Bristol in football World Cup bid

By [rperkins]

Bristol has emerged as a genuine candidate to host World Cup football matches in 2018.

The Bristol Post understands part of the team behind England's bid visited Bristol on Monday and met with officials from the Championship club and Bristol City Council at the Council House to discuss the possibility of the city staging matches.

If successful, Bristol could stage four or five group games and a quarter-final tie.

But first England has to overcome the other nine countries currently bidding for the right to stage the 21st World Cup and the Football Association has until May next year to submit a list of potential venues to Fifa, football's governing body.

Bristol City's proposed new stadium at Ashton Vale could be among a cast of 12 selected to stage matches if the world's biggest sporting event returns to this country for the first time in 52 years.

Three senior members of the bid team examined plans for a proposed new stadium on a 42-acre site behind the David Lloyd sports centre and advised councillors on the timescale for preparing a bid.

The bid team members who visited Bristol City included Lord Brian Mawhinney, deputy chairman of the 2018 World Cup bid committee, Simon Johnson, chief operations officer and John Riley, technical bid director.

The bidding process starts next month and concludes in November this year.

Bristol City councillors will be responsible for funding and submitting a detailed bid meeting Fifa's requirements for stadia, road, rail and air transport links, accommodation and medical facilities.

Football club directors are expected to submit a detailed planning application for a new stadium within the next three months. When contacted today, City officials said they were unable to comment on Monday's meeting with the FA's 2018 bid team.

Providing the Ashton Vale stadium project is given the go-ahead, Bristol's bid will be viewed favourably owing to the city's geographical location.

Football Association chiefs want an even geographical spread of host cities and Bristol's position at the gateway to the South West stands it in good stead in this respect.

Andy Anson, the bid's chief executive, said: "Fifa want to see a broad range of cities represented. 2018 has to leave a legacy in terms of grass roots participation and facilities which can be used by the community."

A technical paper to be submitted to Fifa by May 2010 must include 10 selected stadiums with minimum capacities of 40,000, and a further two that can hold 80,000, to stage the opening game and the final.

Bristol City's proposed new stadium at Ashton Vale will accommodate 30,000 fans but will be expanded to house 40,000 if the FA's bid comes to fruition.

The site could also benefit from developments announced last month which will see the possibility of a South Bristol link road between the A38 and the A370, a new rapid transit system to take passengers from the city centre to the site as well as the existing nearby park and ride.

The Bristol Post understands the FA has already identified five stadiums which will definitely host games. Chief among these is Wembley, the proposed venue for the final.

Old Trafford (Manchester United), Villa Park (Aston Villa), the City of Manchester Stadium (Man City) and the Emirates (Arsenal) will also stage World Cup games, while Twickenham will be considered as a possible third London venue.

Other venues under consideration are St James' Park (Newcastle), the Stadium of Light (Sunderland), Elland Road (Leeds) and the planned new grounds for Liverpool (Stanley Park) and Everton (Kirkby Stadium).

Bristol is thought to be a frontrunner to stage games in the South West now that plans to build the new Horse Island Stadium in Portsmouth have been shelved because of lack of funding.

Next Monday is the deadline for countries to submit completed bid registration forms, while full details of each individual bid must be lodged with Fifa by May 2010.

The governing body will announce the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals tournaments in December 2010.

Richard Caborn is leading England's bid after standing down as sports minister and Lord Sebastian Coe, who delivered the 2012 Olympic Games for London, has been appointed a non-executive board member.

Regarded as favourites, the English bid faces competition from Russia, Holland, Spain, Mexico, the United States, Australia, South Korea, Qatar and Indonesia.

Franz Beckenbauer, who led Germany's successful bid for the 2006 World Cup and is a member of Fifa's executive committee, has twice backed the English bid, while Fifa president Sepp Blatter welcomed a bid from what he called "the homeland of football."

Landing the World Cup would represent the pinnacle in what is fast becoming a golden age for British sport. London is to stage the 2012 summer Olympics, Glasgow hosts the 2014 Commonwealth Games, England is to stage the 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2015 Rugby World Cup could also be coming to this country.