Bristol World Cup bid backed by Germany

Bristol has an unlikely ally for it's World Cup bid – Germany.

The Germans have twice knocked England out of major football tournaments in recent memory and beat us to the right to stage the 2006 World Cup.

But they could help win Bristol host city status for 2018.

Bristol has been twinned with Hanover, a city nestled in the Northern half of Germany, for 60 years. Both populations are around the 500,000.

And the fruits of our international connection are being harvested in the form of a visit by the head of its international unit, Paul Burkhard Schneider.

Mr Schneider met with officials from the Bristol bid team yesterday to share critical knowledge on how to bid for – and stage – games in a major international football tournament.

And his message was simple: Harness your history to make history.

Not only did Hanover win host city status for the 2006 World Cup, stage four group matches and a second round clash, it also championed another sister city, Poznan, in Poland, to selection for the 2012 European Championships.

And its team was on hand to advise various South African cities before FIFA's decision to grant the 2010 World Cup to Africa.

Now the men from Hanover who masterminded the complete redevelopment of the AWD Arena to win host city status have turned their helping hand to Bristol.

Mr Schneider told the Post: "Bristol should be promoted for its history. You won't find a city more international, outside London, than Bristol.

"Bristol was and is host to people from different countries, you have a special history and this is something you should focus on.

"I don't doubt that you can build a good stadium. It will be the sole stadium in the South West and you should be proud of it."

He added: "We want to have the chance to exchange ideas and experiences. It (The World Cup) was so important for our city and I think for a city like Bristol, to be host for the World Cup, would fit perfectly."

The people of Hanover were treated to Italy v Ghana (2-0), Mexico v Angola (0-0), Costa Rica v Poland (1-2) and Switzerland v South Korea (2-0) in the group stages of the tournament.

The stadium was full and the fan park put on by the council was brimming with up to 20,000 enthusiasts.

They then hit the jackpot with France's 3-1 victory over Spain in the second round, staged at the specially revamped AWB Arena.

"It was one big party," said Mr Schneider, who stressed to the bid team the importance of marketing before and after the World Cup itself, to capitalise on tourist potential.

Guy Price, development adviser to Bristol City Football Club, who is working closely with the bid team, described the meeting as "very helpful" and confirmed the team's intention to travel to Hanover to learn more in August.

The Football Association visits Bristol on July 13 but their final visit is not until September 10 and the council has up to November 6 to finalise their bid.

"We discussed a lot of ideas concerning transport and accommodation," said Mr Price. "For example, in Hanover they included the cost of fans' travel to and from the ground in their match ticket. They then used their ticket as a pass on all forms of transport. That is obviously something we need to explore."

They also learned how Hanover became very adept at handling a large influx of people at short notice.

"We had 2,500 Mexicans suddenly decide to visit Hanover without accommodation," said Mr Schneider. "It was an ad hoc decision. We were overrun, but we got them accommodation in one of our shelters reserved for medical emergencies and gave them clothes and T-shirts and toothpaste. We didn't want them to leave."

Mr Schneider came armed with a letter of support from the Mayor of Hanover, Stefan Weil.

It read: "I am delighted to support Bristol's application to become a host city for the FIFA world cup in 2018.

"I am especially pleased to be able to share the expertise and knowledge Hanover gained through being a host city for the World Cup in Germany in 2006."

Let us all hope the German's success in securing host city status rubs off.