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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowLucas Oil Stadium has made the cut of stadiums to be considered for a U.S. bid to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup soccer tournaments.
The list this week of possible sites to be included in the U.S. bid was trimmed from the original 58 candidates released in April to 45 sites in 37 cities. The USA Bid Committee Monday issued requests for proposals to officials representing the 45 remaining sites.
The Indiana Sports Corp. is heading the local effort. The USA Bid Committee is asking local officials to establish host committees to further the U.S. bid process. There’s bound to be stiff competition from other countries for this vaunted event.
The RFPs request information from city officials covering an array of subjects including tourism, climate, security, transportation, promotion and more. The RFPs are an important step in the United States’ application that is due to FIFA next May. 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 1994 World Cup hosted by the U.S. brought in a record 3.6 million fans from around the globe. The average per-game crowd was 69,000. The economic impact for the entire tournament is in the hundreds of millions. But there aren’t many studies on what each round would net the host city.
Indianapolis – if it is fortunate enough to be chosen – would most likely host a preliminary pool-play round, said Indiana Sports Corp. spokesman John Dedman. Preliminary pool play involves four teams playing over a week-long period. “Since it’s played over a longer period, visitor spending at hotels and restaurants can be significant,” Dedman said.
Most sports economists agree that even a preliminary round of the World Cup could carry an economic impact near that of an NCAA Men’s Final Four basketball tourney. Studies show that direct visitor spending for a men’s Final Four is between $45 million and $50 million.
For more information, visit IBJ’s sports business blog, The Score.
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