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World Cup hopes for region

Newcastle and Sunderland are both set to play a role in England’s bid to host a future World Cup.

St James’ Park and the Stadium of Light would host matches if the bid were successful, boosting the North East economy by millions.

Football Association chairman Lord Triesman will emphasise England’s stadia and cultural mix when the bid to host the World Cup is officially launched tomorrow.

Lord Triesman said: “We in England would be truly honoured to host the World Cup and welcome the world. We have first-class grounds. We’ve got good transport links, domestically and internationally. We’ve got excellent accommodation.

“A World Cup in England would be a truly memorable event - not only for our nation but for every nation. We’d extend a wonderful welcome to players and fans from across the world.

The 15 cities who hope to host matches are: Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle,Nottingham, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Sunderland.

FIFA’s 24-man executive committee will vote on the hosts for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December next year. Spain and Russia are England’s main rivals in Europe, while the USA and Australia are also bidding.

Newcastle boss Alan Shearer also gave his backing to the bid, unsurprisingly focusing on his home city: “Bringing the World Cup to St James’s Park would be fantastic for the region.

“Imagine the number of people who would come into the region at that time and what it would generate for us as a city in terms of jobs created and everything else.

“Fingers crossed we can get it. It would be a huge boost for the city, it would give everyone a lift. Newcastle is a magnificent city. It’s a place I love, it’s where I was brought up.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .