Bristol a 2018 Host Contender
Bristol has emerged as a genuine contender to host World Cup matches, with Bristol City’s proposed new stadium officially being considered. The Bristol Evening Post has reported that representatives from the 2018 bid team visited Bristol last Monday, meeting with club officials and members of the City Council.
Artists’ impression of Bristol City’s new stadium
The representatives on hand included Lord Brian Mawhinney, deputy chairman of the 2018 World Cup bid committee, Simon Johnson, chief operations officer and John Riley, technical bid director. The group studied the plans for the new 30,000 capacity stadium, which will be increased to 40,000 if the FA bid is successful, in order to make the stadium eligible to stage World Cup ties.
If Bristol City’s bid is successful alongside a triumph for the 2018 or, presumably, the 2022 bid, then it could hold five group matches and a quarter final tie.
The bidding process for possible hosts cities begins next month, with any interested parties needing to get their official application in by November. After this, the FA must choose 10 stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000, and another two with room for 80,000 fans – one of which will be Wembley, of course.
The Evening Post coverage also suggested that the FA have already came to a decision, albeit predictable for the most part, on which grounds will definitely be part of the bid. Wembley will come alongside Old Trafford, Villa Park, the City of Manchester Stadium and The Emirate Stadium.
Interestingly, the home of rugby, Twickenham, is also allegedly being considered as a third London venue.
In terms of the rest, Everton and Liverpool’s proposed new grounds will be in the running, alongside St James’ Park, The Stadium of Light and Elland Road.
In a previous article posted on 2018england.co.uk, it was suggested that both Bristol City’s new ground, and Portsmouth’s propsed ‘Horse Island Stadium’ could both possibly feature. With plans for the latter now on hold, Bristol’s chances appear even more optimistic.
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GREAT!!!!!!!!!!
I live in Bristol, but don’t think we’ll get a quarter final though
[...] that the Council should not drag its heels over the building of the new stadium which could bring World Cup football and all its [...]
No major city in England needs a 40′000 seater stadium less than Bristol, a capacity of that size is way to much for Bristol City, representing almost double their best ever average attendance. The FA may want a geographical spread, that is frankly a nonsense, there’s such a thing as the legacy to take into account, South Korea nad Japan have both been left with spanking new stadiums that are way too big for the modest crowds their leagues attract. Give Manchester and Liverpool two venues each, assuming the scousers get their fingers out, and both Newacastle and Sunderland , concentrate on cities that actually have the required stadiums and infrastucture already, spending vast sums on stadiums that will never be full after 2018 is ludicrous.
With reference to ‘TigerPringle’ (I take it he/she’s a Hull fan). I just hope that the big wigs at UEFA don’t get blinded by the traditionally blinkered views of the London/Northern football cartels and their bias with in the Premiership and FA. (Except Richard Scudamore, Premier League CEO, lifelong City fan and our ace in the pack).
Let’s get a few facts straight for our northern brothers. Yes Bristol is a footballing backwater for all sorts of reasons from financial demographics to having one too many teams to being a rugby/cricket city to just having for some far better things to do on a Saturday compared to some of our drabber cities especially when it comes to shopping, entertainment, music and art.
Being in the geographical position we are as the gateway to Wales and a crossroads North/South we’ve traditionally been bi-passed when it comes to the big projects that other cities get in terms of money. So we’ve always had to do things for ourselves and as the undisputed financial capitol of the UK outside of London and the shopping Mecca of the entire south west we ain’t done too bad.
And with a population within the greater Bristol area (from the Forest of Dean in the North to Taunton and Yeovil in the South, from Weston S Mare in the West to Bath and Swindon in the East) of nearly a million souls to call upon their not to be discounted. Plus all the Welsh from over the bridge now that a joint England/Wales bid has been discounted. And yes Taffy boys you’ll have to pay to get back home for a change.
But if we’re talking numbers as ‘TigerPringle’ seems to be, the pre-requisite of a 42,000 seater stadium is too much for City at the moment. For large league games 24,000 is probably enough, but a new stadium is required world cup or not as the Gate is falling down and can barely cope at the moment when stretched, and with the dream ever closure of Premiership status the existing plan for 30,000 may not even be enough.
But Lansdown (whose paying for everything, no cash handouts from the tax payer down here) and the team have thought of all this with the prudent vision of expandable, temporary stands behind each goal providing the required 42,000 seats for the world cup to be dismantled to 30,000 when finished, if necessary.
This is all academic anyway when you consider that on their day, when City were knocked out of the play-off finals a couple of seasons ago as well as 1st division play-offs and cup finals in recent years City have always taken their allotted ticket allocation at the Millennium of 35,000, many say more wanted to go. And Rovers took a similar amount in their Johnston’s Trophy final a couple of years ago so on the rare occasions that City and Rovers fans put aside their differences, don’t worry about filling a 42,000 seat stadium.
Add to that all the other local sports fans from Bristol and Bath rugby and Somerset and Gloucestershire cricket (can any other cities boast so many teams from so many varied sports) there will be no room left for anyone else foreign to the wild, wild west.
Anyway this all resembles two rugby players in the showers comparing size.
Look at it the other way. What is in it for us poor southerners from the south west and south coast to yet again have to travel up to over-crowded capitol or the grim north. Not much and we won’t.
As for facilities outside the ground which you big boys in your overcrowded ghettoes always forget. Their is probably no other city outside of London more capable and more used to putting on big events like Bristol. We just keep them to ourselves.
Bristol has more green space for fans parks and camping etc. than most. From Ashton Court just over the road from the new stadium site to Queen Square (Europe’s biggest Georgian Square) to the Downs and the Docks.
Events like the International Balloon Fiesta, the old Ashton Court festival, the Bristol Harbour Festival, St. Paul’s Carnival and Glastonbury (most of the infrastructure and expertise comes out of Bristol and Bath).
Speaking of Bath. I could give you a tourist run-down of why Greater Bristol should be a host city but that would just take too long.
Hotels. Hotels a plenty, too many in fact as a Saturday night out in Bristol would show. Punters from all over the south west, Wales, the midlands and London.
Transport. Anyone going north or south on the M5/M4 on a Bank holiday knows of our road network aswell as Bristol International Airport. When EasyJet and RyanAir are pulling planes out of other airports in the UK Bristol just keeps growing. It’s 15 minutes from the new ground.
‘TigerPringle’. Get a life. Preferably a southern one. There’s more to England than just London and the North so get of ‘yer cobbled back to back terraced street’ and live a little.
And for your information I spent many happy years in Liverpool and the north west as a student.