Leaders want to host Cup
July 14, 2006

STATE and territory leaders have joined Prime Minister John Howard in backing a proposal for Australia to host the World Cup.

The leaders, meeting in Canberra for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, said they would back any moves for a World Cup bid forum, to be led by the Football Federation of Australia (FFA).

"It is the largest sporting event yet to be hosted in Australia, and the Socceroos' performance in Germany has generated enormous interest and support for the game," the leaders said in a joint statement.

"We look forward to assisting the FFA's development of a World Cup bid through discussion and planning around a range of issues including infrastructure, facilities and security.

"It is important that they are fully supported by all levels of government in developing their bid so that Australia has the best fully prepared bid to host the world's biggest sporting event."


It has been speculated that Australia could host a World Cup as early as 2018, and the Prime Minister also vowed to back any bid.

He said on Southern Cross Broadcasting today that while the bid will have to come from the FFA, the Federal Government will support the move.


"If the Football Federation chooses to make a bid all governments in Australia – the Commonwealth and the eight state and territory governments – will all support that bid and do everything we can collectively to help it come to a successful conclusion," Mr Howard said.

AAP

I think the shape of stadiums, distance between cities, number and capacity of stadiums are Australia's downfall for hosting the event.

I think temparatures are a good point though if it was to be played in june/july.

I was thinking our stadiums would be lacking too. Sydney is maybe a little bit okay. Aussie Stadium is apparently getting a make-over or something, it is okay and then we have Telstra. After being to Germany though, our stadiums are nothing. Telstra makes it, but that is it. No way anything else does. There will need to be serious work done.

And I think the distances between the states will be a problem. It takes too long to get from one side of the country to the other. Really the only way is by plane. That is of course unless you limit the venues to specific states. Though that is not fair on the rest that miss out and especially so when they would back the bid and put in their fair share towards it.

I think the shape of stadiums, distance between cities, number and capacity of stadiums are Australia's downfall for hosting the event.

I think temparatures are a good point though if it was to be played in june/july.

The capacity of Aussie is not so bad, but it would need a bit of work done to it. Though I think it is getting work and it would not take a lot. It is a pretty good venue when it has to be

Yeh i read this somewhere... Does anyone know exactly what work they are doing?? They should bring the two ends closer to the pitch. Even the rugby goal line isn't that big.

AUSSIE STADIUM CAPACITY TO INCREASE
Wednesday March 29, 2006

Aussie Stadium’s capacity will increase to 45,500 with over 3,000 additional seats to be installed with almost 500 seats allocated to the Members Reserve.

The multi-million dollar project will commence in late May.

The additional seats will be positioned on the grandstand and concourse levels on both sides of Aussie Stadium.

All new seats will be located closer to the field of play and will further enhance Aussie Stadium’s highly acclaimed match day atmosphere.

Aussie Stadium Chief Executive, Mr Jamie Barkley, said the seating project will be popular with Rugby League, Rugby Union and Football players and supporters.

“Recent independent fan surveys conducted among Rugby League, Rugby Union and Football supporters have categorically stated that Aussie Stadium is their favourite football venue in Sydney,” said Mr Barkley.

“The additional seats will give fans an even better view of the on-field action and will heighten the stadium’s spine-tingling atmosphere.

“The escalation in atmosphere will prove to be a tremendous asset when the NSW Waratahs, Sydney FC, Sydney Roosters, the Australian Kangaroos Rugby League team and the Socceroos play at Aussie Stadium.

“It will be a very intimidating cauldron for visiting teams,” he added.

Aussie Stadium’s record crowd is 43,967 when Australia played a Football international against Argentina in 1993.

World Cup bid kicks off now
By Peter Desira
July 19, 2006

AUSTRALIA must start work immediately on its bid to stage the 2018 World Cup, according to Victoria Major Events chief executive Peter Abraam.

"Germany started its bid 12 years out so, realistically, we've got to start planning now," Abraam said yesterday.

"We have no idea who our competitors will be, but we need to get stuck into the planning, doing the research and getting to understand all the facets that make a successful bid."

Abraam is expected to be involved in the process after the state premiers and Prime Minister John Howard announced at last week's Council of Australian Governments in Canberra that they would financially back a World Cup bid.

"It's important to state any bid would have to be led by Football Federation Australia, but it's a very good sign that COAG has shown its willingness to support the bid," Abraam said.

The World Cup is held every four years, and 2010 has already been allocated to South Africa, while 2014 is expected to be staged in Brazil.

There are strong indications England will be a bidder for 2018.

FFA chairman Frank Lowy flagged Australia's interest with FIFA president Sepp Blatter during the World Cup finals in Germany.

FFA head of strategy Geoff Parmenter confirmed the talks yesterday and said Lowy had also asked Asia Confederation president Mohamed Bin Hammam for support.

"An amount of preliminary consultation has already happened," Parmenter said.

"The discussions were purely on an informal basis but they were with both the FIFA president and the AFC president."

Parmenter said the level of public support during the World Cup was a convincing argument that the event would be a great success staged in Australia.

The FFA and government officials are expected to meet this year to select a group of influential people to develop a timeline for a bid.

But Parmenter said that before then the FFA would do its homework to understand the bidding environment better.

Abraam said the COAG agreement stretched beyond the World Cup and would involve bidding for several major soccer events, including the Asian Nations Cup.

Victoria Major Events is already committed to a four-year deal for the Socceroos to play a significant international at the MCG every year.

MELBOURNE Victory has slashed the entry price to its pre-season Cup game against Central Coast Mariners to $10 for adults.

Children under 13 will be admitted free to the game at Olympic Park on Saturday, July 29 (kick-off 3pm).



Herald-Sun

Australia World Cup bid 'realistic'
July 20, 2006

AUSTRALIA believes a bid to host the 2018 World Cup is realistic and plans to make an official announcement on a bid shortly.

South Africa will stage the next World Cup finals in 2010 and South America is in line on rotation for the next championship in 2014, but Australia is warming to the prospect of bidding for the 2018 finals.

Football Federation Australia has yet to formally announce its plans but chief executive John O'Neill indicated today it was definitely in the pipeline.

"I think 2018 is realistic and we will be making some announcements shortly," he told Sydney radio.

Australian and state governments have declared their intentions to financially back any eventual bid after the Socceroos' success in reaching the second round at Germany 2006.

O'Neill said he was positive an Australian bid would be taken seriously by football world governing body FIFA.

"I think all the soundings that we did during the World Cup, (FFA chairman) Frank Lowy in particular with (FIFA president) Sepp Blatter, no-one discouraged us from putting in a bid for 2018, in fact there was a lot of enthusiasm,' O'Neill said.

He said while Australia's ability in hosting global sporting events - the 2000 Sydney Olympic games and the 2003 Rugby World Cup that he helped stage as then chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union - was a great positive, continuing success for the Socceroos would also greatly boost its case.

Qualification for the World Cup finals in Germany and a last 16 spot there have already boosted Australia from 42 to 33 in the latest FIFA world rankings.

"It's important also that we are a country that's a credible football country on the paddock," O'Neill said.

"I doubt that (FIFA) would award the hosting of the World Cup to a country that's ranked 100 in the world, so if we are able to put ourselves in a top-20 position, put in a very compelling bid, then I think 2018 is entirely possible."

O'Neill said another strong factor might be Australia's geographical location as no Cup had been held in the Oceania region, even though Australia is now part of the Asian Football Confederation.

Australia is likely to face opposition from England to stage the 2018 World Cup.

British sports minister Richard Caborn said yesterday there was a very good chance of the 1966 host England bidding for the World Cup, especially if London's 2012 Olympic Games is a success.


Agence France-Presse

Australia 'ready for 2010 World Cup'

September 01, 2006 AUSTRALIA should be "opportunistic" and offer to host the 2010 World Cup finals if South Africa fails to meet construction deadlines, Football Federation Australia chief executive John O'Neill said today.

O'Neill, the driving force behind the 2003 Rugby World Cup when he was Australian Rugby Union chief executive, said Australia had to be ready to step in should world governing body FIFA pull the plug on the Africans.

Australia is working towards a formal bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals under FIFA's continental rotation system, but O'Neill said that process could be accelerated.

O'Neill believes Australia is one of only a handful of countries that could step into the breach at short notice.

Reports earlier this week said senior municipal officials in the nine cities to host the 2010 World Cup finals had accused the South African Government and lawmakers of hampering preparations.
The officials said they were in the dark about the amount of money they would receive, and complained that legislation on tendering contracts threatened to derail their organisation efforts.

"I think we've got to be ready to be absolutely opportunistic," O'Neill today.

"There's all sorts of question marks about infrastructure or requirements in South Africa. Australia doesn't have those problems.

"Where we do have a couple of gaps, in terms of stadia, those gaps could be filled just like that."

O'Neill cited Australia's track record of hosting the acclaimed 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne earlier this year as a major plus, but he urged caution

"I think we've got to play that card very carefully," he said.

"We don't want to be seen to be too aggressive - but we should be ambitious.

"I can't wait for the day that the FIFA World Cup is hosted by Australia."

O'Neill announced on Tuesday that he would not extend his FFA contract beyond its expiry next March, but he said today that he was keen to be involved in bringing the World Cup to Australia eight years ahead of schedule.

"If that was a task that people thought that I'd be worthy for, I'd be more than happy to help with that," O'Neill said.

"It's a job worth doing, it's the big one.

"If I can play a role in helping win the bid, I certainly wouldn't exclude it."

The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that it had received an email from an engineer "actively involved in the construction of South African stadia for 2010".

In it, the paper quoted the engineer as saying: "I would prefer to remain anonymous for the sake of avoiding victimisation, but your article states that a possibility exists for the World Cup to be held in Australia rather than South Africa, and for reasons mostly relating to construction progress.

"I cannot agree with you more.

"Notwithstanding whatever the media may be told, urgency in construction milestones is (being) defeated by political goals."

Agence France-Presse

World Cup bid a step closer

AUSTRALIA'S plans to bid for the 2018 World Cup have received a substantial boost after soccer chiefs held their first detailed discussions with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about the huge challenges that lie ahead.

Football Australia chief executive Ben Buckley led a delegation to Canberra on Friday to make Rudd aware of the substantial amount of government support that would be required to mount a credible bid, let alone successfully snatch the tournament from the hands of favourites England.

The FFA has commissioned a report from a firm of consultants into what Australia has and would need in terms of stadiums, communications and hotels, but it's thought just mounting a bid is expected to cost around $30 million.

Having all that infrastructure in place is not necessary prior to the bid being made.

While England are the strong favourites to grab a tournament they last hosted and won in 1966, Australia has a striking opportunity to impress FIFA's dignitaries and powerbrokers in May when 2500 of them will descend on Sydney for the annual FIFA Congress, a jamboree of law-making, discussions and, above all, networking.

The magnitude of the event is illustrated by the fact millions will be spent hosting it and it's believed Rudd has promised to be part of it, possibly at the opening ceremony, to emphasise the Government's support for the bid.

Probably. Lowy just wants to see the World Cup down here before he drops dead.

Wow, that stadium looks really nice, when will it be finished?

Why are they building it for?

You forgot Melbourne's new stadium, which would probably go into Category B.



It is being built so that the foundations exist for an expansion to 50,000 in the future (ie if Australia hosts the World Cup).

PREMIER Morris Iemma believes ANZ Stadium - not the MCG - should host the 2018 World Cup soccer final should Australia win the right to hold the tournament.

Iemma yesterday lit the fuse for an explosive three-year skirmish with Melbourne by claiming it would be embarrassing for Australia if the oval-shaped MCG hosted world football's showpiece.

"What kind of signal would that send to the world to have the World Cup final at a cricket ground?" said Iemma, who is confident Australia will present a "first-rate submission".

"That's the big advantage that Homebush has over the MCG. It can be modified to better fit the round-ball game.

"ANZ Stadium would be the perfect venue for a World Cup final because it complies with FIFA regulations and the MCG doesn't."

Though Iemma was wrong on the final point - the MCG does, in fact, comply with FIFA regulations - he officially drew up the state battle lines yesterday.