Sunderland 2018 Host City Bid

Sunderland Football Club chairman Niall Quinn and Sunderland City Council leader Councillor Paul Watson today urged the North East to get behind Sunderland’s bid to become a host city for the 2018 World Cup. The pair were speaking at the Stadium of Light, at the public launch of Sunderland’s bid to be a candidate host city as part of England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

A successful bid would mean qualifying matches during the World Cup finals would be played at the Stadium of Light. However, Sunderland is keen to embrace the whole of North East England in its proposal, ensuring that as many places and people as possible across the region benefit from playing a part in the biggest sporting event in the world.

Sunderland AFC and Sunderland City Council have teamed up to lead the bid for Sunderland to become a host city, and the two organisations are working closely with partners across South Tyneside, County Durham, Tyneside, Teesside and Northumberland to make it a truly regional proposal and the people of the North East are being given the chance to show their support for the bid.

Sunderland AFC chairman, Niall Quinn, issued a rallying call to local people to give the bid their full support: I’ve experienced first-hand the huge excitement a World Cup generates and it would be absolutely fantastic to see the Stadium of Light and the North East play a big part in such an international sporting phenomenon.

In the Stadium of Light and the Academy of Light in particular, we have some of the best sporting stadia and training facilities in England, if not the world and I know that we’ve got what it takes to be a host city. But that’s just part of the story – we also have fantastic facilities across County Durham, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Tees Valley and Tyneside and we want to create a bid that brings them altogether to showcase this region to a world-wide audience.

The warmth and enthusiasm of the people are such assets for us and I ask everyone, young and old, to put their heart and soul into supporting our bid.

I know that football fans from around the world will fall in love with this city and the whole of our region. So let’s put football rivalries aside and pull together and show everyone what Sunderland and North East England are all about.

By logging on to www.sunderland2018-2022.com, and selecting ‘Sunderland’ as preferred host city, members of the public can show The FA that they want Sunderland to host matches in the World Cup in 2018. A ‘Back the Bid’ book will also be available to be signed in key locations around Sunderland, including the City Library, Civic Centre and the Stadium of Light.

Councillor Paul Watson said:

We are thrilled to be working in partnership with Sunderland AFC and other organisations from across the region, to officially launch this bid.

Sunderland has so much to offer as a host city in England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup, and the international recognition that such an honour brings, would provide huge long-term benefits not just to our city but across the North East.

We have some of the best facilities in the country, and our people are renowned for their hospitality and of course their passion for sport, and football in particular.

With the Stadium of Light very recently playing host to over 150,000 people for the Take That and Oasis concerts, and the resounding success of these high-profile shows, we have proven that the city has the desire, the drive and the infrastructure needed for large scale events.

We are perfectly placed in the North East to be a host city, so we really need the people of Sunderland and the wider region to get behind the bid and show The FA just how much we really want to bring the World Cup here.

Promotional activities will be taking place across the city in the coming months to support the bid, kicking off with school pupils in Sunderland submitting letters and pictures to show The FA what hosting World Cup matches would mean to them.

Pupils from Dame Dorothy Primary School in Sunderland helped launch the official bid today, before enjoying a tour of the Stadium of Light.

Councillor Watson added:

As the world’s largest sporting event, the economic benefits and international profile that a successful bid would bring to Sunderland and the wider region, both during the competition and in the years leading up to the event, would be immense.

While all the partners involved can put the official bid together behind the scenes, what is key is for the people of the North East is to embrace the opportunity ahead of them, and show their support by backing the bid.

Sunderland’s Roker Park famously played host to four games when England were crowned World Champions in 1966 – the last time the country hosted the tournament – from the group including Italy, USSR and Chile, along with the quarter final between Hungary and the USSR.

While strong public support alone won’t secure Sunderland’s host city status, it will be taken into consideration by The FA. In addition, successful host cities need to be able to satisfy an extensive range of requirements set by FIFA and the FA, including:

• A stadium which can hold a minimum of 40,000 people
• Hotel accommodation for teams, officials and fans in the region
• Fan parks for supporters
• Good travel links with the rest of the country
• Training facilities and potential base camps for national teams

An outline bid for Host City status must be submitted by July 8 and FA officials will visit the city on July 14. The final bid must be submitted to The FA by November 6, 2009. In total fifteen cities are competing to be host cities for England’s World Cup 2018 bid.