Can Jacksonville be a host city?
Very speculative, but one writer mentioned Jacksonville in his article on the subject.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AtpI2tTzuJXSa9WoEDg1rxMmw7YF?slug=ap-worldcupbids&prov=ap&type=lgns
QuoteSince 1994, large new stadiums also have opened in Baltimore; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Denver; Glendale, Ariz.; Houston; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; Seattle; and Tampa, Fla. In addition, the Superdome in New Orleans was refurbished after Hurricane Katrina.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090202/sp_nm/us_soccer_world_us_1
QuoteNo U.S. cities have yet been penciled in as potential hosts for matches said Gulati, who added that an initial shortlist could feature as many as 40 stadiums.
"We haven't reached out to cities yet although a few have reached out to us. We have 25 to 40 venues that could host the World Cup," said Gulati who noted that the decision on cities would not be made until after the bid vote.
"We have an abundance of choices," he said citing the many existing and planned stadiums in the country.
Remember, this would be for 2018 or 2022. In my informed but far from expert opinion, the US is as much of a lock as a country can possibly be to get one of those two World Cups. Can we ride the strength of our country's bid and host a few of the games? Is this realistic? Forget the Super Bowl, the World Cup is much much bigger.
Just some facts about hosting:
-There were 9 venues in 9 cities for the 1994 World Cup in the US. The Citrus Bowl in Orlando was the only one in the Southeast.
-There were 10 venues in 9 cities for France '98. This World Cup also saw an increase in teams from 24 to 32 and increase of total games from 52 to 64.
-10 stadiums in Japan and 10 stadiums in South Korea for 2002, all in different cities (Obviously, fewer games at each stadium)
-Germany '06 had 12 venues in 12 cities.
-South Africa in 2010 was originally to have 13 venues in 10 cities. Now it is down to 10 in 9 cities, assuming there are no more changes due to delayed construction.
-Brazil in 2014 has 19 cities vying for what is planned to be a total of 12 hosts.
-Current FIFA regulations require venues to be minimum 40,000 capacity.
-Regulations also require host nations to have between 8 and 10 host cities. (A nation can petition to have more...SEE Brazil '14)
-South Africa's preparation for the World Cup has spurred construction of a major 80 km railway to connect Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as an expansive BRT system elsewhere.
-Brazil has also announced a $15 Billion high-speed rail network to be completed ahead of their World Cup.
-The 1994 US World Cup averaged 69,000 attendance per game...still the current record for a World Cup.
-The '94 World Cup had a total of just under 3.6 million total attendance...also still the current record despite having 12 fewer games than all the subsequent Cups played.
-The '94 World Cup is the highest-attended single sporting event in US history.
-Even if they don't have tickets, World Cup fans travel to the games in droves to support their country just by being in the same city.
This might all just be pie in the sky, but I wanted to share anyway.
Does the stadium accommodate a FIFA standard field? I know that pro fields in the US are flexible about size, but what about World Cup "pitches"?
There was a match in which the German national team played here about ten years ago. I was pretty sure that it was to FIFA standards. If Miami, Tampa and Orlando are able to accomodate matches, we would be in a difficult position.
I wonder if summer heat factored into the limited number of venues in the South.
I think they played in Orlando in 94.
QuoteI think they played in Orlando in 94.
Yes, they did. By the way, North Florida did have some involvement in the '94 World Cup. If I recall, at least 2 teams held remote practices at the Eagle Harbor Soccer complex.
For whatever it’s worth, the Citrus Bowl in Orlando has turned into quite the dump since 1994.
That sure help's Jacksonville's chances then. :)
Quote from: Jason on February 04, 2009, 08:41:43 AM
That sure help's Jacksonville's chances then. :)
I couldn’t imagine the Citrus Bowl playing host to the World Cup in its current state. The facility is badly outdated, traffic is miserable coming in and out, and the surrounding area is really sleazy. The WWE had Wrestlemania at the Citrus Bowl last year, and I know they were really disappointed with the whole experience. 2018 gives them some time to either renovate or rebuild, but in these economic times, that doesn’t seem likely. Maybe Jax will have a shot at landing a few games? It would be
great for the city.
The Citrus Bowl is scheduled to be fully renovated. Not sure if that is still going to happen based on the economy.
Well, the new Orlando Arena is officially under construction. Once finished in 2010 the economy might be solid enough to warant the upgrades to the Citrus Bowl next.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on February 04, 2009, 12:16:38 AM
Can Jacksonville be a host city?
Very speculative, but one writer mentioned Jacksonville in his article on the subject.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AtpI2tTzuJXSa9WoEDg1rxMmw7YF?slug=ap-worldcupbids&prov=ap&type=lgns
QuoteSince 1994, large new stadiums also have opened in Baltimore; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Denver; Glendale, Ariz.; Houston; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; Seattle; and Tampa, Fla. In addition, the Superdome in New Orleans was refurbished after Hurricane Katrina.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090202/sp_nm/us_soccer_world_us_1
QuoteNo U.S. cities have yet been penciled in as potential hosts for matches said Gulati, who added that an initial shortlist could feature as many as 40 stadiums.
"We haven't reached out to cities yet although a few have reached out to us. We have 25 to 40 venues that could host the World Cup," said Gulati who noted that the decision on cities would not be made until after the bid vote.
"We have an abundance of choices," he said citing the many existing and planned stadiums in the country.
Remember, this would be for 2018 or 2022. In my informed but far from expert opinion, the US is as much of a lock as a country can possibly be to get one of those two World Cups. Can we ride the strength of our country's bid and host a few of the games? Is this realistic? Forget the Super Bowl, the World Cup is much much bigger.
Just some facts about hosting:
-There were 9 venues in 9 cities for the 1994 World Cup in the US. The Citrus Bowl in Orlando was the only one in the Southeast.
-There were 10 venues in 9 cities for France '98. This World Cup also saw an increase in teams from 24 to 32 and increase of total games from 52 to 64.
-10 stadiums in Japan and 10 stadiums in South Korea for 2002, all in different cities (Obviously, fewer games at each stadium)
-Germany '06 had 12 venues in 12 cities.
-South Africa in 2010 was originally to have 13 venues in 10 cities. Now it is down to 10 in 9 cities, assuming there are no more changes due to delayed construction.
-Brazil in 2014 has 19 cities vying for what is planned to be a total of 12 hosts.
-Current FIFA regulations require venues to be minimum 40,000 capacity.
-Regulations also require host nations to have between 8 and 10 host cities. (A nation can petition to have more...SEE Brazil '14)
-South Africa's preparation for the World Cup has spurred construction of a major 80 km railway to connect Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as an expansive BRT system elsewhere.
-Brazil has also announced a $15 Billion high-speed rail network to be completed ahead of their World Cup.
-The 1994 US World Cup averaged 69,000 attendance per game...still the current record for a World Cup.
-The '94 World Cup had a total of just under 3.6 million total attendance...also still the current record despite having 12 fewer games than all the subsequent Cups played.
-The '94 World Cup is the highest-attended single sporting event in US history.
-Even if they don't have tickets, World Cup fans travel to the games in droves to support their country just by being in the same city.
This might all just be pie in the sky, but I wanted to share anyway.
Not much of a soccer fan anymore, but I think I was one of about 10 season ticket holders for the Jax tea men. Would be a blast to get a world cup game here, hopefully involving Brazil. Know I would attend if I could score a ticket
With no direct international flights.. I don;t think Jax will make it on the shortlist. Would be great to have a couple of games here. Lots of supporters.
Another problem is the humidity in July (WC is almost always played in July). Especially when the games are played at noon to reach the tv audience in Europe at night.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=Ao43EGWzAMKGBUIZCr2DsYsmw7YF?slug=ap-wcup-trinidad-us&prov=ap&type=lgns
QuoteU.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said letters will soon be going out to about 65 cities, stadium authorities and sports commissions inquiring about interest in hosting matches at the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, should the U.S. be awarded hosting rights next year.
Hey, somebody somewhere was readin my discussion. No, not really, but it turns out we did receive a letter.
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2009/04/06/daily31.html
Quote
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and The University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium are among 70 U.S. venues that could host soccer’s World Cup in 2018 or 2022, the USA Bid Committee said Wednesday.
The committee mailed letters last week to public officials and stadium operators in metropolitan markets across the United States in a first step toward preparing a formal bid to play host to the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022.
I am not a big fan of soccer but this would be great for the city.
QuoteFor whatever it’s worth, the Citrus Bowl in Orlando has turned into quite the dump since 1994.
Plans are in place for renovations and skybox upgrades. ORL knows its a dump and it cannot complete for ACCCG or anything of that size without upgrades. ORL has enough money to make it happen.
No direct flights is a killer, as are no transit and no downtown city tourist pull beyond the event.
I'm such a big soccer fan that our office schedule this time of year revolves around Champions League games. I would love to see World Cup here, but I don't think it's in cards for JAX unless the city makes some big infrastructure and urban revitalization investments.
Since FIFA is talking about a North American host in 2018 or 2022, I guess they're pretty confidant in securing their proposed host-schedule switch agreement in favor of London.
Quote from: JaxByDefault on April 20, 2009, 11:01:43 PM
No direct flights is a killer, as are no transit and no downtown city tourist pull beyond the event.
I'm such a big soccer fan that our office schedule this time of year revolves around Champions League games. I would love to see World Cup here, but I don't think it's in cards for JAX unless the city makes some big infrastructure and urban revitalization investments.
Since FIFA is talking about a North American host in 2018 or 2022, I guess they're pretty confidant in securing their proposed host-schedule switch agreement in favor of London.
But what about rail?
Jax Municipal expressed interest in hosting.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=Amv7bgI1vZ.DN5uXazfwsAsmw7YF?slug=ap-bidvenues&prov=ap&type=lgns
Quote from: Beloki on February 04, 2009, 11:27:54 AM
With no direct international flights.. I don;t think Jax will make it on the shortlist.
Quote from: JaxByDefault on April 20, 2009, 11:01:43 PM
No direct flights is a killer, as are no transit and no downtown city tourist pull beyond the event.
I'm such a big soccer fan that our office schedule this time of year revolves around Champions League games. I would love to see World Cup here, but I don't think it's in cards for JAX unless the city makes some big infrastructure and urban revitalization investments.
Since FIFA is talking about a North American host in 2018 or 2022, I guess they're pretty confidant in securing their proposed host-schedule switch agreement in favor of London.
I could be wrong since Im just speculating, but I dont think no direct flights makes much difference since most of these teams and their fans are traveling from across the world. What difference does it make flying three legs verses four legs. Also, I believe that most teams (at least in recent cups) have played all three of their first round games in three different cities. So the availability of domestic flights are probably far more important than the international ones.
Yeah, I think they are pretty confident. It helps that the announcement for both hosts will be made at the same time.
Still a contender - 27 cities nixed:
QuoteJacksonville still in running for World Cup soccer
Jacksonville Business Journal
QuoteJacksonville has made the cut of 37 American cities that will bid to host soccer’s World Cup matches in 2018 or 2022.
The USA Bid Committee on Tuesday said it issued requests for proposals (RFPs) to officials representing 37 U.S. cities, including Jacksonville, that currently qualify as potential host cities to FIFA World Cup. The RFPs ask for information from city officials about tourism, climate, security, transportation, promotion and more.
The United States’ application is due to FIFA in May 2010. FIFA’s 24-member executive committee will study the bids, conduct site visits and name the two host nations for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010, completing a 21-month bid and review process.
The USA Bid Committee also released a short list of 45 stadiums associated with the 37 candidate host cities. Jacksonville Municipal Stadium is among the venues under consideration.
The United States, Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and Russia have formally declared their desire to host to the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain have each submitted joint bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, while Qatar and South Korea have applied as candidates to play host only to the tournament in 2022.
Nice!
Jacksonville has also added quite a few hotels since the Superbowl. That should help our chances even more. Not to mention we have quite a few years left to ride out the recession and for planning and construction of more ammenities downtown, as well as possible expansion of our transit systems. I think we have a good shot.
I wonder who the other 37 cities are? I don't see Jacksonville making the final cut.
Link to the shorter list. We have some very stiff competition. Nashville has hosted several WC semi-final and qualifying games so I'd expect them to go high upon the list.
http://www.ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_14876672.html
HUGE HUGE HUGE win for the United States today vs. Spain. They will be in the final on Sunday for the Confederations Cup. Easily one of the top 5 victories of all time for this club. This should foster some respect from around the world as FIFA shifts to World Cup mode. Sadly, it's not even ESPN or CNNSI's lead story, but it certainly is @ BBC Sport.
Really was a great game. After the US went up 1-nil, I wasn't a fan of the decision to fall off pace for 15 minutes and let Spain take 1,000 shots on goal, but some amazing play by Tim Howard and some excellent clears by defenders handled it well.
(http://home.att.net/~nasl/logos/Jacksonville_Tea_Men.gif)(http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/Image14.gif)
Yeah, Jax can't, can't, can't... God knows how sick I am of that speak. During the heyday of the NASL when we got the Tea Men from Boston, Sports Illustrated lampooned the City as "The NASL Has a Sense of Humor and Relocated a team to Jacksonville..." (last issue I'll ever read). We must have been left off the rest of their coverage because we blew away the other cities in attendance. We were putting 15,000 - 40,000 per game, while Los Angeles was averaging 2,000! Some joke huh SI?
(http://www.basports.com/ClientData/image/global/SOCCER-THE%20GREAT%20PELE.jpg)
I wouldn't have given you .02 cents for all the Soccer in the World but it was the only game in town, then I got to see PELE Number 10 pull these stunts in our stadium. HOLY S**T! Then I moved to Colombia! Be wild to see Medellin play here.
Well damn the league folded and the little Joker Recoiled to dozens of small league or smaller sports. The arena football was tons of fun but huh? Guess they fizzled too? Now we're set for FIFA and the mother of all games... Guys and Gals, WE ALONE HAVE THE NUMBERS TO BACK IT UP!
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: JaxByDefault on June 25, 2009, 12:15:10 AM
Really was a great game. After the US went up 1-nil, I wasn't a fan of the decision to fall off pace for 15 minutes and let Spain take 1,000 shots on goal, but some amazing play by Tim Howard and some excellent clears by defenders handled it well.
I'm not so sure that was a tactical decision in the second half as much as it was us just collapsing so far in that we had no release for a counter attack. and the fact that spain is better and we struggled to handle the pressure.
That said, great game for us, terrific win...hopefully it carries over into a strong finish in qualifying. I just can't get very excited about a non World Cup event.
Sorry Ock, we were NOT putting large crowds into the gator bowl for the Tea Men heres a nice summary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacksonville_Tea_Men
we were averaging around 8 or 9 thousand. I made every game but one against the LA team. We drew better than LA but thats not saying much
QuoteORL knows its a dump and it cannot complete for ACCCG
ACCCG not coming back to FL anytime soon. After the debacle that was Tampa, they pulled the game, set it in Charlotte, and are hoping to do better than the 28,000 who came in Tampa, where they also held the Super Bowl, so the accomodations were not the issue. People in FL had no desire to see a team from Virginia or Massachusetts. ORL will be no different.
The ACCCG will be in Charlotte starting in 2010 and will, in my opinion, stay there indefinitely. It makes sense, since Charlotte is within four hours of 8 out of 12 ACC schools (and CLT is a major hub airport). It would have been in Charlotte last year but for the fact that some engineering conference had booked most of the city's hotel rooms that weekend. Tampa wanted a two-year commitment to host the game, which is why it will be there this year as well. The only way the game leaves Charlotte after next year is if (a) the stadium owner gets greedy and tries to stiff the conference, (b) the SEC leaves the Georgia Dome for some unexplained reason, or (c) the weather in Charlotte is bad enough to keep fans away several years in a row.
I wish I could dig up attendance numbers for the USA - Germany Friendly that was played at Alltel in 1999. The USA won 3-0 in front of a curious but inspired crowd & I believe that it's the only time we've EVER beaten them. Period.
Quote from: blizz01 on June 25, 2009, 09:01:46 AM
I wish I could dig up attendance numbers for the USA - Germany Friendly that was played at Alltel in 1999. The USA won 3-0 in front of a curious but inspired crowd & I believe that it's the only time we've EVER beaten them. Period.
Looks like Jacksonville drew 17,259 people for that game (http://www.ussoccer.com/common/stContent.jsp_16-TMNT17.html). It was the second worst attended game in the US that year, but JAX was the smallest-hosting US metro area.
U.S. Men's team is now 2-6-0 against Germany, 2-8-0 if you add in losses against the former East German team.
For those only jazzed about World Cup: Final Draw is on December 4. Let everyone hope their favorite national team* avoids the Group of Death. (*Unless you're a Brazil, Spain, or Argentina fan: Group of Death all the way for your teams, please. ;) )
Thanks for the details - I stand corrected on the record vs. Germany (I know the win was a big deal & maybe that was at the time?).
Had fun looking that one up, Blizz. I was surprised the US v. Germany record was so one sided since Germany has had its share of ups and downs over the past 15 years.
Any US win against a major European or South American team is a big deal.
Now let's discuss the very serious matter ;) of FIFA needing to ban those horns that are so popular in the stands in South Africa. The US v. Spain ConfedCup semi sounded like it was being held in the middle of a noisy beehive. Spouse angrily thought something was wrong with the TV and sound system when he turned it on. (Home offices have their advantages...scheduling around footie is one of them.)
Apparently that's up for discussion (FIFA). The announcer said that they were trumpets. I had to cut the TV down & a friend of mine who tends bar @ the beach said they had to do the same because it really got into your head. It's always something, though - flares, drums, stampedes, etc.
Yeah, FIFA will probably do something about the horns...in South Africa's case called "vuvuzella."
The US Committee has narrowed the list of potential hosts to 45 stadiums in 37 cities, and Jax Municipal made the cut. Gainesville did not.
Where will we be in 2022?
http://ussoccer.com/articles/viewArticle.jsp_14876672.html
^^ Hopefully with a functional vibrant downtown with thriving shops and dining. Transit, more hotels and residents living downtown. Attractions and more entertainment options.
I just came across an article in the Tennessean, Nashville's newspaper, discussing that city's chance to host World Cup games in 2018 or 2022. The list of 37 potential host cities in the U.S., which includes Jacksonville, will be trimmed to 25 cities by the end of the month.
I certainly hope Jacksonville makes the short list, but does anyone know if anyone in the city is working on this issue. According to Nashville's preliminary economic impact assessment, each game will have a $100 million economic impact for the city. Each host city will receive four to six games.
That's roughly the economic impact of two Super Bowls within the span of one month. Why have we heard so little about this from the city and local media?
To read the Tennessean article,
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090813/SPORTS11/908130340&s=d&page=2#pluckcomments (http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090813/SPORTS11/908130340&s=d&page=2#pluckcomments)
Why would the city actually work on the something that makes sense and would have an amazing impact on our city???
i think there is a fear of failure permeating our leadership ranks.
That's too far away for Peyton to worry about, he just wants to score some last minute easy points and get the heck out of office and back to daddy's business. Probably not in the city's purview.
This is another one of those makes too much sense for the city to care type scenarios. 25 CITIES!!!??? It's not like we have to get first in something, we can shoot for 23rd-25th!!!! Come On, isn't that what our city is built on?? finishing in the middle of the pack behind Buffalo in Cleveland??? This is a very achievable goal that we should get behind but aren't.
PS- I was at that US v Germany game in 1999. Front row seats for super cheap and had a great time with my family. I was 12 so i don't remember much more than having fun.
What a shame that the World Cup Qualifier between the USA vs. Mexico wasn't even broadcast on live television yesterday afternoon - I suppose that there was just too much to choose from @ 4pm. I caught a choppy stream (en Espanol, no less) on Terra.com. ESPN 360 didn't even pick it up - what a travesty.
USA 1 MEX 2 F
Quote from: blizz01 on August 13, 2009, 12:47:59 PM
Waht a shame that the World Cup Qualifier between the USA vs. Mexico wasn't even broadcast on live television yesterday afternoon - I suppose that there was just too much to choose from @ 4pm.
I actually caught the game on Mun2 on Comcast channel 636. It was labeled "Futbol" on the guide, but (to my surprise) the broadcast was actually in English. I think Mun2 is Telemundo's new, hipper, mostly English language channel geared towards a younger crowd.
It was a shame that the US let Mexico come back to take the lead at the end. Oh well...they needed the points more than we did.
I remember sitting in European Street eating during the 2006 World Cup. They were about the only place showing it on tv during the day...It is amazing that the US is pretty much THE only country that is not crazy about futbol.
Other countries/cities would die for a chance to be in the mix to host a world cup.
QuoteIt is amazing that the US is pretty much THE only country that is not crazy about futbol.
That's because we're not traditionally good at it (internationally). The most successful sports in the U.S. for the most part, originated here, or at least we put our own twists & rules on them - we're stubborn, as soccer continues to be THE most popular youth sport in the United States & obviously around the world.
True...the US is pretty bad although maybe starting to make some strides.
What a terrible loss yesterday at Azteca, we should have pulled that one out. We played scared. I also caught the English version of game on Mun2. telemundo and mun2 are owned by NBC Universal, and it was the first time the same station broadcast a game in 2 languages or something like that. They put out a press release a few weeks ago on ussoccer.com about the Mun2 thing.
We played scared yesterday and drew too far back after scoring. Packed it in way too early. Nice goal by davies, made their keeper look silly. Mexico is our number one rival and I just hope we see them again in the WC like we did in 2002 and knock them out. Go USA!!!! Also Altidore should have started over Ching.... And what was with the yellow cards and lack of calls for us, ref must have been paid off or scared, cause he definitely called the game to Mexicos advantage.
Quote from: 77danj7 on August 13, 2009, 04:02:36 PM
True...the US is pretty bad although maybe starting to make some strides.
We have been taking strides, and we are not pretty bad, we are consistently in the top 20 of FIFA rankings. If it was college football or basketball, would the Top 20 be pretty bad? Not at all, and this is the whole world these rankings.... Watch the USA shock the world next year at WC 2010 and make a run into the quarter or semi finals...
The 3 most popular sports in the world are Soccer, Cricket, & Field Hockey - where do those fit into the USA's hierarchy of needs?
Quote from: cdb on August 13, 2009, 04:04:26 PM
Also Altidore should have started over Ching.... And what was with the yellow cards and lack of calls for us, ref must have been paid off or scared, cause he definitely called the game to Mexicos advantage.
I agree--we should start Davies and Altidore up front despite Altidore's horrible first touches. If you didn't know what position Ching plays, anyone watching the game yesterday would have sworn he was a midfielder. He was tentative and never up front.
The yellow cards on the US were bogus. The only yellow card shown to Mexico was when one of their players choked Feilhaber. Ridiculous!
In the US I'd say the pro sports are ranked:
1. Football
2. Baseball
3. Basketball
4. NASCAR
5. Hockey
6. Golf
7. Soccer
8. Other racing types
9. Fighting (Boxing, UFC)
10. Tennis
And they switched out the referee crew because it was supposed to be a crew from El Salvador, but because they are behind in qualifying to Mexico, FIFA thought there might be a bias, so they brought a crew from Panama.... I think we will qualify, but would have loved to have seen us break that curse at Azteca. That was the team to do it. We need the young guys out there that dont let the hype get to them. And Gooch looked nervous all game yesterday, he better screw his head on straight, that type of crowd is weekly in Serie A.
Quote from: Jason on August 13, 2009, 04:35:26 PM
In the US I'd say the pro sports are ranked:
1. Football
2. Baseball
3. Basketball
4. NASCAR
5. Hockey
6. Golf
7. Soccer
8. Other racing types
9. Fighting (Boxing, UFC)
10. Tennis
Its sad to see that Nascar and Hockey would be more popular than soccer. Nascar isn't even a sport to me, and I don't care what rationale you try to bring to that argument. Going in a circle in the same type of car as everyone is not a sport. Road racing maybe. But anyway, the MLS is building a solid league, give it time and we will have one of the better leagues in the world. Teams like Seattle, Chicago, Columbus, and the 2 LA teams have solid followings and good crowds at all games.
The World Cup would be huge for Jacksonville. Having it in the Municipal Stadium would be big, as there are so many teams which have huge followings.
In Atlanta, they get 60,000 people for exhibitions. Here, they probably would get that many for the World Cup, maybe 80,000.
Id go to the world cup, I think it would be awsome to see live
Great article today from ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090817
Again, I dont know what this really means ultimately, but Jacksonville made the next cut in the selection process. I received this email today:
Quote
Dear Maxwell,
We are releasing some important news about our World Cup bid today, and I want you and all our supporters to hear it from us first.
Your city could be the future site of a FIFA World Cupâ,,¢ match!
Today we're announcing the U.S. cities that are still in contention to be included in our bid to host the FIFA World Cupâ,,¢. We still have to narrow this list further, but right now these cities are one step closer to possibly being at the center of the soccer world in 2018 or 2022 -- and your enthusiasm could help your city make the final cut!
Support for our bid has picked up some serious steam in the past week since our launch of http://gousabid.com. Understandably, the same thing is happening in the other bidding nations. If we're going to win the honor of hosting the FIFA World Cupâ,,¢, it'll be because of the overwhelming grassroots support of soccer fans like you who believe in our bid's official theme, The Game Is In US.
Now you can strengthen this movement by sharing our petition on Facebook and Twitter. Click these buttons to be part of our online community:
Here is the list of cities that are still in contention to be part of our bid that is due to FIFA in May 2010:
Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Glendale-Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
Take a good look at this list, because you could be watching a World Cup match in one of these cities in 2018 or 2022!
Also, be sure to share your thoughts about this list of cities on Facebook and Twitter. It's the best way to connect with other supporters, get the latest news about our bid, and share our movement with all your friends.
Spread the word on Facebook
Spread the word on Twitter
Thanks again for your support, and stay tuned for other big announcements!
-- David
David Downs
Executive Director
USA Bid Committee
That's 27 cities...basically NFL cities plus Orlando and LA, minus Minneapolis, Green Bay, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo.
Wow...we have a shot. We need to get some momentum on this...it really would be one the most amazing experiences for the city to be a host.
Quote from: blizz01 on August 17, 2009, 07:18:01 PM
Great article today from ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090817
I loved that article. Thanks for sharing.
Quote from: blizz01 on August 17, 2009, 07:18:01 PM
Great article today from ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090817
What a good article, I have forwarded it to all my fellow soccer fans I could think of.... I can't wait for September 5th to see Jozy back and Nats playing in a hospitable and non-urine throwing environment... We should all get a thread going on where to go watch that game, and overrun the place with USA soccer fans... There are enough of us to take over a bar....
ill be there.
Jax making the third cut is awesome. The city has a year to get the bid complete and try to convince the U.S.A. committe to select us. If selected we would have 8 or 12 years to improve the downtown, airport, and mass transit. (thats assuming the U.S. gets selected). This event is basically the Super Bowl for the world. Lets hope the city gets on board. This would be a huge international event and would bring in millions of tourist dollars, not to mention unparralled exposure.
The National Bid Committee is making the rounds this month to determine who makes the final cut.
When is the JAX visit? Who is our committee? Why hasn't the city tried to engage and enlist local soccer fans?!
Nashville: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090923/SPORTS11/909230391/U.S.+soccer+official+visits+Nashville
St. Louis: http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2009/09/14/daily89.html
From the Nashville article above:
Quote"There are costs, obviously with facilities and security, and items like that," Spyridon said. "It's expensive, and it is on par with Super Bowl-level expenditures. But the economic impact would exceed that beyond tenfold."
Sign the petition to support Jax:
http://www.gousabid.com/city
http://www.gousabid.com/city/local/jacksonville-fl/
^ Done. Thanks for posting the links!
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on February 04, 2009, 12:16:38 AM
Can Jacksonville be a host city?
Very speculative, but one writer mentioned Jacksonville in his article on the subject.
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylt=AtpI2tTzuJXSa9WoEDg1rxMmw7YF?slug=ap-worldcupbids&prov=ap&type=lgns
QuoteSince 1994, large new stadiums also have opened in Baltimore; Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Cleveland; Denver; Glendale, Ariz.; Houston; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; Seattle; and Tampa, Fla. In addition, the Superdome in New Orleans was refurbished after Hurricane Katrina.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090202/sp_nm/us_soccer_world_us_1
QuoteNo U.S. cities have yet been penciled in as potential hosts for matches said Gulati, who added that an initial shortlist could feature as many as 40 stadiums.
"We haven't reached out to cities yet although a few have reached out to us. We have 25 to 40 venues that could host the World Cup," said Gulati who noted that the decision on cities would not be made until after the bid vote.
"We have an abundance of choices," he said citing the many existing and planned stadiums in the country.
Remember, this would be for 2018 or 2022. In my informed but far from expert opinion, the US is as much of a lock as a country can possibly be to get one of those two World Cups. Can we ride the strength of our country's bid and host a few of the games? Is this realistic? Forget the Super Bowl, the World Cup is much much bigger.
Just some facts about hosting:
-There were 9 venues in 9 cities for the 1994 World Cup in the US. The Citrus Bowl in Orlando was the only one in the Southeast.
-There were 10 venues in 9 cities for France '98. This World Cup also saw an increase in teams from 24 to 32 and increase of total games from 52 to 64.
-10 stadiums in Japan and 10 stadiums in South Korea for 2002, all in different cities (Obviously, fewer games at each stadium)
-Germany '06 had 12 venues in 12 cities.
-South Africa in 2010 was originally to have 13 venues in 10 cities. Now it is down to 10 in 9 cities, assuming there are no more changes due to delayed construction.
-Brazil in 2014 has 19 cities vying for what is planned to be a total of 12 hosts.
-Current FIFA regulations require venues to be minimum 40,000 capacity.
-Regulations also require host nations to have between 8 and 10 host cities. (A nation can petition to have more...SEE Brazil '14)
-South Africa's preparation for the World Cup has spurred construction of a major 80 km railway to connect Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as an expansive BRT system elsewhere.
-Brazil has also announced a $15 Billion high-speed rail network to be completed ahead of their World Cup.
-The 1994 US World Cup averaged 69,000 attendance per game...still the current record for a World Cup.
-The '94 World Cup had a total of just under 3.6 million total attendance...also still the current record despite having 12 fewer games than all the subsequent Cups played.
-The '94 World Cup is the highest-attended single sporting event in US history.
-Even if they don't have tickets, World Cup fans travel to the games in droves to support their country just by being in the same city.
This might all just be pie in the sky, but I wanted to share anyway.
Yes, but Jacksonville isn't a Miami or Atlanta were these two cities would be better to Host these World Cups.