2018 Cities Bid Updates – Nottingham

The first round of FA visits to all the potential host cities has now taken place and round two has begun. Of the original fifteen starters, all have passed the first stage and in fact, a sixteenth, Plymouth, have added their name.

From Vital England:

Of all the bids, Nottingham appears to be the area of the most controversy so far, as the County Council seem to have fallen out with the City Council over the proposed site for a new stadium for Forest. County Council leader Kay Cutts announced she would withdraw the authority’s support for a new on green-belt land in Gamston. She claimed the city council and Nottingham Forest did not consult them before announcing the new proposals. MP Kenneth Clarke says that, while the World Cup would be exciting, its impact could be minimal. Mr Clarke, a Forest fan, recalls seeing three World Cup games at Villa Park when England staged the tournament in 1966 – but he said he did not recall them having any lasting value for Birmingham’s economy. He also said: “I also attended matches in the European Championship – one between Turkey and Portugal at the City Ground – and the crowd was disappointing, rather like that of a reserve match.” (The crowd that day was 22,670 – quite good for a reserve game?)

Full article: England – 2018 Cities Bid Updates.