Steve Cram helps Pulman Volkswagen get into top gear to support the Sunderland 2018 World Cup Bid
Volkswagen retailer Pulman is revving up regional support for Sunderland’s bid to host matches at the 2018 World Cup. Visitors to its Sunderland and Durham sites have been signing special ‘back the bid’ books, and Olympic athlete Steve Cram has even dropped by to encourage people to get behind the campaign.
Steve, Sunderland 2018 bid champion, is a lifelong fan of Sunderland AFC and has just picked up his new Volkswagen Touareg from the Pulman site on Newcastle Road. While there, he and sales manager Neil Bianchi persuaded staff and customers to add their names to the thousands of signatures that have already been collected around the region and which will be presented to the England 2018 bid team with Sunderland’s final proposal.
Steve Cram comments:
The Football Association has made it clear that the level of public support each bidding city generates will be taken into account when the final list is chosen to form part of England’s proposal to host the World Cup. The Sunderland campaign is going really well and tens of thousands of people have backed the bid. However, we want even more names on our list, so that we can demonstrate just how passionate people are about bringing World Cup football to North East England. I urge fans to sign a book or log onto www.sunderland2018-2022.com and show their support for this great bid.
Simon Sumner, Brand Manager, of Pulman Volkswagen, adds:
The prospect of Sunderland hosting World Cup matches in 2018 is very exciting, for both the city and the wider region. It also represents a big opportunity for businesses from all sectors, as it would have a big, positive impact on the North East’s profile and reputation, bringing in thousands of visitors and making a huge contribution to the regional economy. We’re collecting signatures at both Pulman Volkswagen sites, in Durham and Sunderland, and I’m grateful to Steve for helping us to promote the bid here.
The Sunderland 2018 bid will be submitted to the FA on 9 November, with a decision on the final list of prospective host cities to be included in the England proposal due just over a month later. Members of the public can also back the bid online at www.sunderland2018-2022.com or by SMS message, by texting “Sunderland2018″ followed by their name, house number and postcode, all to 62299. Texts are charged at the standard network rate.