Nottingham is a candidate city for 2018 World Cup
NOTTINGHAM has been named as a candidate city in the nation's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
The Football Association unveiled a list of cities, which will go forward to the sport's world governing body, FIFA, at 3pm today.
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Nottingham has been included, but the city has been told it will have to build a new stadium in order to host matches. If it fails to do so it would drop out of the running.
It had been feared the lack of a stadium compliant with FIFA specifications, combined with disputes between Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council over the location of a new ground may have undermined Notts' bid.
However, many elements of the bid have been praised, including plans for a World Cup park along the River Trent, innovative fan festivals and ambitious plans for women's football, including making a new stadium, a 'Wembley for Women'.
Talking about the Nottingham bid, selection panel chairman Lord Mawhinney said: "It was not our job to second guess local political considerations that's for the politicians to do.
"We didn't do that but I will tell you something about the Nottingham bid which the people of Nottingham can be proud of. The rest of the packet of the bid – the transportation, the accommodation, the security, all of that stuff was very impressive."
All decisions were unanimous.
He added: "We, as a bid team, are looking forward. We wanted to say to Fifa: 'We are looking at legacy and legacy is about tomorrow'.
"We heard enough about the new stadiums to put them on the list and we hope that will give local people the confidence to deliver them."
Coun Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City Council, said: "It is very important for Nottingham that we will be on the world stage because of the investment it will bring to the city and the opportunities it will offer to local people."
He said "the door is always open" to Notts County Council to rejoin the partnership to promote Nottingham as a World Cup host city.
The county council withdrew in a dispute over proposals to build a new stadium on land east of Gamston.
Coun Collins said: "The door is always open for the county and other local authorities to be a part of the process moving forward to come back on board. We have always been clear this is a partnership bid which we pursue in the interests of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and Nottingham Forest. The greater involvement would add significantly to deliver the best possible experience."
Leicester and Derby, the other cities in the East Midlands which had asked to be considered, failed to make the grade.
Also included are Wembley, Old Trafford, Birmingham, The City of Manchester Stadium, The Emirates, Elland Road in Leeds, Hillsborough in Sheffield, St James' Park in Newcastle, The Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Bristol Ashton Gate, Plymouth and Milton Keynes.
The bid outlined four stadia as potential venues, but only two will be chosen to make up the full 15 venues which need to be submitted to Fifa.
White Hart Lane or the Olympic stadium will be chosen, and then either Anfield or the new Anfield development, depending on whether the building work is completed in time.
Fifa will choose 12 of the 15 venues if the World Cup bid is a success.
It is proposed to build the stadium in Nottingham on land east of Gamston. The development would include 4,500 new homes, as well as offices, hotels and sports facilities.
England is the favourite to be chosen as the 2018 World Cup host from a list of eight potential candidates.
Bookmakers William Hill has given odds of 7/4. Second favourite is a joint bid by Spain and Portugal on 9/4.
Others include Australia on 3/1, Russia on 9/2, while Indonesia is way out at 50/1.
Alec Hickton, 66, from West Bridgford, was delighted with the news.
He said: "Geographically we're very well situated to get into from other cities. It would be good for Nottingham as it would bring people into the hotels etc and it would also raise the profile of the city.
"If we're going to host that amount of people we'll need a new ground for that sort of crowd, so where they'd actually put it, I don't know. It probably ought to be somewhere north of the river to make it more accessible."
Michael Everitt, 36, a plasterer from Silverdale, said: "It would be great to have the World Cup down here, being able to take the kids to a proper World Cup game. We've got plenty of accommodation and plenty of things to do. It would be fantastic."
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by Neil, Gamston
Thursday, December 17 2009, 1:10PM
“Plonk ¿ what a sad attitude you have!
Indeed, Gamston was built on Greenbelt land and that was wrong; but for your information Plonk, I live in Old Gamston Village which has been here for hundreds of years, way before the new Gamston was built 15 years ago; so I think I have the right to say I don¿t want to see more of the surrounding area destroyed anymore than it has been already! Just because we¿ve done wrong in the past, does that gives us the right to do it all over again?
Its nothing about self-interest or selfishness; its about protecting what will be lost forever; and if you think the building of 5,000 new homes and all the misery that comes with that (which I can assure you WONT be at affordable priced housing for families), not just for the residents of Gamston but those in surrounding areas is a selfish view, then that¿s your small minded opinion. A 2 bedroom box apartment in Gamston cost (pre recession) over £180,000 ¿ so I¿m quite sure the developers are rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of 5,000 houses (at a price that will pay for the stadium!)
I¿m also sure the people who will loose their homes will appreciate your uncaring attitude; but I wont stoop as low as you to jeer back with snide remarks!”
by Plonk, Heanor at work
Thursday, December 17 2009, 1:59AM
“Interesting post, but reading it shows your selfishness because Gamston was built on green belt land so its alright for you to live on a green belt area but no one else is allowed to. Your self interest comes before that of every other prospective family looking to buy a new home does it.”
by Neil, Gamston
Thursday, December 17 2009, 1:49AM
“Nottingham, Derby and Leicester supporters throwing insults at each other ¿ how pathetic, get a life, its only football. Ridiculous!
Just to put everyone in the picture, Nottingham County Council (of which Gamston resides in) is at war with Nottingham City Council, because the City Council (run by Councillor John Collins, a man who listens to no one and his view is the only view that counts) thinks it ok to dictate what happens in other county council areas. Its only because the City Council own some land in the area that they have half a case! It¿s akin to Derby putting a nuclear processing plant in Nottingham on land they own, without consulting anyone in the area.
Why is Nottingham City Council so keen to build in another councils area (Gamston) ¿ because they¿ve been set a housing target by the government so by using the stadium as a decoy, they can get away with building 5,000 homes. Not only does it make their housing quota easier to achieve (instead of having the balls to say no to the Government), it also means they get a new stadium built FOC by developers (who¿ll charge £200k for each box (sorry, home), they¿ll also be able to sell off the old City Ground to developers (circa £200 million I¿ve heard) and finally, not have to worry about the stadium being built on their own City Council land that, again, can be sold off to developers! As to what Forest get ¿ well, that¿s obvious isn¿t it (a new stadium FOC!)
So what do the people of Gamston get? 5,000 new homes on their doorstep, 5,000 more cars in an area already up to the hilt in traffic, the loss of never to be seen again Greenbelt, the loss of the community that sits in the middle of the proposed development (Bassingfield), more noise, more pollution etc etc. Again, don¿t kid yourself, its not so we can have a new stadium; the stadium is just the decoy; because the council know how many people love football and wont even look at the true reason for this development.
My advice is to go to Google maps and see how lovely Gamston is. Then imagine this development; after you¿ve looked at all the other vacant sites available, sites that are nowhere near communities or greenbelt - the cattle market, showcase cinema site in Lenton ¿ even a field off the M1. Now that would be too sensible ¿ better to uproot whole communities and destroy greenbelt, build new road infrastructures etc rather than build on a field next to the M1!
Nottingham is a BIG place with LOTS of great sites that don¿t impact on peoples lives; but what is proposed will negatively effect thousands of people in a lovely community. Its like dumping an International airport in Cornwall and I for one cannot understand how FIFA can ignore the petitions and vote in favour of a stadium that doesn¿t even exist and local people don¿t want. FIFA should have said yes to Nottingham but no to the site, or instead gave it to Derby where there is PLENTY of access, parking, room for development and most importantly, zero impact on the local community. Nottingham City Council meanwhile should spend more time sorting out their own back garden ¿ Nottingham is loosing out to new shopping developments in Derby and Leicester; and all they can think about is football (which we know now isn¿t the exact truth!)
In reply to the comments from Alan Lee in New York:
¿We can't continue to live in the past. We must have ambition. It's much better to get crowds close to 40,000 half a dozen times a season than to miss out on 10,000 extra fans on those occasions simply because the ground isn't big enough. That's a lot of revenue and more than compensates for the games involving empty seats.¿
I agree, in the right place, but if you think its worth destroying acres of greenbelt (that we¿ll never see again) and ruining local communities (including the 100 or so country folk that will loose their homes because they sit in the middle of the development) just so 10,000 extra people ”
by andrew, NOTTINGHAM
Thursday, December 17 2009, 12:07AM
“lol boo hoo to derby scum try again in a diffrent life time so much more in this city by far the best city as for the crime issue i dont see it as any diffrent from anywhere else if you dont like it here stop moaning and MOVE”
by andrew, nottingham
Thursday, December 17 2009, 12:02AM
“i agree we are the best city lets have the best if u dont like it them move its simple”