Appropriately enough for a would-be host of the biggest sporting event on the planet, Plymouth is a city that has always had a truly global outlook. From Massachussets to Montserrat, there are nearly 30 different towns or cities named in its honour, as testimony to its seafaring past.

The reminders of Plymouth’s proud maritime tradition are still prominent around the city today, including the Mayflower steps from which the Pilgrim Fathers set sail to America in 1620; the historic seafront, where Sir Francis Drake calmly finished his game of bowls while all around him panicked at the sighting of the Spanish Armada off the Cornish Coast; and Smeaton’s Tower, the ageing Lighthouse overlooking the city, which remains Plymouth’s most powerful emblem.

Smeaton’s Tower at Sunset
Image courtesy of Andy Fox – Plymouth Landscape Photographer

Such sights are sure to hold considerable appeal for many football supporters visiting England in 2018, but even those not in search of a history lesson, may inadvertently find a taste of a bygone era in the timeless quayside pubs of the vibrant Barbican district.

Plymouth’s lively Barbican district

Elsewhere Plymouth Hoe, a vast green expanse offering a stunning view over the city’s harbour, is surely the perfect setting for the “fanzones” which proved so popular at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. This natural amphitheatre already plays host to a number of local music festivals annually, as well as the UK National Fireworks Championship which attracts thousands of visitors to Plymouth every Summer.

For all Plymouth’s individual charms, however, the city’s true identity is to be found as the central hub for the entire South-West region. And it is this role that best reflects its appeal as a World Cup host.

At the heart of the Westcountry, and ideally located between the wild natural beauty of the Dartmoor National Park and the golden sands and clear blue seas of the Cornish beaches, the city’s proximity to both surf and turf offers the ideal opportunity to showcase locally-sourced British culinary produce on a global stage. And with the battering that that the farming and fishing industries have taken in recent years, that would surely be seized upon with gusto.

A mist morning on Dartmoor

By the same token, to the British holidaymakers who pack out the many hotels and campsites of Devon and Cornwall every Summer, the attractions of the region are taken for granted, but the World Cup in Plymouth would also offer the opportunity to showcase the far South West on an international scale.

Cornwalls beaches are amongst the most unspoilt in the country

As the only city in the region bidding to host games, a successful bid from Plymouth could also provide a much-needed boost for a large surrounding area in which tourism accounts for a major proportion of the economy.

Football fans the world over would undoubtedly relish the opportunity to “make a week of it” in this most unspoilt corner of the country, and with so many of the picturesque towns scattered across Devon and Cornwall boasting B&Bs, restaurants and numerous other small businesses dependent on the tourist trade, there is nowhere they’d be made more welcome.

And many are still well kept secrets

Charming fishing villages such as Polperro or Mevagissey; gentille seaside resorts like Teignmouth or Dawlish; and stunning natural landmarks such as Land’s End and St Michael’s Mount all rely heavily on seasonal visitors to support the local population.

Tourism is a staple of many Cornish fishing villages

It surely makes sense to direct a mass influx of tourists, such as those attending the 2018 World Cup, towards the region in which tourism is most important. The World Cup bid can only do so by nominating Plymouth as a candidate city.

That is not to say of course, that the Plymouth bid is in anyway a charity case. The thousands of popular tourist destinations across the South West are amongst the most striking, beautiful, historical sites in the country. They are a true asset to England, and England must take any chance it can to show them to the wider world.

The Devon Countryside provides numerous leisure opportunities

Amidst these opportunities for regional economic regeneration, and the appeal to foreign tourists however, the World Cup must not lose sight of its heart and soul: Football.

By staging matches in Plymouth, it would not do so. Indeed in the land that gave the sport to the world, Plymouth provides the rare opportunity to spread the gospel of the beautiful game.

In England, home of World-famous teams such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, and host to superstar players like Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney; where the domestic Premiership is watched by millions from all 4 corners of the globe it seems impossible to suggest that anywhere is starved of soccer. But to fans in the South West, access to live, elite-level football is deeply limited.

While Championship side Plymouth Argyle have threatened to fill the club’s huge potential on occasions, they have not yet managed to bring top-flight football to the region. Despite their passionate followers, who travel extraordinary distances in support of their team, Argyle remain hamstrung amongst other things, by lack of finance and location.

Plymouth Argyle fans

Indeed when their second-string side won the 2nd division title for the South of England’s reserve teams in the early 90s, they were refused promotion on the grounds that the big London clubs didn’t want to travel all the way to Devon. Thus a generation of up and coming Westcountry footballers were denied the opportunity to test themselves against the best young players in the country.

Just one example of how the South West is at a disadvantage when trying to establish itself as a footballing hotbed in which live games are a fabric of the civic character.

The possibility of seeing the Pele, Beckenbauer or Cruyff of 2018 could galvanise the local population, and would give them a rare chance to see players of this calibre that is afforded to others on a weekly basis.

Future England striker and Plymouth 2018 bid supporter Paul Mariner in action for Argyle

With the City Council, South-West business organisations and the Plymouth Argyle board, together with other local personalities, joining forces to support the bid and commit to an extensive stadium re-development, now is the time for the England bid committee to tap into this momentum and help bring about a change that could benefit football in the region for many generations.

Fostering a football-watching culture was a key part of the recent World Cups in the USA Japan and South Korea. It is complacent, arrogant and naïve to suggest that such considerations need not apply in England.

Furthermore, with a 5 hour round-trip to the next-nearest potential venue, and even longer if the Bristol bid is unsuccessful. For thousands of children and older people in the South West, as well as some disabled supporters, that will make the World Cup completely inaccessible if Plymouth is not a host city .

Argyle’s Home Park stadium

If we want the entire country to truly feel a part of this World Cup, then no other city can be more important. As the Observer newspaper has already pointed out, most other parts of England are within relatively easy reach of at least 2 candidate hosts.

Thus it is clear that the World Cup in Plymouth would be a perfect marriage for both parties – the city and the South West can offer a warm Westcountry welcome, a compelling heritage, a vast array of attractions, and a ready made tourist infrastructure including accommodation for thousands and the nearby Exeter and Newquay airports.

Westcountry farm produce is famed throughout England

It can bring the World Cup to thousands of people who would otherwise miss out.
And it can showcase one of most beautiful yet least known regions of the country.

In return, the World Cup would provide a tangible benefit that would be felt deeply by all sections of the local population.

It could stimulate key local industries – tourism, agriculture, fisheries.

It could ignite a passion for football in a city that has always struggled to compete with wealthier competitors.

And it would proudly advance Plymouth’s tradition as a city of the world.

For hundreds of years explorers from Walter Raleigh to James Cook to Robert Falcon Scott have left Plymouth for far flung corners of the globe. The 2018 bid provides the ideal opportunity to invite people from all over the World to make the journey in reverse.

It is in this spirit of global friendship that the soul of the World Cup is truly to be found.

The Plymouth seafront, with the citadel to the foreground, and behind it the Hoe