POSTED: Wednesday December 16th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

USA BID COMMITTEE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEET IN NEW YORK CITY AT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER HEADQUARTERS

USA Bid Committee Updates Board of Directors on Bid Progress And Preparations For Second Half of the Bid Campaign

NEW YORK (December 15, 2009) – The USA Bid Committee to bring the FIFA
World Cup™ to the United States in 2018 or 2022 hosted
members of its board of directors today for a meeting at Major
League Soccer headquarters in New York City.



U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati and USA Bid Committee Executive
Director David Downs presided over the meeting to discuss the progress
of the campaign and develop plans for the final year leading into the
decision by FIFA on the host countries for the two World Cups at stake
in December 2010.



“The meeting marks an important milestone for our bid as we now start
the second and final stage of our bid campaign,” said Sunil Gulati, the
Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. “We are
honored to have the ongoing support of our Board of Directors and
thankful so many could take the time to meet with us today and engage
in constructive dialogue about our bid. The diversity and talent
gathered both in the room and on the phone will energize us as we move
into the next stage of the bid process.”



Members of the board of directors have been contributing to the
development of the United States’ bid in an individual ways since the
beginning of the process and have been constantly briefed on the
progress of the campaign.



Those members in attendance at today’s meeting got to hear first hand
the full update from the Bid Committee’s management team. Specifically
the board was updated on the final stages of the host city selection
and application process. There are currently 27 cities and 32 stadiums
under consideration as host venues. In the next weeks, the USA Bid
Committee will reduce the list to the maximum of 18 cities that can be
included in its formal bid book due to FIFA in May 2010.



Today’s meeting marked the first time during the nine-month process of
selecting the board of directors that a majority of the group was able
to get together to discuss the direction and targets of the bid.



Participating in the meeting were, in alphabetical order: Drew Carey,
Carlos Cordeiro, Dan Flynn, Ed Foster-Simeon, Mia Hamm, Dr. Henry
Kissinger, Robert Kraft, Donna Shalala, John Skipper and Joe Uva. Also
attending the meeting was Bob Bradley, head coach of the U.S. Men’s
National Soccer team, and representatives of the USA Bid Committee.



The United States, Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan and Russia have
formally declared their desire to host 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.



All candidates must have their bid applications to FIFA by May 14,
2010. FIFA’s 24 member Executive Committee will study the bids, conduct
site visits and name the two hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in
December 2010, completing a 21-month bid and review process.



The USA Bid Committee’s efforts have earned the enthusiastic support of
President Barack Obama, who in April reached out to FIFA – the world’s
governing body of soccer – to endorse the goal of bringing the world’s
largest sporting event back to the United States.  In a letter to FIFA
President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati,
President Obama noted the role soccer played in his life as a youth,
and its ability to unite people, communities and nations from every
continent.



On Monday, July 27, Obama and Blatter met at the White House to discuss
the U.S. bid and other soccer-related topics. The meeting was marked by
Blatter confirming his invitation for President Obama to be his guest
at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. President Obama has expressed
his interest in attending the event pending availability on his
schedule.



Representatives of the USA Bid Committee joined the delegation from the
U.S. Soccer Federation in South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™
Final Draw on Friday, Dec. 4. One of just seven nations to
participate in all six World Cups since 1990, the United States Men’s
National Team was placed in Group C with England, Algeria and Slovenia.
The first match of the 2010 World Cup for the United States will be
against England on June 12 in Rustenburg, South Africa. The United
States earned its place among the field of 32 for the 2010 FIFA World
Cup™ in South Africa by capturing the top spot in the final round
standings in CONCACAF.



The USA Bid Committee recently released a study conducted by an
independent consulting firm that estimates a conservative domestic
economic impact of five billion dollars if the United States is chosen
to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. The findings of the study
indicate that the total economic impact projected for any one host city
ranges from approximately $400 million to $600 million at today’s
dollar value. The analysis also estimates that between 65,000 and
100,000 total new jobs would be created in the various host cities
during the preparation and operation of the tournament in the year of
the event. The study was undertaken by the Economics practice at AECOM,
formerly Economics Research Associates (ERA), the world’s leading
international sports and entertainment attraction consulting firm.   

 

ABOUT U.S. SOCCER:

Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has helped chart the course for soccer in
the USA for more than 95 years as the governing body of the sport. In
this time, the Federation’s mission statement has been simple and
clear: to make soccer, in all its forms, a pre-eminent sport in the
United States and to continue the development of soccer at all
recreational and competitive levels. To that end, the sport’s growth in
the past two decades has been nothing short of remarkable as U.S.
Soccer’s National Teams have continually succeeded on the world stage
while also growing the game here in the United States with the support
of its members. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.



ABOUT THE USA BID COMMITTEE INC.:

The USA Bid Committee is a non-profit organization created to prepare a
successful application to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022 on
behalf of the United States Soccer Federation.  The Bid Committee will
submit its comprehensive bid to FIFA by May 2010, with FIFA’s 24 member
Executive Committee making a decision in December 2010. Members of the
USA Bid Committee in alphabetical order include Houston Dynamo and Los
Angeles Galaxy owner Philip Anschutz, New York City Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, comedian and Seattle Sounders FC part-owner Drew Carey,
former Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman (Asia) Carlos Cordeiro, U.S. Men’s
National Team player Landon Donovan, Executive Director David Downs,
U.S. Soccer CEO and General Secretary Dan Flynn, U.S. Soccer Foundation
President Ed Foster-Simeon, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don
Garber, U.S. Soccer President and USA Bid Committee Chairman Sunil
Gulati, U.S. Women’s National Team former player Mia Hamm, Walt Disney
Company President and CEO Robert Iger, former U.S. Secretary of State
Dr. Henry Kissinger, New England Revolution and New England Patriots
owner Robert Kraft, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, University
of Miami President Donna Shalala, ESPN Executive Vice President for
Content John Skipper, Univision CEO Joe Uva and Washington Post CEO and
Publisher Katharine Weymouth. For more information, visit goUSAbid.com.

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Keywords · US Soccer · USA Bid · FIFA World Cup

Name: Jim Moorhouse
Organization: US Soccer Federation
Email:
Phone: 312 808 1300
URL: http://www.usssoccer.org

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