Nottingham has been named as a candidate city in the nation's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Charles Walker and

JOE WATTS report.

IT was tense under the main stand at the City Ground as the FA announced the cities and stadiums that would be part of England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

The team which put together Nottingham's submission had gathered to watch the announcement live on television.

The fifth city to be read out was Nottingham, and the dozen or so people who have worked so hard on the project for seven months erupted in cheers and hugs.

"I am relieved and delighted," declared Mark Arthur, the chief executive of Nottingham Forest.

"The technical bid document was one of the best documents the FA received. The strengths were built on the foundation of Robin Hood and Brian Clough and the friendliness of the people of Nottingham when people come to visit the city and county."

The city is one of 15 stadium locations announced by the FA, which will be put forward to the sport's world governing body, FIFA, in May next year.

FIFA will announce which country will host the 2018 World Cup in December 2010 and in time it will reduce the number of stadiums to 12.

Nottingham's bid has been praised for the events planned during the tournament and the legacy it promises to leave behind.

The city proposes to create a World Cup park along the River Trent and innovative fan festivals at Wollaton Park, Victoria Embankment, Skegness and Clumber Park.

The accommodation, training facilities, restaurants and bars have all been highlighted as plus points.

The direct economic boost to Notts during the tournament has been put at more than £130m.

However, the real value will be much greater since Nottingham will benefit from unprecedented global exposure.

In addition, the city will use the tournament to promote women's and girls' football, with a new stadium proposed as a "Wembley for Women", a new home for women's football in England.

It was feared the fact Nottingham did not have a stadium which met FIFA requirements might scupper the city's application. Matters were made worse when Notts County Council withdrew its support for the bid over the proposed location of the new ground, on land east of Gamston.

Nottingham's continuation in the process will depend on delivering a 45,000-seater stadium as part of a sport and leisure park. It would be dependent upon 4,500 homes being built nearby.

However, the city's team has impressed the FA and persuaded officials they will deliver.

Andy Anson, chief executive of England's bid for the 2018 World Cup, said: "We did look at the Nottingham bid in its entirety. I have to say it was one of the most impressive bids and the city council and the football club were very joined-up in their thinking.

"We also looked at the plans for the stadium and what we felt were the promises the city and the club were prepared to make.

"We felt it was worth taking a particular risk [with the stadium]. We did want some new-build stadiums and the stadium plans are very, very exciting for Nottingham."

Mr Anson said Nottingham was also an attractive location to sell to FIFA and the world. "It's a great city; it's a great football club. They've got very convincing people behind that club."

The FA decided to go with Nottingham, despite the political argument around the city's bid.

The chairman of the selection panel for the England 2018 bid, Brian Mawhinney, said: "Were we aware there was an element of debate locally about the proposal? Yes, we were. We took the view that it was not our job to second guess local political considerations. That's for the politicians to do.

"But I will tell you something about the Nottingham bid, which the people of Nottingham can take pride in. The rest of the package; the transportation, accommodation, fan festivals, security, all that stuff, was very impressive."

City council leader Jon Collins 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 the county council to rejoin the host city partnership to promote Nottingham.

"We have always been clear this is a partnership bid which we pursue in the interests of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and Nottingham Forest," he added.

A county council spokesman said: "Whilst the county council could not support the bid, we were always supportive of bringing the World Cup to Nottinghamshire and would always welcome any boost to tourism and the local economy.

"Our position, however, remains the same in the belief that the plans for a new site on green-belt land would be unsustainable both for the county's environment and as a long-term business proposition, and we will continue to oppose any development that isn't on the existing site or within the city boundaries.

"We hope England will be successful in hosting the World Cup in 2018 as it would be a fantastic spectacle and opportunity for sports development and economic growth in the region and throughout the nation."

Meanwhile, Derby and Leicester suffered the disappointment of being among the three cities (Hull being the other one) to be eliminated.

The Nottingham team did its best to be magnanimous. But Amy White, 18, who plays for Nottingham Forest Ladies, spoke for many when she said: "What made it better is Derby did not get it."