THE CAMPAIGN to bring the FIFA World Cup to Leicester in 2018 kicks off in earnest today (15th), as voting for the public’s preferred host cities gets under way. 
 
Although the public vote alone won’t secure Leicester’s place amongst the cities that will host World Cup games, local enthusiasm will be a major factor for the Football Association (FA) when it chooses its partner cities for England’s bid. 
 
And by logging on to www.england2018bid.com – and selecting ‘Leicester’ as their preferred host city – local people can show the FA what it would mean to them, if the biggest event in the world were to come to Leicester.   
 
City council leader Cllr Ross Willmott – who’s leading the bid – is confident that the Leicester public will get behind the bid: 
 
“We need to prove to the FA that we really want the World Cup to come to Leicester,” he said. 
 
“If everyone who lives or works in Leicestershire could log on and vote for our city, it would be a massive boost for our campaign. 
 
“Hosting the World Cup is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our country – and if England wins the right to stage the 2018 World Cup, we want to do everything we can to make sure that Leicester’s involved.” 
 
As well as demonstrating strong support from the public and media, successful host cities will need to satisfy a range of requirements, including: 
 
• A stadium to hold a minimum of 40,000 people 
• Hotel accommodation for teams, officials and fans 
• Fan parks for supporters 
• Good travel links with the rest of the country 
• Training facilities and potential base camps for national teams 
 
An outline bid, setting out how Leicester would meet those requirements, must be presented to the FA by July 8th – and a project team, including representatives of the city and county councils, Leicester City Football Club and other key stakeholders, is already working on the detail. 
 
Nick Carter, chairman of Prospect Leicestershire, is helping to co-ordinate work on the bid. 
 
“There’s a lot of work to be done in a short space of time, but we’re confident that we’ll pull together a strong bid,” he said. 
 
“What we need now is for every business, every school and every individual in the county to show that they’re behind us by voting for Leicester on the England 2018 website. 
 
“With the backing of the public and the local media, and with our unique combination of diversity, community spirit and passion for sport, Leicester’s selection as a host city can only enhance England’s bid.” 
 
Leicester City Football Club is playing a key role in the city’s bid, as their home – the Walkers Stadium – would be the venue for World Cup matches. 
 
But chief executive Lee Hoos is well aware that the benefits of World Cup success extend far beyond the football stadium. 
 
“It is important that everyone gives their support not just to Leicester but England as well,” he said. 
 
“It has been said that the real winners of the World Cup are the host cities, not just the team that eventually wins the tournament, because of the economic benefits it brings.” 
 
People can start to vote for Leicester as their preferred host city from today (15th). Anyone without internet access can visit their local library, where computers can be used free of charge by library members. 
 
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