and regeneration projects
85% - of key documents already signed ahead of the final technical submission to FIFA in May 2010
£3.2bn - Estimated financial benefit of a World Cup in England (according to a study commissioned by England 2018/2022 by PwC)
CANDIDATE HOST CITIES STADIA
Birmingham Stadium:
Aston Villa FC, Villa Park
Proposed Capacity - 47,300
Bristol Stadium:
Bristol City FC, New Ashton Vale (new build)
Proposed Capacity - 44,000
Leeds Stadium:
Leeds United FC, Elland Road Stadium
Proposed Capacity - 51,240
Liverpool Stadium:
Liverpool FC, Anfield Stadium (current or new build)
Proposed Capacity - 44,000 (current) 72,334 (new build)
London Stadiums:
Wembley Stadium
Proposed Capacity - 84,700
Arsenal FC, Emirates Stadium
Proposed Capacity - 60,000
Tottenham Hotspur FC, New White Hart Lane (new build) or Olympic Stadium
Proposed Capacity - 58,000 or 66,995 respectively
Manchester Stadiums:
Manchester United FC, Old Trafford
Proposed Capacity - 75,979
Manchester City FC, City of Manchester Stadium
Proposed Capacity - 47,717
Milton Keynes Stadium:
Milton Keynes Dons FC, StadiumMK
Proposed Capacity - 44,000
Newcastle Gateshead Stadium:
Newcastle United FC, St James' Park
Proposed Capacity - 52,409
Nottingham Stadium:
New Stadium, Nottingham Forest FC
Proposed Capacity - 45,300
Plymouth Stadium:
Plymouth Argyle FC, Home Park
Proposed Capacity - 43,874
Sheffield Stadium:
Sheffield Wednesday FC, Hillsborough
Proposed Capacity - 43,946
Sunderland Stadium:
Sunderland AFC, Stadium of Light
Proposed Capacity - 48,707