61 replies to this topic

[arwebb]

The Kardiac Kid, on Jul 5 2006, 12:43 AM, said:

I was only 14 back then, but if I remember correctly, Euro '96 went by without trouble. Granted, there were half empty grounds for most group games though.

It did, but half empty grounds? Are you sure?

Anyway, I've just seen an interesting piece in today's Scotsman on Sunday about Tory MPs calling for Scotland to join England and create a "British bid".

Scotland urged to join English 2018 World Cup bid

I think there are three things to say about this. First, if an England-Scotland joint bid is supposed to be a British bid, what about Wales and Northern Ireland? Do they not exist?

Second, if we want a fully UK bid, let's do one and not faff around. Third, England will have enough stadia on their own to host 2018 and will have a better chance that way. This idea is a non-starter.

I would prefer to see Scotland looking towards a European Championship.

[RobH]

me too.

[arwebb]

Another thing I would say is that the chances of a full UK bid succeeding are probably very slim.

[arwebb]

It appears that some concrete proposals for expansion of the Madejski Stadium in Reading may be made sooner rather than later, assuming they retain Premiership status.

'Reading chairman needs new backers'

Together with the new railway station, it all looks very positive. Another 3 or 4,000 seats and it can be a World Cup stadium.

[arwebb]

I've also discovered, Rob, that St Mary's Stadium in Southampton has been built in such a way that it can be expanded to a capacity of 52,000 if needed.

[arwebb]

As you may know from the 'Confirm Bids' topic, I have agreed to take over the England 2018 World Cup bid, as Rob has other commitments that are stopping him from seeing the bid through to the end.

Details of the revisions I will be making to the bid will be posted here in due course. But, before then, this is why I believe England is the best, even the only choice, for the World Cup of 2018.

England gave this great game of football to the world. England is the home of football. And yet, by the time 2018 comes round, it will have been more than half a century since these shores last hosted the World Cup, and over 20 years since England staged its last major football championship, Euro 96.

It is time, once again, for football to come home. Other nations may offer bigger, brighter stadia. Some may draw on the pull of taking football's greatest showcase to new lands. But England is unique. England can provide both the nostalgic and the futuristic, the modern and the traditional within the stunning backdrop that arguably the biggest sporting event staged on this planet deserves.

As an Englishman, I am intensely proud of our traditions in football and how the sport has grown over time. But, most of all, I am proud of football, a sport that is enjoyed by young and old, men, women and children all over the world, regardless of race, colour or creed.

In order to understand and appreciate what we have become, we must sometimes look back to where we came from. Let's bring the World Cup back to football's roots. Let's bring the beautiful game home.

[baron-pierreIV]

Am just skimming thru this thread. Not taking it seriously. But you'll mainly have to worry about Brazil. Their stadia may finally be ready for 2018; so they'll be England's main competition.

[arwebb]

If you want 2014 that badly, you'll just have to go without another one for 50 odd years.

[arwebb]

Tournament venues

A World Cup naturally requires the best possible venues. The stadia of England 2018 will combine the state of the art and the modern stadia with traditional grounds which have been substantially redeveloped over the past few years and will see further improvements in the years ahead.

England 2018 will provide 12 host stadia, each with a minimum capacity of 40,000 spectators. Six of the grounds will be able to host over 50,000 people with four of those having capacities of at least 60,000. Each of them will provide their own unique backdrop to the greatest tournament in football.

Wembley Stadium, London

Arguably the most iconic venue in world football, the new Wembley Stadium is expected to open in the spring of 2007, following a protracted building programme and opening a new chapter in the history of this legendary sporting arena.

The original stadium opened in 1923, when an estimated 200,000 people were kept under control by a single white horse at the ground's first FA Cup final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. The game later became known as 'The White Horse Final'.

From those memorable beginnings, Wembley became a theatre where countless legends were created. In 1948, the stadium hosted track and field athletics as London hosted the first Olympic Games since the end of the Second World War. In 1966, the late Bobby Moore led England to World Cup triumph on home soil. And in 1985, it was a Wembley crowd who helped to lead the message of help and support to the people of Ethiopia when the stadium staged one of the two Live Aid concerts. The last occasion staged at the old venue was in October 2000, when England hosted Germany in a World Cup qualifier.

The new, 90,000 capacity stadium, complete with its 133 metre tall arch, will host the Olympic football finals in 2012, when London hosts the Games for the first time since 1948. And, as in 1966, Wembley would stage both the opening game and the final of the 2018 World Cup.

Taking shape - the new Wembley

[arwebb]

Old Trafford, Manchester

Home to perhaps the world's most famous football club, Manchester United, Old Trafford has seen substantial redevelopment in recent years. Current work has seen the capacity of the stadium increase to 76,000 spectators, making it the biggest sporting arena in Britain, outside London.

Like the club who play there, the ground has a long and illustrious history. Manchester United first played at Old Trafford in February 1910. The ground hosted group matches in the 1966 World Cup and a semi-final of Euro 96. Since then, the stadium has also staged the Champions League final of 2003 between AC Milan and Juventus, as well as rugby league's Super League grand final every year since 1998 and the rugby league World Cup final in 2000.

Should England be chosen as hosts of World Cup 2018, Old Trafford would be a venue for five matches, including one of the semi-finals.

Old Trafford