Sunderland 2018 Host City Bid

Middlesbrough Football Club has thrown it’s weight behind Sunderland’s campaign for Host City status as part of England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

The Sunderland bid aims to fuse the passion and enthusiasm of the people of the North East with the wealth of first-class facilities throughout the region, to create the perfect environment for World Cup football.

And Middlesbrough Chairman Steve Gibson has given his personal backing to the Sunderland bid:

The World Cup is the pinnacle event in football and to have the tournament in England for the first time since our famous victory in 1966 would be tremendous.

Any football club would be proud to take part in such a global event, which is why Middlesbrough is delighted to be part of the Sunderland Host City bid.

I’ve been very impressed by how Sunderland have worked hard to ensure that their bid will encompass the North East as a whole and therefore maximise the huge benefits of hosting the tournament across as much of the region as possible.

The Sunderland bid will use Middlesbrough’s training and hotel facilities in Hurworth as a potential training base for World Cup teams.

Steve continued:

Our new five-star hotel – Rockliffe Hall – is set to open in a few weeks, which naturally we’re immensely proud of, and the Rockliffe Park training complex has been established as a top-class facility for some time now. Together, they will provide an ideal venue for visiting international teams to be based, with everything right on the doorstep, from fantastic leisure facilities to great training pitches and a world-class golf course.

The people of Middlesbrough embraced the World Cup in 1966, when Ayresome Park proudly hosted group games and I know that with the passion for football that we have in the North East 2018 would be a huge success.

I’d urge everyone to get behind the Sunderland bid as it really is a bid for the whole region and I and Middlesbrough Football Club are delighted to give our backing to the campaign.

Sunderland Chairman Niall Quinn added:

We’re thrilled to have Steve and Middlesbrough on board with the bid. It’s great to see the region coming together as one in support of 2018.

To register support for the bid log on to www.sunderland2018-2022.com or text Sunderland2018, along with your name, house number and postcode to 62299. All messages of support will be included by Sunderland in the final bid document presented to the FA.