North-East cities are two of 15 candidate cities competing (From The Northern Echo)

North-East cities are two of 15 candidate cities competing

8:52am Thursday 26th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

OFFICIALS from the bidding teams of Newcastle-Gateshead and Sunderland will travel to Wembley Stadium this morning to submit their formal bid presentation documents for the 2018 World Cup.

The North-East cities are two of 15 candidate cities competing to be included in England’s 2018 bid to Fifa.

The final list of host cities will be announced by the England 2018 bid team on Wednesday, December 16, with Fifa due to decide which country will host the 2018 World Cup in December next year.

Representatives of NewcastleGateshead and Sunderland have confirmed their plans for World Cup host city status, with both bid teams promising a number of fanfriendly initiatives if their respective cities make the final cut.

Sunderland will host two Fan Fest sites if the Stadium of Light is chosen to host matches, with Herrington Country Park and Fulwell Quarry both earmarked for large-scale supporters’ venues.

Newcastle’s Town Moor and Gateshead’s Saltwell Park will be Fan Fest venues if St James’ Park is chosen as a host venue, with Newcastle Racecourse also hosting a fans’ village that will double as a huge campsite.

Today’s submission date marks the end of a lengthy process that has seen both NewcastleGateshead and Sunderland attempt to garner support for their respective bids.

More than 50,000 people have supported the Sunderland bid, and today’s delegation, which will include Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn, Sunderland City Council chief executive Dave Smith and England 2018 ambassador Kenwyne Jones, will present a document that embraces the whole of the North- East.

Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool United, and Carlisle United football clubs and Durham County Cricket Club all play a part in Sunderland’s bid, with a proposal for training camps to be based across the region if their campaign is successful.

“I would like to thank the businesses and sporting institutions that are integral to our proposal and vision of bringing World Cup football to the whole of the region,”

said Quinn.

“The final Sunderland 2018 host city bid presentation at Wembley represents the culmination of months of hard work and the support of tens of thousands of people from across the North-East, who would love to see World Cup football at the Stadium of Light.”

NewcastleGateshead’s bid uses the tagline “At the heart of the city” to underline St James’ Park’s geographical and cultural position at the centre of Newcastle.

It also outlines a programme of initiatives and communityled programmes that will ensure a regional legacy for generations to come.

NewcastleGateshead’s bid team proposes to invest £5m into community football to enable the development of 150 teams, 4,500 coaches and 30,000 players.

“The community side of things is something we’re very keen to promote,” said Andrew Dixon, the chief executive of the Newcastle- Gateshead bid team.

“If we’re successful, our bid won’t just create a series of wonderful opportunities in the years leading up to 2018, it will also ensure a legacy for the years that follow.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)