Southampton hoping to be allowed late city bid
Southampton are hoping gatecrash England’s World Cup bid with a late entry as a host city following nearest rivals Portsmouth pulling out earlier this week.
The southern city were unable to construct a bid earlier in the summer as Southampton FC were in administration. However, they are now well placed to represent the South West if the FA lets them as there is no other representative from the area who has submitted a bid.
Cllr Royston Smith, Southampton City Council’s head of development, said: “This is about what we can offer. We deserve the chance to show what we can do as a city. We have got all the things you need, like hotels, training ground and we would obviously love to stage an event like this. With all due respect to Portsmouth, they didn’t even have a ground. We’ve got a fantastic ground that can easily be upgraded to far more than is needed. One extension of 8,000 seats and it’s there. Plus we know the club would also be keen.”
For Southampton to even be considered as a host city, they would need to have St Marys upgraded to at least 40,000 capacity with media space. They would also need capable transport links, sufficient hotel space, suitable training facilities and space for fan fests in the city centre.
Search
We simply have to be allowed to bid. How can we not with all the facilities we have to offer. As the councillor says, there is more than enough in the way of football facilities. On top of that, as the UK’s ‘Gateway to the World’, we have fantastic recognition world wide through our maritime links and some great areas that could be given over to fanzones, not least Mayflower Park on the water’s edge which could be a great vantage point to see the QE2 on the quayside, brought back as temporary hotel accommodation – why not? If Capetown can utilise her in 2010, why can’t we?
It was simply misfortune that saw us unable to bid during the summer but the Southampton FC is now well placed with its committed owners to offer more than enough to bring some games to the south coast. Let us have it FA, we deserve the chance to shine.
Good idea. I think the bid needs a stadium on the south coast.
Please let Southampton join.
Great area and the south need it, please, please, please.
I would love it to come to the south wont to take my kids I live in Pompy and believe that Southampton will be a great place as we are close like Bournmouth, Winchester, Sailsbury, Waymouth, Andover as well as many many other great places.
Come on
As the regional centre of the South, Southampton should be allowed to bid. If the clubs financial future had been sorted in time, they most certainly would have bid earlier. Once the new owners took over, they immediately registered an interest only to be told that they were too late and Portsmouth, would be the area’s representative. Now they have pulled out, the area needs and deserves a World Cup City and Southampton is that city!!
There is no where south of london that has the facilities that Southampton has. In order to have a fair spread of stadiums around the country Southampton should be included.
Southampton has the facilities and infrastructure required for World Cup matches and is experienced in hosting at international level. The club is now solvent and debt free and has the money and ambition to easily upgrade it’s modern St Mary’s stadium to more than the minimum attendances required. The club can provide excellent training facilities and the town has many quality hotels. How many prospective venues can claim that? Support for football in the region is passionate, and even in League 1 attendances of around 20,000 are higher than some EPL and many CCC clubs. Currently there are too many clubs in contention in close proximity to each other in the north of the country. If Southampton is not given the opportunity to host World Cup matches, and because Portsmouth has dropped out, a large swathe of the country’s population will not see World Cup matches. This is not in the spirit of the competition.
So let Southampton bid! It makes sense!
This is a no brainer, Southampton surely has to be allowed to put a bid in now Portsmouth have dropped out. Its a great city rich in history (Titanic, invention of the Spitfire) and the football club has the potential to fill 40k+ in the prem. Without Southampton this bid will appear very top heavy with all the northern cities bidding.
England for WC 2018.
Im now so excited why not southampton have got evreything and the stadium was built with an expantion to 50,000 in mind its easy to expand all stands bar itchen to full capitcity. Come on you reds.
(and what a vibrant comunity we have)
Has to happen – how can the whole of the South of England not have a world cup venue? Southampton has fantastic transport links – airport, two motorways, cruise terminal, railways – loads of hotels, good training facilities, plenty of things to do in the city and surrounding area, a co-operative board and huge, keen set of fans. Oh, and above all – a proper modern stadium which wouldn’t take much to bring up to capacity!
Looking at the other candidates there seems to be a lot of hurdles to jump before they are in a position to host games.
Southampton have the set up in place already. Surely this is a no brainer.
Agree with all the above. This would be great for the whole area. Compared to other cities bidding, Southampton already has much of the required facilities plus plenty of open spaces for ‘fanfests’. The modern stadium is there and capable of expansion.
Southampton should be considered for the bid, they have the facilities already and the city has hosted many major events before. It’s a no brainer the south needs a regional centre and Southampton is the only option.
We should be allowed, we have great ground, training facilities. We have a 4-star uefa ground. We have hosted an international before and it’s perfectly placed to host. Only one in the south and we have an easy accessible airport for fans and players to get there.
I think it is an ideal location, but unfortunately the beaurocracy of the F.A. has deemed it that the bid from Southampton is too late, and therefore a non starter. As someone said on another site, had it been a late bid from the board at Old Trafford, I’m sure exceptions would have been made! A real pity, and an opportunity lost in my opinion.