Over the weekend, Sunderland AFC joined forces with every other Barclays Premier League club to show support for England’s bid to host the FIFA World CupTM. If England is successful in winning the honour of hosting the tournament in 2018, the Stadium of Light will stage matches and Sunday’s 48,000 crowd provided a taste of the atmosphere that will be generated during a World Cup.

Every Barclays Premier League club helped to promote England’s ...]]>

Premier League Clubs back the bid

Over the weekend, Sunderland AFC joined forces with every other Barclays Premier League club to show support for England’s bid to host the FIFA World CupTM. If England is successful in winning the honour of hosting the tournament in 2018, the Stadium of Light will stage matches and Sunday’s 48,000 crowd provided a taste of the atmosphere that will be generated during a World Cup.

Every Barclays Premier League club helped to promote England’s bid with a series of activities at their last home game of the league season. At each match, players wore branded t-shirts during the warm-up, while stadium messages were broadcast throughout the fixtures with information on how supporters can get behind the campaign. Match day programmes also incorporated a personal message from England boss Fabio Capello.

Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn said: “We have entered a crucial phase of the campaign to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to England in 2018. The final bid will be delivered to FIFA later this month and it’s really important that we continue to demonstrate how much England wants to bring this great event to the country. The huge passion of the Sunderland fans is well known in England and by focusing on it in a World Cup context at the weekend , we hope that such great enthusiasm echoed around the globe and resonated with the decision makers at FIFA.”

The co-ordinated activity of the clubs is being conveyed via the world’s biggest continuous annual global sporting event – the Barclays Premier League. Across nine months of the year, 380 matches are beamed out to over 500 million homes in 211 territories. Last season, an estimated cumulative global audience 2.65 billion watched the 100,000 hours of coverage that was broadcast, so the impact of the clubs’ involvement is potentially enormous.

England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson added: “The Barclays Premier League and its member clubs have been tremendously supportive throughout the season and their collective strength will provide a significant boost to our campaign during the last two weeks. With the coverage of all Barclays Premier League matches transmitted across the world there will be significant visibility for England’s bid and we’re extremely grateful to the Premier League and Sunderland AFC for their support.”

People can show their support for the England 2018/2022 by texting “England” to 62018 or by visiting www.england2018bid.com.

Olympic skating champions, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have given their backing for England’s campaign to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The gold medal-winning ice icons have taken time out for their ‘Dancing on Ice’ live tour, which recently visited the North East, to champion England’s bid, which is due to be presented to FIFA next week, and encourage others to show their support.

In the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Torvill and Dean caused ...]]>

Torvill & Dean backs the bid

Olympic skating champions, Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have given their backing for England’s campaign to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The gold medal-winning ice icons have taken time out for their ‘Dancing on Ice’ live tour, which recently visited the North East, to champion England’s bid, which is due to be presented to FIFA next week, and encourage others to show their support.

In the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Torvill and Dean caused a sensation with their ground-breaking performance to the haunting Ravel’s Bolero and were awarded an unprecedented nine perfect sixes to claim the gold medal. They are now hoping that England’s World Cup campaign also goes down a storm with the judges.

Christopher Dean said: “If England is awarded the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup™ I’m certain that visiting fans will enjoy a wonderful tournament in our country. There’s a huge passion for sport here, which Jane and I have been fortunate enough to experience first-hand and I’m sure England would be a great host country for what is the world’s biggest sporting event.”

Jayne added: “Football fans from around the world would be guaranteed a genuinely warm and friendly welcome here in England and I’m sure the whole country would embrace the ethos of World Cup football with enthusiasm and excitement.”

People can show their support for the England 2018/2022 by texting “England” to 62018 or by visiting www.england2018bid.com.

As England 2018 ambassador, Gary unveiled the British Airways aircraft that will fly the England 2018 bid book to Zurich, home of FIFA. The Airbus A319 aircraft will sport a giant black and white football on its nose. The bid book represents England’s formal proposal to ...]]>

British Airways is proud to announce it is the official airline of the England 2018 World Cup Bid and partnering with football hero Gary Lineker OBE to rally the nation to back the bid.

As England 2018 ambassador, Gary unveiled the British Airways aircraft that will fly the England 2018 bid book to Zurich, home of FIFA. The Airbus A319 aircraft will sport a giant black and white football on its nose. The bid book represents England’s formal proposal to FIFA and sets out the country’s vision for hosting the World Cup.

He said: “I’m delighted to kick off British Airways’ campaign to back the bid. To host the World Cup in 2018 would be a privilege and a great boost for English football. We have a 100 per cent record in home World Cups, and it would be wonderful to keep up that performance.”

Looking ahead to England’s hopes for the World Cup in 2018, Gary added: “The future is looking very bright for English football. The current under-21 squad boasts seven first team regulars from the Premier League already. That crop of players will be looking to step up over the next four years to cement their places come 2018.

“Jack Wilshere is one of these – he has impressed for Arsenal in the Premier League and is a gifted footballer already touted as a future star. Likewise, Birmingham City goalkeeper Joe Hart who will be 30 years old in 2018 will be in his prime as a goalkeeper and likely to be the England number one choice.

“Only time will tell who will cut it at the top level, but if they keep performing as they are now, Chelsea’s Daniel Strurridge and Aston Villa’s Nathan Delfouneso are two of our most promising talents up front. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see some of our current players in the squad – Wayne Rooney, James Milner and Theo Walcott should still be strong contenders.”

British Airways launches its campaign by flying the England 2018 team to Zurich on May 13, to officially hand over the bid book to President Sepp Blatter at FIFA House on May 14th. Throughout the campaign the airline will fly the England 2018 team around the globe to meet with key figures in world football as they seek to earn the right to stage the tournament in England. The campaign will reach its climax in December when British Airways flies the England 2018 team into Zurich for the final presentation to FIFA.

Willie Walsh, British Airways CEO, said “It’s our goal to support the bid campaign to bring the World Cup to England in 2018. We have a world-class airport in Heathrow Terminal 5, and the infrastructure for transport, accommodation, security and stadiums to stage a global event in this country. We look forward to playing our part in backing the bid.”

There will also be an opportunity for British Airways customers to back the bid by providing their messages of support in Terminal 5 in the coming weeks. These will be reproduced on the livery of the plane taking the England 2018 bid to FIFA’s headquarters in December.

Andy Anson, England 2018 bid Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to have British Airways on board. They were integral to the London 2012 Games bid and will provide us with valuable support for the remainder of the campaign.

“We are committed to travelling around the world and meeting with influential figures in the game to discuss the ways in which England could stage a tournament that would be good for global football. British Airways’ extensive worldwide network will help us do that and we look forward to working with them.”

The airline also announced a competition for two football fans to win an exclusive place on board the special flight with the England 2018 team on May 13, at; http://www.england2018bid.com/support/register

For more information on British Airways, please visit ba.com

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 ...]]>

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.

The Lipton Trophy was first won by a group of miners from West Auckland, County Durham in 1909, they then retained the cup in 1911 when they hammered Italian giants Juventus 6-1.

Speaking about welcoming the historic trophy to the Stadium of Light, chairman Niall Quinn ...]]>

The Stadium of Light was shining before Sunderland AFC even kicked a ball as the first ever World Cup Trophy on show to supporters as part of England’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The Lipton Trophy was first won by a group of miners from West Auckland, County Durham in 1909, they then retained the cup in 1911 when they hammered Italian giants Juventus 6-1.

Speaking about welcoming the historic trophy to the Stadium of Light, chairman Niall Quinn said: “It’s fantastic to have the first ever World Cup here and it comes with a wonderful story about North East football. We are now looking to create a new chapter in football history for our region as we focus on doing everything we can to win the honour of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event in 2018.”

The Stadium of Light which is earmarked to host games as part of England’s 2018 World Cup bid was also built on a former mine. The Wearmouth Colliery was the world’s deepest mine and the stadium takes its name from the Davy Lamps that workmen carried with them daily whilst working downs the pits.

Supporters can Back the Bid to bring the World Cup to our country in 2018 by texting ‘ENGLAND’ to 62018, logging onto the official website www.england2018bid.com, joining the official Facebook site www.facebook.com/england2018 or by following the bid on Twitter www.twitter.com/england2018bid.

The Diski Dance is the official dance for this summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa and was performed ahead of the Black Cats clash with Spurs, in front of over 43,000 people.

The Diski Dance is choreographed by putting together five simple football moves into the fast beat of traditional South African music ...]]>

Sunderland continued to show support for England’s 2018 World Cup bid, with a pitchside performance of the South African Diski Dance at The Stadium of Light.

The Diski Dance is the official dance for this summer’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa and was performed ahead of the Black Cats clash with Spurs, in front of over 43,000 people.

The Diski Dance is choreographed by putting together five simple football moves into the fast beat of traditional South African music with some added rhythm and flair. It was performed at the Stadium of Light by dozens of schoolchildren from across Wearside. The dance was choreographed by Wendy Ramokgadi, from South Africa and performed by The Swallows Partnership/ Sihlanganiswa Ziinkonjane.

The Swallows partnership brings a new lease of light of Arts and Culture to the North-East of England via the Eastern Cape of South Africa, giving young people the opportunity to learn about different cultures across the world. Young dancers from the South African dance groups also took part in the Diski Dance, travelling thousands of miles to show their support for England 2018 whilst at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland AFC striker Kenwyne Jones, an ambassador for England’s 2018 bid said: “I loved watching the performance and I think the dance is brilliant. I might have to learn the moves so I have a new goal celebration!”

Sunderland was the first of England’s 2018 Candidate Host Cities to show their support with the Diski Dance performance, following on from recent activity which seen the team warm up in t-shirts encouraging more supporters to get behind England’s bid.

Supporters can Back the Bid by texting ‘ENGLAND’ to 62018, logging onto the official website www.england2018bid.com, joining the official Facebook site www.facebook.com/england2018 or by following the bid on Twitter www.twitter.com/england2018bid.

England striker, Peter Crouch, joined 1966 World Cup winner, Geoff Hurst and official sponsors BT at Wembley Stadium yesterday to boost the bid to bring the FIFA World CupTM to England in 2018 by inviting people to put their faces on the official supporters’ flag to mark their support*.

The football stars launched the national rally to back the bid by signing their ...]]>

BT and England 2018 launch the official supporters’ photo flag at bt.com/2018

England striker, Peter Crouch, joined 1966 World Cup winner, Geoff Hurst and official sponsors BT at Wembley Stadium yesterday to boost the bid to bring the FIFA World CupTM to England in 2018 by inviting people to put their faces on the official supporters’ flag to mark their support*.

The football stars launched the national rally to back the bid by signing their names in light on a 67ft (20m) high flag projected by laser onto Wembley Stadium.

Peter Crouch said: “This is everyone’s chance to help bring the World Cup to England. We want people to show their passion for football, get behind the England 2018 bid and be remembered for it. Show your mates you’ve backed the bid and get them all to do the same.”

People can show their support by going to bt.com/2018 to add their name or profile photo from Facebook to the digital flag or text “BT Vision and your name” to 62018.

The photos and names will create a mosaic of hundreds and thousands of images on the virtual flag bearing the 2018 bid logo, The FA’s three lions badge and the slogan “England united. The world invited”.

Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT Retail, said: “We want the flag to become a symbol that shows the passion there is not just in England, but across the whole of the UK, amongst fans to bring football’s greatest competition back to England in 2018. Creating the flag filled with photos of people who want to be with us will help to show FIFA that we have the nationwide support to put on a superb tournament.”

England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson, said: “The BT photo flag is an exciting way for fans to get behind England’s World Cup Bid and show their support. Demonstrating the passion of football fans in this country is fundamental to our bid and BT’s campaign provides a fantastic way to capture this.”

The BT England 2018 “Back the Bid” campaign will be touring football games to give fans the chance to show their support including around the FA Cup semi-finals on Olympic Way.**

Supporters will get the chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to be flag bearers at Wembley at key FA matches by automatically being entered into a free prize draw.

Supporters can back the bid on Facebook at www.facebook.com/btbackthebid

or follow the bid on twitter at @BTbackthebid.

The session provided an insight into the opportunities that England’s bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup could bring to the region if successful.

The speakers included Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn, Sunderland City Council Leader, Cllr Paul Watson, England 2018/2022 technical director Ian Riley, England 2018/2022 ...]]>

Over 100 key players from the North East’s leading businesses and sporting institutions attended the first Lighting up Lives breakfast event at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

The session provided an insight into the opportunities that England’s bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup could bring to the region if successful.

The speakers included Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn, Sunderland City Council Leader, Cllr Paul Watson, England 2018/2022 technical director Ian Riley, England 2018/2022 sponsorship manager Luke Peacock, and Paul Taylor of Business Link procurement service Compete North East.

Niall Quinn, chairman of Sunderland AFC said:

“This event was a great success and illustrated the fantastic support there is in the North East for England’s 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bid. There is a clear commitment on the part of the region’s businesses to do what it takes to ensure England is successful and to make the most of the potential opportunities World Cup football would offer.

“Everyone needs to stay involved and continue to find ways to back the bid. At Sunderland, we know that being named as a Candidate Host City is just one important step toward bringing the World Cup to these shores. Our priority, along with partners across the North East, is to do all that we can to support the England 2018 bid team as they work to secure the honour of hosting the tournament.

“However, looking further into the future, we already have a clear ambition for Sunderland and North East England. Should England be successful, our vision is for international fans to go back to their countries after the World Cup saying that their best experiences of the tournament were here in our region. That, I believe, is a realistic long term goal, but first we need to focus all of our efforts on backing the England 2018 campaign. This event is just one example of how we are doing that.”

Cllr Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said:

“I was delighted to see so many people from around the region at our Lighting up Lives event. The occasion clearly demonstrated how much support the bid has from within the business community and how much appetite there is to get involved in the ongoing campaign to bring the FIFA World Cup to England.

“We were grateful for the contributions of all of the speakers, providing both regional and national perspectives. It was fantastic to have the support of One North East, Compete North East and in particular the England 2018/2022 bid team, and we look forward to working closely with all of these organisations throughout 2010, and if all goes well, right up until 2018 and beyond.”

People can show their support for the England 2018/2022 by texting “England” to 62018 or by visiting www.england2018bid.com.

The stars visited the Morrisons store in Seaburn to encourage shoppers to sign up and give their backing for the bid to bring the 2018 tournament to England.

Morrisons, an official partner of England’s 2018 World Cup Bid, launched their national campaign to collect over two million signatures within their stores across England, ...]]>

Sunderland AFC stars Lorik Cana and Paulo Da Silva offered a helping hand at Morrisons in Sunderland as the store kicked-off its support for England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

The stars visited the Morrisons store in Seaburn to encourage shoppers to sign up and give their backing for the bid to bring the 2018 tournament to England.

Morrisons, an official partner of England’s 2018 World Cup Bid, launched their national campaign to collect over two million signatures within their stores across England, demonstrating the enthusiasm for football and the World Cup within the country; something which was also paramount in Sunderland’s bid to gain host city status.

Lorik Cana and Paulo Da Silva, who have over 100 caps for their countries between them, know how exciting playing football on the world stage can be and the international stars are giving their full support to England’s 2018 bid.

Lorik Cana, who captains the Albanian national side said: “I have played football in many different countries but since coming to Sunderland in the summer I have been overwhelmed. The supporters within the region have helped me settle in and their passion for football is fantastic. England has everything from great supporters through to world class stadiums.”

Paulo Da Silva, captain of Paraguay also added: “I’m very happy in England. This country is the best in the world for football and would make a fantastic venue for the 2018 World Cup.”

Mark Gunter, Group Retail Director at Morrisons, said: “We’re sure that our customers will be delighted if the World Cup came to England in 2018. Within our store in Sunderland we are determined to demonstrate popular support for England’s bid.”

Morrisons has a strong presence in all 12 candidate host cities, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield and of course Sunderland.