England 2018 at Soccerex

Global benefits of a World Cup in England discussed at football business event

England 2018 Technical Director, Ian Riley has today been speaking to delegates at the Soccerex event in Manchester about the global benefits of a World Cup in England.
 
Riley was joined on stage by Manchester City Council Chief Executive, Sir Howard Bernstein, and Executive Director of the North West Regional Development Agency who spoke about the benefits to Manchester and the region respectively. Manchester is one of 12 Candidate Host Cities who will be presented in England’s submission to FIFA in May.
 
In front of a capacity audience at the Manchester Central venue, Riley said that England’s bid provides low risk and significant commercial opportunities.
 
Riley said: "Within our bid we will present a taste of current stadiums and new build. The low cost of completion and compliance this will produce would provide the lowest risk to FIFA and consequently, the potential for the highest possible upside. 
 
"30 million fans got to English football matches every season and there are 3 billion people who watch English football globally every year and we have the biggest football broadcast markets worth around $4 billion. So commercially, we provide a strong market place with low risk and potentially the highest upside for FIFA as a consequence." 
 
"The English passion for the game is undeniable and last weekend showed exactly that. In London alone, there was a crowd of over 40,000 at Chelsea, a full house at Tottenham and another sell-out for the Carling Cup Final at Wembley.

"Add to that a capacity crowd at Twickenham for the Rugby Union fixture between England and Ireland and you can see that the English passion for football - and sport in general - is undeniable. Add that to the commercial elements and we think England’s Bid is powerful offering that will impact on a global scale."