North East grass roots football to be transformed if the FIFA World Cup comes to England in 2018/2022
Grass roots football in the North East will be transformed if England wins the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. That’s the strong message being highlighted today by Candidate Host City Sunderland.
The development of grass roots football across the region was a major part of the Sunderland Host City bid to The Football Association last year and has the potential to provide one of the most powerful and long lasting legacies of the tournament. And in the event of a successful bid by The FA, the impact of that will be felt long before the FIFA World Cup itself and last for many years afterwards. A comprehensive and sustained programme of football development will kick off in the region as soon as England is confirmed as the Host Nation and will continue long after the final whistle of the FIFA World Cup Final in 2018 or 2022.
At the heart of Sunderland’s football development plans is the launch of the Lighting up Lives football tournament. This major event will be held in the same year as each FIFA World Cup, starting in 2014. The tournament will take a five-a side format and will see over 10,000 players representing around 1,500 teams playing 128 games in 20 different venues around the North East. The opening matches of the tournament will be held at historic West Auckland FC, the club that famously won the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy (the predecessor of the FIFA World Cup) twice, in 1909 and 1911. Finals day will be hosted at the Stadium of Light and will see winners crowned in many categories – junior, youth, senior, boys, girls, men’s, women’s and disabled.
Stuart Alderson, general manager of West Auckland FC, said: “We are delighted that Sunderland is now an official Candidate Host City and should England’s final bid to FIFA be successful, it will be a great honour for West Auckland FC to kick off the first Lighting up Lives football tournament.
“If the World Cup does come to the North East, the impact on grass roots football would be massive. The Lighting up Lives football tournaments will be fantastic opportunities for everyone in our community to get involved and feel part of the World Cup itself. Sunderland’s plans could make a really big difference to grass roots football for generations to come, so to help make that happen, everyone in the area needs to show their support for the England bid in whatever way they can.”
Chris Alexander, Host City Bid Director at Sunderland City Council said:
“The Lighting up Lives tournaments are the most public elements of the Sunderland’s 2018/2022 football development activities, but they will be just one part of a huge programme designed to transform grass roots football all over the region.
“As with every other aspect of Sunderland’s Candidate Host City bid, effective partnerships will be fundamental to the successful delivery of the proposals. In particular, SAFC Foundation and Durham County Football Association will play vital roles and have already undertaken much of the preparation work so that initiatives can start to roll out the minute that England is hopefully confirmed as the Host Nation for the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022.”
Lesley Spuhler, chief executive of the Sunderland AFC Foundation, comments:
“Sunderland’s bid to be a Candidate Host City in England’s FIFA World Cup proposal has always been about much more than the event itself. From the start of the process last year, we identified this as our best ever opportunity to harness the power of football to transform and enrich lives in all communities, throughout Sunderland and all over the North East.
“We have set ourselves some very bold targets, but with the strong partnership that exists between the SAFC Foundation and all other stakeholders, I am confident that we can achieve those, especially given the huge passion for football that exists in this part of the world. So, I urge people to continue to back the England bid and help us turn these ambitions into reality.”
John Topping, company secretary of the Durham County Football Association, adds:
“Working with other bid partners, we identified some key areas of football development in the region that we would like to drive in the event that The FA is successful in bringing the FIFA World Cup to England. Durham County Football Association will focus on driving up participation, standards and coaching skills in the amateur game.
“Our plan is to develop Community Football Hubs, which will be central to the growth and development of grass roots football. Within those, we will introduce FA Charter Standard Community Clubs, run by local people and offering support and provision for players of all backgrounds. Added to that will be a programme of football focused apprenticeship schemes and a big focus on increasing the level of volunteers and qualified coaches in the region.
“The sum total of all of this work will have a huge, positive impact on the grass roots game in Sunderland and the North East. So, we’re hugely committed to doing what we can to drive ongoing support for the England bid and secure the FIFA World Cup for these shores.”
People can show their support for the England 2018/2022 by texting “England” to 62018 or by visiting www.england2018bid.com.