The FIFA inspection to determine whether England are suitable hosts for the 2018 World Cup has drawn attention to the 16 potential host stadiums who could bring football home. There are the usual suspects - Wembley, Old Trafford, Anfield, Elland Road, Villa Park and Hillsborough - will be well versed in holding big matches and events, and have been there, done that and got the t-shirt.
But there is also the prospect of international, major tournament football coming to one of the most underdeveloped part of the country (in football terms at least) - the West Country. There could potentially be two most stadiums in the west, an area of the country which currently has no top flight football teams. Those cities would be Bristol and Plymouth, which are admittedly large cities. However, the most successful of the two Bristol clubs, Bristol City, were last in the top flight in 1980. For Plymouth Argyle, the situation is far bleaker. Argyle have just been relegated to League One after a six year spell in the Championship, and the club has never played in the top flight, and they've twice finished fourth in the second tier, with an FA Cup semi-final appearance in 1983/84 their biggest day to date. But they fly the flag for Cornish football, and it would be great to see some success come to the club. We all love those Aviva adverts after all!
The World Cup could turn around the fortunes of these two potentially massive clubs, and perceptions of football in this part of the world. Unless you include Wiltshire club Swindon Town as a South-West club (which local TV regions places under the scope of Points West, despite Swindon being part of the Thames Valley triangle along with Reading and Oxford), who had a sole, depressing Premier League season in the 1993/94 season, then no team from the region has featured in the top flight since Bristol City's relegation two decades ago. Bristol City will be moving to the new, 30,000 all-seater Bristol City Stadium regardless of the success of England's bid, and their participation in it. Should Bristol be chosen as a World Cup venue however, then chairman Steve Lansdown will be able to increase the proposed capacity to 42,000 - more than adequate, and a perfect setting for Premier League football. The signing of former England goalkeeper David James show the potential draw of the club. Further south, Plymouth and their loyal 'Green Army' following will be thinking exactly the same thing, as should England's bid be successful, then their quaint little Home Park ground could swell to a 46,000 capacity.
The counties of Avon, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall are, and have been, synonymous with rugby and cricket. Somerset County Cricket Club dominate sport in their county, while Bristol and Bath rugby union clubs have enjoyed their fair share of success in their sport, while Exeter and Plymouth have been steady second tier rugby participants for some time. Bringing top class international football to this part of the country could open up a whole host of opportunities - in terms of job opportunities, tourism and exposure to the sport at the highest level. And in the lead up, there will be an onus on one or both clubs to reach the promised land, to make all the investments in facilities and infrastructure worthwhile. Should England get the nod on December 2 this year, it is likely the organising committee will choose at least one of the South West's nominees to make it a truly English World Cup. With such strong transport links in such a small country, it will be a benefit to spread the venues as wide as possibly - a situation which won't be replicated in Russia, a vast and backward country which spans Europe and almost the entirety of Asia. But this is an question for another day. First things first, England need to win the right to host the tournament. Then we can wait and see what effect this will have on this part of the country.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment