Plymouth presents its bid to host World Cup games
PLYMOUTH has presented its bid to host games in the 2018 World Cup – and given the first tantalising glimpse of Argyle's proposed new stadium.
The city's 16-strong delegation travelled to Wembley Stadium and presented their massive bid document yesterday morning.
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CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Alan Shearer; the Plymouth delegation; Jack Charlton; Rory Fallon, Paul Mariner, Tom Daley, Keith Todd and Paul Stapleton; David Ginola; and Paul Gascoigne
The presentation included the unveiling of a well developed design for a 46,000-seat stadium at Home Park, a key part of the city's bid to be a host venue for the World Cup.
The Herald has been given a sneak preview of the drawings, which show a modern, fluid design that flows with the contours of Central Park.
It is understood that the design by Populus, a leading stadium architect, will be officially unveiled next month, after Plymouth learns whether it has been chosen as a 2018 host city. The design will work at full size or can be scaled back to about 27,000 seats if the World Cup bid fails.
Teams from 15 UK cities gathered at the iconic London stadium to make their pitch to be part of the England 2018 bid to host the tournament. About a dozen cities will be chosen to host games and spectacular Fan Fests.
Lord Mawhinney, head of the technical selection panel for the England 2018 bid, said: "This is a very exciting day for English football. There is a sense of excitement and passion."
Argyle executive director Keith Todd said: "We have submitted the bid and Lord Mawhinney said we had done a fantastic job in such a short time." Mr Todd said that Plymouth stood a good chance of success because FIFA had shown it was interested in leaving a legacy and not just in using existing stadiums.
The new Home Park ground would be the "Wembley of the South West", to be used after the World Cup for rugby and music as well as football.
Mr Todd said the new stadium would be ready in time for the 2014/2015 season.
Sources close to the Football Association said that Plymouth had submitted an impressive bid in a very short time.
Plymouth's bid "arrived" in the Green Army hot-air balloon that was inflated outside the stadium early yesterday.
James Coulton, deputy bid director, said: "It's the accumulation of three months of hard work. Everyone has pulled out all the stops."
The bid document covers everything from the stadium to hotel rooms for the tens of thousands of fans who would descend on Devon and Cornwall for World Cup matches.
The bid – which is fully backed b y Devon and Cornwall – was given a boost this week by the news that arch rivals Portsmouth have dropped out.
Argyle striker Rory Fallon joined the Plymouth team. A goal from Fallon, a New Zealander, sensationally put his home country into the 2010 World Cup this month. He stood on the turf at Wembley yesterday and vowed: "I'll play here one day."
DIARY: Road to Wembley for city bid
Plymouth headed for London to make its case to be a host city for the 2018 football World Cup.
With hundreds of millions of pounds riding on the outcome, project director Keith Todd pulled together a team representing all of Devon and Cornwall, with Plymouth at its hub.
Political Reporter Keith Rossiter joined them on the road to Wembley.
10.30pm Wednesday. Ibis hotel, Wembley. Argyle executive director Keith Todd gathers the Plymouth 2018 bid team together for a final briefing. He emphasises the three core messages: people, places, football. As a finale, he shows them the drawings for Argyle's proposed new stadium. We are all blown away.
11pm Argyle mascot Pilgrim Pete puts in some last-minute training with a nightcap from the hotel bar.
1.30am Thursday. No sleep for the project team, who are locked in an hotel room checking and rechecking that their thousands of pages of documents are in order.
Bidding cities have to comply with strict guidelines laid down by FIFA and the Football Association.
8.30am Outside the Wembley Ibis hotel. The team load five boxes of documents into their minibus for the short trip to the stadium. Team members walk to the stadium to be greeted by the giant Green Army hot-air balloon inflating in the stadium car park.
The green balloon catches the attention of rush-hour traffic and TV cameramen.
9.15am Argyle disability team player Gemma Williams is enthusiastically kicking a ball with striker Rory Fallon.
Teenage diving world champion Tom Daley poses in front of a statue of Sir Bobby Moore. "This is an amazing opportunity for the people of Plymouth and the whole of the South West," Tom says. "We don't get many opportunities like this."
10am The bid boxes are delivered and signed for. The team poses for photos with Lord Mawhinney, whose selection panel will study the documents. All the cities will be recalled to London for interviews in mid-December, before the final choices are made. "Some people will be disappointed," Lord Mawhinney warns.
10.30am Argyle mascot Pilgrim Pete stands on the sidelines of the Wembley turf and says: "I'm here! Perhaps this will be a good omen for the rest of the season."
He is joined by Fallon, who scored the sensational goal that put New Zealand, his home county, into next year's World Cup in South Africa.
"One day I'll play here," Fallon whispers.
10.45am As we are ushered away from the pitch, we pass the Bristol bid team, and some of their young members are heard chanting: "Green Army!"
Paul Stapleton says: "This is about the whole of Devon and Cornwall. Clubs like Exeter and Torquay have been very supportive.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we win the bid and the United States team plays in Plymouth in 2018, just before the Mayflower 400 celebrations?"
11am Argyle head coach Paul Mariner, who has played at Wembley, says: "People try to tell you we're too far away to count. That's nonsense. As someone who has lived in America, I can tell you the distances are tiny.
"In South Africa, where the World Cup will be held next year, it's a thousand miles from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
"It doesn't matter where the games are – people will come."
12 noon Exhausted bid members sit down for a buffet lunch. Cllr Glenn Jordan, a member of Plymouth City Council's Cabinet, says: "The real work will begin if we win, because then we have to impress FIFA and help England to get the World Cup here."
He praised Plymouth politicians who had united to back the bid. Rivals Portsmouth fell at the final hurdle, when their city council voted to withdraw their support.
12.15pm The Herald infiltrates the Newcastle bid team and interviews former England striker Alan Shearer and 1966 World Cup legend Jack Charlton.
Shearer sings the praises of Newcastle's offering, but adds that whoever wins, the whole exercise is great for English football.
Conclusion: there is little doubt that Plymouth's presentation has been of the highest order. Bid director Keith Todd brought in Bafta-winning Magic Lantern creative director Anthony Lilley to put together a highly professional package along with project managers Paul Kass and Chris Low.
Plymouth's 2018 World Cup bid promotional video.
Plymouth Argyle World Cup bid promotional video with Helen Chamberlain.
Argyle press conference: Plymouth bid to host World Cup. Filmed August 21. 2009.
14 Comments
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by Andy, Cornwall
Thursday, December 03 2009, 11:37PM
“Plymouth is a fantastically well equiped city for the world cup, the area that the city is in is one to where tourists from all over the UK flock to every summer. I can't wait for the summer of 2018 where, if England wins the bid, we'll see tourists from all over the world visiting the UKs finest tourist attractions outside of London. The Eden Project, the surfing hotspot of Newquay (plus all of Devon and Cornwall's beautiful beaches that are second to none in the UK), Dartmoor national park, Land's End, Truro (and its magnificent cathedral), Europe's deepest aquarium, the Mayflower etc. all show that this part of the country is well equiped to help England win the 2018 bid.
The transport links have been criticised, but with big airports at both Exeter and Newquay, Plymouth is not remotely as cut off as many consider it to be. Bigger cities such as Bristol may have better infastructure to host the tournament if it took place this year. However, 9 years is enough to get these things up to scratch, including a new stadium at Home Park. The advantage that we have in Plymouth is the geographical aspects of the area as these are something that no other city can match us for, even with the 9 years of preparation time. Such an area of natural beauty in terms of countryside and coastline would make for a fantastic setting for the World cup.
I wouldn't want to see the south (west) of England under represented if the regions favourite pass time came to our country in the shape of the world cup. Now that Portsmouth have withdrawn their bid it is time for Plymouth and Bristol to up the ante to ensure that this historic region gets represented.
PLYMOUTH BACK THE BID”
by Andy, Milehouse
Saturday, November 28 2009, 12:42PM
“Complete fantasy land. There are no circumstances on this earth why the British or World Cup authorities could ever consider bringing the matches or any of the ancilliary activities down here.”
by Gary Taylor, Paignton
Friday, November 27 2009, 9:58PM
“I can't believe how negative people can be. This is a chance to be a part of history! The city of Plymouth have an opportunity to have a World class football ground capable of holding World Cup football matches....WORLD CUP FOOTBALL MATCHES! also concerts, massive conferences etc. This will put Plymouth/Devon/Cornwall on the map on a global scale. More tourism for the South West, more income, better roads, better facilities blah blah
Some people are so short sighted it is unbelievable. Yes it will cost money but there will be so much money coming from grants and sponsorship etc and the income generated from tourism is second to none.
Bristol is a bigger city with perhaps better infrastructure, airport and rail links but does that mean it is a better city to Plymouth? hell no!
Believe in your city and the positivity that will come with the World Cup in Plymouth.
I am sick of all the backward thinking and negativity, it isn't all going to be great news but more good will come out of it than bad that is for sure.
PLYMOUTH BACK THE BID!”
by plymptonjohn, plympton
Friday, November 27 2009, 7:52PM
“Jenny
Please give your reasons why you are so very happy for the estimated £250,000,000 that the World Cup would bring to Devon and Cornwall to be spent in the Bristol Area?
Along the M4 you have the Millenium Stadium - yes Cardiff is in Wales abd their reward for supporting the English bid will be a semi final match. This stadium seats 75,000.
Currently the new Bristol stadium is only a 30,000 seater. that is 13,000 seats short of the FIFA rules who insist on 43,000+ seats.
Up the M5 at Birmingham
is the Aston Villa ground seating 52,000+
These three grounds are geographically too close to eaqch other which also breaks FIFA rules that state the host country must spread the games as wide as they can around the country.
Why not try and make a positive contribution to the arguement?”
by Robert, Plymouth
Friday, November 27 2009, 3:24PM
“A 46,000 seater stadium will only be built if the bid is successful. If not it will, to quote the article, "be scaled back to about 27,000 seats".
A stadium of only 27,000 seats actually makes premiership football barely viable in which case you could criticise PAFC for a lack of ambition.
Too much ambition? Not enough? Critics will take their pick as to which angle they come from. The new bosses at Argyle have put their heads above the parapet and are now the targets for everybody's potshots. Some will say they are brave, others foolish. Time will tell.
As for "taxpayers money" - I see nothing in the article that suggests taxpayers are going to fund the venture.”
by Justin, Saltash
Friday, November 27 2009, 1:04PM
“Even if we win the bid( which is about as likely as Argyle getting into the premiership) what the hell is a club with an average attendance of circa 10500 going to do with a stadium that can hold 46000 people. WHITE ELEPHANT and a complete waste of taxpayers money !!”
by Mike, Plymouth
Friday, November 27 2009, 12:43PM
“Jenny, Plymouth - I couldn't agree with you more, every one of your points valid... Wait until your council tax rockets to pay for everything.... :/”
by Robert, Plymouth
Friday, November 27 2009, 12:05PM
“"how excited you all are"
Sadly Jenny, all too few of us are excited. Most prefer to look at the World Cup bid as a source of amusement rather than the golden opportunity that it is. Then they churn out ill-informed and pessimistic garbage highlighting the problems and ignoring the possibilities.”
by Jenny, Plymouth
Friday, November 27 2009, 11:54AM
“Oh how excited you all are, and how disappointed you all will be when they pick Bristol.
Portsmouth had the right idea! Where is the money coming from in the worst recession for 60 yrs? I dont want my council tax spent on this, nor do I want the City Council borrowing and putting us into debt for this either. Especially when they are closing down old peoples homes etc. They have already wasted £44 Million of our money on a lifecentre.
They will pick Bristol because they have the infrastructure to make it happen, an hour from London, excellent Train and Road Links M4 what does Plymouth have a dual carriageway with huge jams in peak periods, a sub-standard Airport, and a Railway Service that is old slow and stops running if there are storms at Dawlish. Oh and Mrs Pengelly is about to sell one of the main requirements a good Public Transport Bus Service, to a company we see in the hearld this week that have decemated the services in other parts where they took over.
I would welcome all these lovely things if we have the infrastructure in place, sadly we don't, maybe our MP's and Council can negotiate as Com-pen-say-shun for us being turned into a Nuclear Dump the M5 being brought to Plymouth before they start work at the Dockyard and agree to Electrify the Railway including moving the line inland. Then you can bid for all these things.
Also we will ahve an escape route when the Nuclear Dump goes wrong.”
by Robert, Plymouth
Friday, November 27 2009, 11:45AM
“In fact, as is the case with many new stadia these days, financing will not be based on purely football related income streams.
It is envisaged that a redeveloped Home Park will include an indoor arena that could accommodate other sports events as well as concerts. A hotel would also be incorporated in a new grandstand.
Don't rule out naming rights either (The Ginsters Arena?) as a further source of revenue.
A place in the premier league is the club's target but financing a redeveloped stadium does not depend on it.”