|
Rugby World Cup
RFU promises biggest RWC in history
Scrum.com
May 13, 2009
The RFU have unveiled a huge bid to bring the 2015 Rugby World Cup to England
© IRB
Enlarge
The RFU has promised the biggest Rugby World Cup in history after unveiling the details of their bid to host the 2015 tournament. In a presentation to the International Rugby Board council in Dublin the RFU highlighted intentions to use the largest stadia in England and Wales for the tournament, with traditional rugby venues Twickenham and the Millennium Stadium being joined by football arenas Wembley, Manchester United's Old Trafford, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Liverpool's Anfield in their plans. The RFU is also targeting a 30% increase on the record crowds seen at the 2007 tournament in France, with an expected three million ticket sales for the games. The final and both semi-finals will be held at Twickenham, while the Millennium Stadium and Wembley will host quarter-finals and group games. The tournament is set to run between September 4 and October 17 2015, with Elland Road in Leeds, St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, St James' Park in Newcastle and the Ricoh Arena in Coventry all set to see action over the course of the competition. Leicester's Welford Road and Gloucester's Kingsholm are the only club grounds included in the bid. England are competing against South Africa, Italy and Japan for the tournament, which they hosted last in 1991. "In 2015 it will be 24 years since England last hosted a Rugby World Cup and we believe the time is right," said RFU chief Francis Baron. "The RFU is 100% committed to delivering an outstanding World Cup in 2015. These are turbulent and difficult times but we believe the bid we have put together represents a low risk but high potential return. "At the heart of our bid are passion, love and commitment to the game and its ideals. Our desire is to broaden rugby's horizons by reaching out and embracing new audiences. The tournament would serve as a catalyst to drive participation, awareness and opportunities supporting the development of the game nationally, in Europe and across the globe. "The RFU is committed to investing 100% of its surplus from the tournament back into the grassroots game, both here in England and through our continued investment in our development agreements with North America and support for the Pacific Island nations." The 2011 World Cup, to be hosted by New Zealand, is not expected to be as profitable as those in Australia in 2003 and France in 2007, another fact that has been highlighted by the RFU's bid. "With a proven track record of organising and delivering major sporting events, hosting the tournament in England would, we believe, deliver the best possible return to support the IRB in the development of the game worldwide," RFU Director of Business Operations Paul Vaughan said. "We will use some of the largest and iconic stadia in the world, venues like Twickenham Stadium (82,000), Wembley (90,000), Old Trafford (76,000), the Millennium Stadium (74,000) and the Emirates (61,000). "Each of these venues is already equipped with the highest quality facilities, served by a comprehensive travel infrastructure and experienced in hosting world class sporting events. The result is a low risk, high reward strategy, capable of providing the ultimate experience for spectators, participants and partners alike. With an advanced broadcasting environment, we believe that hosting the tournament in England would attract more global brands to sponsor the event by providing the optimal environment for them to activate their rights." The RFU has secured the full backing of the government, who have agreed to underwrite part of the £80m required to guarantee security for the tournament. "From the Prime Minister down, the RFU's bid has the Government's total backing," Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham said. "These are exciting times for sport in our country. Next month, the cricket Twenty20 World Cup marks the start of what we hope will be the most memorable and successful decade in our sporting history. "A Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2015 will be a central part of that vision for a decade of sport. It would take the game to new audiences and inspire a new generation to take up rugby. To help the RFU make this bid we have agreed a package of measures which includes a partial underwriting of the RFU's financial guarantee and a guarantee for the security of the tournament outside the stadia involved." © Scrum.com
|
| Live Scores |
| Results |
| Fixtures |
