Your support can win World Cup for Bristol

The aim is simple: for Bristol to be selected as a host city for one of the groups in the 2018 football World Cup.

More iconic than Concorde and the most popular single-sport event on the planet, the World Cup captures the imagination like no other trophy or tournament.

Germany 2006 had a cumulative TV audience – when global viewing figures for each game are added together – of 26 billion.

Our city has a unique chance to play a part in the world's biggest event, putting Bristol before that staggering TV audience, watching in more than 240 countries.

If we are successful it would mean us staging at least four games and the possibility of a quarter final.

2018 is a long way off but time is short. Bristol has to place its first bid before the Football Association (FA) in less than three weeks.

On July 13, an FA delegation will look at our city, armed with Bristol City Council's initial bid.

They will visit again in September once they have received a more detailed bid.

Eight weeks later, on November 6, Bristol has to submit its final bid.

Then comes the nail-biting wait for D-Day, December 14, and the announcement of the 16 stadiums to be included in the FA's bid for submission to FIFA.

There are two important elements to Bristol being successful. Bristol City must be given permission to build their new stadium in Ashton Vale, and you, the people of Bristol, must show the FA you want World Cup football.

While the city council seeks to resolve the planning issues surrounding the sale of Bristol City's current ground, Ashton Gate, and the plans for the new stadium, it is up to the rest of us to do what we can to convince the FA that Bristol is the right choice.

The bid team, led by council chief executive Jan Ormondroyd, business leader John Savage and Bristol City chief executive Colin Sexstone, have their work cut out in the tight timeframe to prove to the FA that Bristol deserves to host matches.

So your voices will play a crucial part in winning this bid – just as the words and faces of London people did in securing the 2012 Olympics.

Mr Sexstone told the Evening Post: "As a Bristolian, I am passionate that we give ourselves the best opportunity to get this. It won't come our way again.

"We've got to make sure that we don't sit back in 12 or 18 months time and find the FA have won the bid and, blow me down, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Hull and other contenders, nothing derogatory against those cities, have won the bid because they pushed every boundary back to make it happen.

"All of us need to be really passionate about this, and to do it in the timeframe we need to think outside the box to make it happen."

Whatever your allegiance, be it City or Rovers, rugby or rowing, it does not matter. The important thing is we all see the benefit of this bid for Bristol as a whole.

Lord Mayor Christopher Davies was at Wembley to launch England's 2018 bid. He said: "It will require a lot of hard work and substantial investment, but partners across Bristol are committed to working together to make this a reality."

The competition is stiff – our closest challengers are Portsmouth and Milton Keynes, both of whom have plans to develop their stadiums so they're fit for World Cup football.

The prize is substantial. The 2006 World Cup attracted more than three million fans to matches and 18.4 million fans to fan parks.

And we have many things to showcase, besides our place as the sole contender from the West.

Bristol is served by two major motorways, two major railway stations and an international airport with plans for expansion. There would be a prime opportunity to further improve the transport infrastructure within the city with the additional funding host city status would provide.

Glorious open spaces such as Ashton Court and the Downs, or city centre locations such as Harbourside, Millennium Square and Queen Square would be ideal for visiting fans to congregate.

And with two Football League clubs, a major rugby club and a county cricket ground, there are a plethora of training facilities at the disposal of whichever international sides are based in Bristol.

Importantly, the city also has a rich heritage of grass roots football. Our Downs League is one of the oldest in the country.

Every week during the football season, thousands of people take part in games across the city. And together, the home crowds for City and Rovers outstrip some of the attendances for Premier League football clubs.

FIFA and the FA can tap into our wealth of creative industries to showcase the tournament, but only if they hear about them from us – and you.

If we, you and Bristol City Council can convince the England bid team of Bristol's importance then we can all reap the rewards of hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city and an estimated £100million of investment.

And send us your stories, your pictures and your videos on how you can help win this bid.

We will be handing a file of all our stories and your messages of support to the FA, so let's get down to business and win it for Bristol.