Britain now hot host for top sports events

LONDON — Not so long ago, the world's top sports events bypassed Britain because of a combination of poor finances and arrogance. Now they can't wait to get a taste of Wembley, Lord's, Old Trafford and Twickenham.

A decade ago, England's bid to stage soccer's 2006 World Cup was a flop and, when Britain was effectively handed the athletics world track and field in 2005, it had to pull out as plans to build a new stadium in North London were scrapped because of insufficient finances and poor transportation links.

What a difference a few years make.

London has the 2012 Olympics, Glasgow will stage the 2014 Commonwealth Games and now England will host the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2019 cricket World Cup.
England is also one of the favourites to stage the 2018 World Cup of soccer. Although it faces strong opposition from around the globe, if it gets that too when FIFA votes in December 2010, the next decade will become Britain's greatest ever in terms of hosting international sports events.

Keith Mills, who is on the board of the 2018 World Cup bid and helped to secure the 2012 Olympics for London, said the country was hampered by a perceived arrogance.

"The general impression was that we were an arrogant country who thought we knew it all," he said. "We now go into bids with a very different attitude.

"Rather than telling everyone how great we are, we ask them what sort of competition they want. Listening is the best form of selling."

The 2015 Rugby World Cup and 2013 Rugby League equivalent were the latest captures on Tuesday and, with grounds already in existence to stage them, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the nation was ideally equipped to handle all these events.

"The Rugby World Cup is yet another tremendous event to add to the country's decade of sport and another chance to show our nation's passion for sport and what world-class facilities we have to offer," he said.

The rebuilt 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium is one of 11 grounds being used for the rugby championship and will also host the 2011 Champions League final, European soccer's premier club competition.

The home of English rugby, Twickenham now has a capacity of 82,000 while the Rugby Football Union will also use soccer grounds such as the 76,000-capacity Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, Arsenal's 60,000 Emirates Stadium, Newcastle's St. James' Park (52,000) and Liverpool's Anfield (45,000).

Although it is in Wales, Cardiff's 74,000-capacity Millennium Stadium is another option.

The soccer grounds also play a major part in England's bid to stage the World Cup in 2018 for the first time since England won the title in 1966. England successfully staged the European Championship in 1996 and it was on that basis that it decided to bid for the 2006 World Cup despite having reportedly pledged to support Germany.

The Football Association's bid ended after the first two rounds of voting when FIFA's executive committee gave it to the Germans, just ahead of South Africa. FIFA did not go along with England's campaign that the World Cup should go to the game's inventors.

Ten years on, the tourism industry is looking forward to seeing millions of sports fans heading to the UK to watch the big events staged here.

"Britain will be the sports fans' dream destination in coming years as a golden decade of major sporting occasions draws millions of people from around the world," said Sandie Dawe, chief executive of national tourism agency VisitBritain.

"A third of potential visitors to Britain would be very likely to watch sporting events here. We have a real opportunity to raise awareness of destinations with unique links to different sports, of our cathedrals of sport like Lord's, Wimbledon, the Millennium Stadium and (Glasgow's) Hampden Park, and our remarkably varied sporting calendar."

Fonte: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hj5lFNm4K3mmeFX4xhKpwT-yFnPA

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Normal Rotation Could Put World Cup in United States in 2018

By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The United States has a good chance of hosting the 2018 World Cup if soccer's governing body adheres to its principle of rotating the massive sporting event continent to continent, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Monday.

But, Blatter added, many Europeans in the organization feel that Europe (which hosted in 2006) should be awarded every third World Cup, which would favor England, Spain or perhaps another country on the continent.

The conflicting views will be reconciled in December 2010, when FIFA is expected to award hosting rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Between now and then, the United States and its 10 rivals will submit detailed proposals and engage in deft political maneuvering to curry FIFA's favor.

On Monday, President Obama got the U.S. campaign off to a start that Blatter conceded "merits a compliment" -- demonstrating his own appreciation for "the beautiful game" by dribbling a soccer ball that Blatter had presented him in the Oval Office.

Blatter said afterward that Obama, whose basketball prowess is well-known, isn't ready for a spot on the U.S. national team. But, he joked, Obama probably could have made the second-tier U.S. squad that was trounced by Mexico, 5-0, in the CONCACAF Gold Cup match he attended Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., as part of his four-day visit to the United States.

The key item on Blatter's U.S. tour was the meeting with Obama, in which they discussed ways of strengthening soccer in the United States. Blatter called it "a great encounter."

In addition, Blatter presented a formal invitation to the president and his family to attend the 2010 World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa. According to Blatter, Obama directed his aides to consult his agenda.

FIFA's policy of rotating the World Cup was adopted in 2000 and largely responsible for the decision to award the 2010 event to South Africa. Brazil will host the 2014 World Cup.
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But in 2007, FIFA voted to drop the rotation in 2018.

"[If] we go again in a rotation, after South America, there should be North America coming in," Blatter said. "That would be the normal way to go."

The United States hosted the 1994 World Cup, and MLS, the country's professional league, was launched in 1996 as a result. But neither has catapulted soccer's popularity to the level FIFA officials had hoped.

Blatter said he understood that the United States' crowded sports landscape represented a challenge for extending soccer's foothold. He praised the strides the women's game has made, noting: "You have the best women footballers here in this country." And he accentuated the positives when asked if the country's inability to capitalize on the 1994 World Cup should count against it in the next round of voting.

"Yes, it has not had the impact we expected," Blatter conceded. "But it was the first World Cup organization, and so far the only one, where all tickets were sold, and all seats were occupied. So this is a good legacy of the organizational skill of the United States."

Sunil Gulati, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, who accompanied Blatter, called it a positive meeting.

"The president knows the game," Gulati said. "His daughters play. And he was very receptive, asking what else he could do to help with both the bid and the development of the game."

Fonte: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/27/AR2009072702503.html

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Obama Lobbying for U.S. to Play Host for Soccer World Cup

By Hans Nichols

July 27 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama will be lobbying the head of soccer’s international governing body today to bring the World Cup to the U.S.

The president also will get a personal invitation from Sepp Blatter, head of world governing body FIFA, to attend next year’s tournament in South Africa, a trip in which Obama has expressed interest.

“We’ll use the opportunity of the meeting to advocate for the United States to host the World Cup in either 2018, or 2022,” Josh Earnest, deputy White House press secretary, said of this afternoon’s discussion between Obama and Blatter.

The international tournament is held every four years. The host for the 2014 World Cup will be Brazil. Blatter said in an interview yesterday that he expects a “big fight” over the chance to host the championship.

At last month’s G-8 summit in L’Aquila, Italy, Obama said it was his “goal” to travel to South Africa next June to attend the World Cup.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that no final decision has been made. He suggested that many of the president’s senior staff want him to make the trip.

“Scheduling has warned me against accepting unilaterally invitations to visit South Africa,” Gibbs said. “I don’t know if we’ll have any announcements out of that meeting.”

Fonte: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=amSIiXAydsOM

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Head of US World Cup bid says he is not ruling 2018 out

CHICAGO — The United States isn't conceding the 2018 World Cup to Europe.

Despite the likelihood that FIFA will favour going back to Europe for that tournament, the head of the U.S. bid committee said Thursday it hasn't given up hope of hosting in 2018.

The United States is one of 11 countries that has formally declared its desire to host the World Cup in either 2018 or 2022; Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain have submitted joint bids.

The World Cup will be in South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014, the first time it has left Europe for consecutive tournaments.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has already said there is a "general understanding" that Europe will play host in 2018, making 2022 a more realistic option for the United States.

"It may turn out to be that way," said David Downs, executive director of USA Bid Committee Inc. "If that would be the case, it would not bother us. But we're not giving up on 2018 by any stretch."

FIFA's executive committee will decide on both bids in December 2010. Eight of the 23 executive committee members are from Europe.

The United States has only hosted one World Cup, and the 1994 event drew a record 3.59 million fans. The 2018 or 2022 World Cup would be an even bigger success, Downs predicted, estimating ticket sales could easily reach five million.

Though soccer is far more popular in the United States than it was in 1994, there is still plenty of room for growth, Downs said.

"If hosting the World Cup would enfranchise more generations, that would impact the entire sport for years to come," Downs said.

Though the quality of play has improved in Major League Soccer, which started play in 1996, it still has a long way to go to rival top European leagues.

Blatter maintains the league needs to switch to a traditional soccer schedule that starts in August and ends in the spring, rather than its current format of starting in the spring and ending in the fall.

While Downs said he's "very proud" of the strides MLS has made, he knows the bid committee will have to find a way to let FIFA members know MLS is only a small portion of U.S. soccer culture.

There are people who don't have interest in going to an MLS game, but play on the weekends, follow the English Premier League or come out for a U.S. national team game.

"People care here, in enormous numbers," he said.

Downs has been visiting possible sites for a U.S. World Cup during the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The three-week tournament used 13 sites throughout the country, including the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

The U.S. bid will include 18 stadiums, and Downs expects there would be 12 to 14 sites for an American World Cup.

Though the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas have some of the older stadiums under consideration, Downs said he can't imagine a U.S. bid without games in California.

There has been talk of new arenas in both cities, and Downs said the bid committee will make clear to FIFA that changes could be made as stadiums are built or updated.

While some have questioned why FIFA is picking the 2018 and 2022 cities at the same time, Downs said he has no problem with it.

In fact, he's glad the United States is getting two shots.

"Given the amount of effort we have to put in for this bid, to know if we didn't get 2018 that we have a fighting chance for 2022 is extremely comforting," Downs said.

"It would be heartbreaking to not get 2018 and be told, 'Go away, don't come back for 20 years."'

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US trims 27 stadiums from World Cup list

NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty-seven stadiums have been dropped from consideration for the U.S. bid to host soccer's World Cup in 2018 and 2022, while Las Vegas and Salt Lake City have been added.

Nearly all the stadiums that were dropped are college football venues. Also eliminated were Green Bay's Lambeau Field and Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.

Forty-five stadiums in 37 areas currently are in contention, ranging from New York to college towns such as Fayetteville, Ark., or Knoxville, Tenn.
Salt Lake City and planners of Las Vegas' Sports City USA venue approached the bid committee to be added after the initial list of 70 stadiums was released in April, U.S. Soccer Federation Neil Buethe said Tuesday.

Other planned venues, such as a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., could be added if they are built, Buethe said.

The committee is looking for information on an array of subjects ranging from tourism to climate to security.

The U.S. must submit its application to FIFA next May, and FIFA's executive committee plans to select the 2018 and 2022 hosts in December 2010.

Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands-Belgium, Russia, Spain-Portugal have filed to hosting both World Cups, and Qatar and South Korea bid for 2022 only.

England and Spain are seen as the leading contenders to host in 2018, while the United States is viewed as a top candidate for 2022.

When the U.S. hosted in 1994, nine venues were used: Chicago; Dallas; East Rutherford, N.J.; Foxborough, Mass; Orlando, Fla.; Pasadena, Calif.; Pontiac, Mich.; Stanford, Calif.; and Washington, D.C.

Since then, the World Cup has expanded from 24 to 32 teams and FIFA asks bidders to submit 12-18 stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or more. Only venues of 80,000 or more can host the opener and the final.

Next year's World Cup will be in South Africa, and the 2014 host is Brazil.


Fonte: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5V0l5RR8gYQO0uMQRcRCcVN5QgAD98S4UB00

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