Welcome to the regular Wednesday column from an old favourite; The Original Grumpy Old Man (OGOM). This week OGOM explains why the England 2018/22 World Cup bid is all wrong.
At some point in the next few months, just before the World Cup in South Africa kicks off, FIFA will decide the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 events. For reasons to do with a love of the game (or at least I think that is what it is) I have strong opinions how the greatest show on earth should run. Last summer I had been musing on the Confederations Cup, particular how it was a test run for the 2010 World Cup. This led on to thinking about the bid to bring the 2018 WC “back home” and all that entails. I suddenly was struck by a rage around what the consequences would be if we got it, which grounds would be chosen, which clubs would benefit, the whole over baked prelude in terms of expenditure and hype. By its very definition I quickly realised a successful bid would mean the worst of legacies left behind, the big PL clubs with even bigger stadiums and more corporate facilities, with no proper consideration for the other 130 professional football teams outside of London/Manchester/Birmingham/Liverpool and whichever lucky others get picked. The subsequent naming of the shortlist of bid venues only went to re-enforce those legacy concerns and that includes the choice of Elland Road.
Do we really want the big urban centers to be the only beneficiaries of this largesse? Do we really want Old Trafford and Villa Park to grow more on the back of public funds? Do we really want only Sheffield and Newcastle and Nottingham to host games whilst better stadiums in less fashionable towns are ignored? Why does every WC have to be based on the areas that already have facilities and infrastructure? Is it beyond the wit and wisdom of this country and FIFA to see beyond the template South Africa and Brazil will follow and instead come up with an alternative, legacy rich, evenly spread bid? Well yes it is and after the shortlist appeared it clearly was, but should that stop that vision being articulated? No it shouldn’t, for without the grit the oyster is a lesser experience.
Having reflected on this for month’s I have become even more convinced that the issue was one of capacity. We too readily fall for the belief that bigger is better, so when Sunderland has a stadium it never fills we don’t question whether the atmosphere has suffered, give it a “great stadium” status, it has a 49k capacity and plans for another 6k!! Do we really think 55k people will turn up to the Stadium of Light to watch Ecuador v New Zealand paying £70 a shot? We know a million forms of media will cover the event with 100 dedicated TV channels and god knows how many internet sites so saturation coverage is guaranteed. Refurbishing or rebuilding 10 to 12 large 45k-80k seater stadiums is the wrong approach, what’s needed is a different idea, instead of 12 stadiums sharing 64 games why not use 64 stadiums? Instead of adding to the Premier League clubs property portfolio why not exclude nearly every PL and larger CCC grounds from the list of stadium and venues, redirect the resources away from the billionaires and towards the whole English football family? Instead of soulless games in soulless stadiums, let’s have packed 15-20-25k seaters in towns that can use the regeneration productively, will look after the grounds after and can focus on the one game allocated to them to showcase not just to the world but themselves and their neighbours. Let’s really make this a tournament to remember by involving the whole country, not just the large urban centers.
Before you all think I have gone even madder allow me to explain why this idea is the best solution, not only for lasting legacy but also to make 2018 a real success. The principle is about bring a positive change, by rewarding those smaller clubs like Colchester, Brighton or Shrewsbury who have made an effort to improve their facilities (even if some of the end results are a touch boxie and kitform) and also assist those clubs left floundering as the money went to fewer and fewer pots. As an alternative bid it makes a virtue of smaller, wider, more eclectic venues, the intent is clear, not to widen the divide but to narrow it. England being what it is with 64 venues you never going to be more than 30 miles from a host ground, Rochdale, Chelmsford and Walsall will have their days in the sun and we will have the most lasting of legacies.
Now I can hear some of the objections already, what about the big cities, what about where England will play, what about the cost? Yes I’m sure if you’re that way inclined you can pick holes galore in the idea but I contend any flaws in the concept pale into irrelevance compared to the flaw of further enriching the over bloated arrogant PL as the FA intend. The cost issue can be resolved by ensuring that we only completely build two new 25k seater stadiums, The New Plough Lane in Wimbledon to be given to and used by AFC (a decent piece of closure to the franchise issue me thinks) and one in Rotherham (both to host last 16 games). Everything else would be either an existing traditional stadium tarted up for modern needs or one of the new stadiums clubs have being or am in the course of building. As I envisaged it, at least, if not more, a quarter of the 48 stadiums needed for the group games would come from outside the present 92 FL clubs and so would at least one of the 8 stadiums needed for the last 16 games, the rest would come from the towns and teams that populate the lower reaches of the FL or are punching above their weight in the top 2 divisions. I also see each group being regionally based, so for example a group of death involving Argentina/Ivory Coast/Russia/Australia could find itself in the South West of the Country. Each of the 8 regions would then provide 1 of the last 16 games venues and half of them a venue for the Q/F’s. The S/F’s would be held in one northern large venue and one southern large venue (the equality rule still applies here so for example the Southern semi could be in a refurbished Memorial Stadium in Bristol and maybe the Northern one at some poor in decline sap of a club on the edge of the M621). The final would play out at Wembley but that is ok as that would be its one and only game and thus would give playing there that special feeling back (as an aside I’d give the 3/4th place play-off to Swansea, keeps the welsh happy).
Taking the South West example, you could see the 6 group venues being Torquay, Exeter, Yeovil, Cheltenham, Salisbury, Weymouth, with the last 16 game being in Plymouth. Equally the Northern region (incorporating Cumbria) would have Hartlepool, Carlisle, Gateshead, Barrow, Darlington and..wait for it..Berwick! The last 16 game would be in Middlesborough. This carries on through the other 6 group regions, Brentford, Barnet and Dagenham would probably be the only London league clubs to benefit (although the idea of the newly reunited Korea playing Burkina Faso at the New Den is tempting). I like the idea of Boundary Park or Oldham’s already proposed new stadium playing host to a Q/F, I think the Brazilians would love it and I equally like the idea of Burslum hosting Germany at that stage. The full list of the alternative bid venue allocations below.
I want to reinforce the principles behind this idea, giving glory and monies to areas of the football family that don’t usually get much and its yang of preventing the greedy cash rich parasites of the PL feasting on this event. By accident more than design my proposal widens the number of people who can go and see WC football on their doorstep and is thus a good environmental idea as well. Now again yes this idea has no chance of being even looked at by the big-wigs at the FIFA now that then FA has gone predictable and no doubt some cynics will scoff at all aspects but I remain convinced the idea and its over-riding principles have more going for them than any of the identikit proposals likely to be waved around by ambassadors Windsor and Beckham. If nothing else I can say at least I gave it a modicum of thought longer than the proponents of the status quo did.
South West Group: Torquay, Exeter C, Yeovil, Cheltenham T, Salisbury, Weymouth.
North East and Cumbria Group: Hartlepool, Carlisle U, Gateshead, Barrow, Darlington, Berwick.
Yorkshire and Humber: Doncaster R, Huddersfield T, Bradford C, Hull C*, York C, Scarborough.
North West: Morecambe, Bury, Stockport, Accrington S, Tranmere R, Rochdale.
East of England + Kent: Colchester U, Peterborough U, Chelmsford C, Gillingham, Stevenage, Cambridge U.
London and South: Aldershot T, Barnet, Brentford, Oxford U, MK Dons, Dagenham.
West Midlands: Walsall, Crewe, Hereford U, Tamworth, Burton A, Macclesfield.
East Midlands: Lincoln C, Chesterfield, Kettering T, Northampton, Notts County, Grimsby.
Last 16: Plymouth A, AFC Wimbledon (New Plough Lane), Rotherham U (New Millmoor), Scunthorpe U, Middlesborugh, Shrewsbury, Southend U, Burnley*.
Last 8: Port Vale, Oldham A, Luton T, Brighton.
Last 4: Bristol Rovers, Leeds U
3rd/4th place: Swansea C
Final: Wembley.
(*assuming relegation and normality have returned to these two before 2018).
Well I like it anyway and I did the first time I wrote this back in July.
Original Grumpy Old Man.
