RFU Unveils 2015 Rugby World Cup Bid Details
The Rugby Football Union has unveiled the details of its bid to host the Rugby World Cup in England in 2015 including using football grounds such as The Emirates Stadium, Old Trafford and Anfield to stage games.
In a presentation to the International Rugby Board (IRB) Council in Dublin, England’s bid team outlined proposals to bring the RWC back to England for the first time in 24 years, a move it believes will leave a lasting legacy for the global game.
Pool stages would be held in nine cities across England, with the latter stages scheduled to take place in some of the country’s biggest sporting stadiums, including Wembley Stadium, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, the Emirates Stadium, Old Trafford and Anfield, with the final taking place at Twickenham Stadium.
RFU chief executive Francis Baron believes that given the global economic climate, hosting the tournament in England would support the growth of the global game and provide a lasting legacy for the future of world rugby.
He said: ‘In 2015 it will be 24 years since England last hosted a Rugby World Cup and we believe the time is right. The RFU is 100% committed to delivering an outstanding RWC 2015. These are turbulent and difficult times but we believe the bid we have put together represents a low risk but high potential return.
‘The combined capacity of our chosen stadia is in the region of 700,000 seats. Our target is to sell 3 million seats, that’s a 30 per cent increase on France 2007.’
RFU director of business operations Paul Vaughan added, ‘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.
‘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.’
If granted the hosting rights to the 2015 tournament, the RFU will need to meet the IRB’s financial guarantee of £80m for staging the Rugby World Cup.
A decision on the host unions for the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups, the bidding processes for which are being handled concurrently, will be made during a Special Meeting of the IRB Council on 28th July in Dublin.
