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By Pete Wilson
6 October 2010
England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup steps up a level today with 18 pledges to target groups that could yet influence the choice of hosts for the tournament.
In a carefully delivered message aimed at winning support from Fifa Executive Committe members, fans and the international media, the pledges promise profits, short journeys for ExCo members, cheap hotel rooms for fans, free local transport to games and access to Premier League and Football League club facilities for participating nations.
England 2018’s chief executive, Andy Anson, said: “The ‘Pledges to Partners’ highlight some new commitments we are making to Fifa and to its stakeholders and reaffirms others we have made within the detail of our bid book. We believe these commitments provide a clear demonstration of why we would be the best possible partner for FIFA and the global football family.
“They cover every aspect of our bid: passion, diversity, world-class infrastructure, minimal risk, major events experience, commercial leadership and the creation of a significant global impact. The combination of these factors will lead to the most ambitious, spectacular festival of football imaginable and a lasting legacy of football and social development all around the world – ours is not a World Cup that will benefit one country alone but is truly a Fifa World Cup for the world.”
“Fifa can use England 2018 as a launch pad for more direct investment around the global football family – creating not only the greatest financial value but also the greatest social value.”
Fifa’s ExCo members will vote on the destinations of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments on 2 December. More bid stories here.
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The ‘Pledges for Partners’ in full are:
For FIFA:
England 2018 will deliver the most ambitious, spectacular and trustworthy festival of football for you and all your partners to open a new frontier in the development of the game across the world.
- A Fifa World Cup in England will make a projected profit for FIFA of USD$240 million (£161 million) from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) alone
- Journey times for FIFA Executive Committee members will be a maximum of 30 minutes from hotel to stadium on match days in London, and 20 minutes outside of London
- England 2018 has delivered the one outstanding request from the recent FIFA inspection visit and honoured its commitment to contract a minimum of 60,000 hotel rooms
For participating teams and players:
By partnering with England’s professional clubs, England 2018 will provide the perfect home-from-home for teams and players ensuring ideal preparation for the best on-field performance.
- Each visiting team will be hosted by one of our professional clubs and will have access to all of their training and medical facilities
- There will be a maximum of two hours travel time from Team Base Camps to our 17 proposed stadiums
- 82 Team Base Camps have been contracted to provide maximum choice to suit the needs and budget of each team – 25% more than FIFA requirements.
For fans from all around the world:
We promise the most fan-friendly, exciting festival of football with unparalleled ease of access, genuinely iconic football stadiums, entertainment-packed fan fests and the lowest cost public transport and accommodation solutions to fans.
- Fans will be able to travel for free on public transport within cities with match tickets on match day and there will be free shuttle buses to fan fests from city centres
- England 2018 is committed to working with FIFA to provide free inter-city transport on match days for all ticketed fans through strategic partnerships
- 400,000 rooms will be available at all budget levels for visiting fans
For the global football community – a lasting legacy:
England 2018 is committed to delivering a global legacy of football and social development initiatives aligned with FIFA’s existing work and based on the impressive track record of the work already carried out by the FA, the Premier League and our professional clubs.
- 1 billion people will be reached by England 2018’s legacy proposals
- “Football United”, a multi-million dollar global fund for football and social development will be launched with FIFA which will deliver a range of purpose built facilities and development programmes around the world
- Project 2028: We will create a new generation of home grown talent, players, coaches, referees and young leaders by 12 Candidate Host Cities over a 10 year period
For all FIFA’s Partners and affiliates:
We provide for FIFA, Partners and affiliates the platform to have the greatest impact in your most important markets.
- England as the most successful single commercial and hospitality football market in the world will present unprecedented revenue and activation opportunities in stunning iconic locations
- Total Government support and legislation to protect partner rights is guaranteed through our bid book commitments
- All top 10 outdoor media companies have contracted with England 2018 to provide outdoor media to FIFA, its commercial affiliates and the LOC
For the global media:
England 2018 will provide excellent integrated media facilities with established cutting edge technology to provide a highly-efficient, risk free environment at existing football-focused facilities around the country.
- The International Broadcast Centre, based at London’s Excel, is double the FIFA required size due to expected demand in the world’s media hub
- We will work with FIFA to provide the most innovative technological broadcast and media solutions available, building on the UK’s strong global reputation for innovation in this area
- The latest digital technology available in 2018 will connect fans around the world creating “virtual global fan fests”
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Bidding for 2018 and 2022
England http://www.england2018bid.com/
Netherlands-Belgium http://www.thebid.org/?lang=en
Russia http://www.russia2018-2022.com/en.aspx
Spain-Portugal http://www.candidaturaiberica.com/
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Bidding for 2022 only
Japan http://www.dream-2022.jp/en/index.html
Qatar http://www.qatar2022bid.com/
South Korea http://www.korea2022.org/
Australia http://www.australia2018-2022.com.au/
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