Final push starts in Sunderland's World Cup bid

Sep 8 2009 The Journal

MOVES to bring the World Cup to Wearside have been stepped up. City leaders want Sunderland to be included in England’s bid to stage the football festival and have to demonstrate widespread public support for its efforts.

The 2018 bid team are busy preparing for a crucial decision-making visit to the city, to prove to FA chiefs they have widespread support for their campaign.

The city’s bid has continued to gather pace as delegates will once again visit the region to inspect facilities for the final time tomorrow before officials have to decide which cities will be included in England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

Caterpillar and Nissan, two of the region’s biggest employers, have thrown their weight behind the move, with thousands of workers adding their names to official Back the Bid support books, which will be submitted to the FA as part of Sunderland’s application.

It is estimated £25m would be injected into the North East economy if either Newcastle or Sunderland’s bids were successful, with thousands of fans from all corners of the globe descending on the region during the month-long feast of football.

The Sunderland 2018 team is keen to pull out all the stops and visiting delegates will be taken on a tour of the region to see hotels, possible fan fest sites, base camps and training facilities as well as a host of other prospective venues along the way.