Bath part of World Cup bid

An ambitious bid to bring World Cup football to Bristol is being submitted today - with a training base in Bath part of the plans.

Councillors in Bristol officially signed off the £17 million bid for the city to host World Cup games in 2018.

The FA will announce which cities will be part of its wider bid to host the competition on December 16.

A 16-strong delegation from Bristol - including Wallace and Gromit and former Bristol Rovers and England star Gary Mabbutt - is handing over the bid at Wembley.

City council deputy leader Councillor Simon Cook, said: "Bristol is an international city located in the heart of some of the most celebrated countryside in Britain. The city benefits from a diverse population with a strong passion for football and we have experience of hosting large events such as the International Bristol Balloon Fiesta and Bristol Harbour Festival that attract between 200,000 and 300,000 people over a weekend each year.

"We are submitting a strong deliverable bid that has cross party support and are confident that Bristol can deliver an exciting 31-day festival for the World Cup in 2018."

An independent report commissioned by the FA estimates host city status could generate £150 million for the local economy from tourists alone.

If successful, Bristol could host at least four games if Bristol City FC's proposed £92 million stadium at Ashton Vale is given the go-ahead.

Council leader, Councillor Barbara Janke, said: "It is certainly not our intention that council taxpayers should take the expense of the World Cup. It is our intention to raise the money from other means.

"Many in the city feel this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. We are ambitious for the city, we are starting to see the kind of change people have asked for over a long period."

World governing body FIFA will announce which country will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments in December next year.

The Bath Spa Hotel and world-class training facilities at the University of Bath have been included within Bristol's bid as a proposed joint team base for the duration of the tournament.

Each of the teams which qualify are allocated a base for the month-long tournament from which they will travel to matches. For longer journeys they will stay in city centre hotels and train in local venues before returning to their base after the game.

Councillor Francine Haeberling, leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: "If Bristol is successful in its bid to become a World Cup host city, this could bring benefits to the whole of the West of England region.

"Bath is an outstanding world heritage city and would welcome the opportunity to host international football players at its hotels."

The Bath Spa Hotel, with everything from butler service to ice baths was the preferred base for the England rugby team in their preparations for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

Sunderland, Nottingham Forest, Preston North End, Coventry City, Queen's Park Rangers and Bristol Rovers are among the football teams to have trained at the university which will host preparation camps for the British Paralympic Association in the build-up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and has also hosted the South African rugby team.

A University of Bath spokesman said: "We would relish the opportunity to host a team at the 2018 World Cup. If England's 2018 bid is successful, our world-class sports facilities and our experience at hosting training and preparation camps would make us a strong candidate to host a team."

Hotel general manager Martin Clubbe said: "We're an international, five-star hotel. We're used to VIP and international guests staying and all the requirements of top sports teams."

Bristol's bid is one of 16 from across the country, with Plymouth the only other candidate in the West.

Each host venue must supply the England 2018 team with four suggestions for team bases, as well as four city centre hotels.