Olympic Stadium May Host RWC 2015 Matches

[RWC2011Fan]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...tch-to-host-Rugby-World-Cup-2015-matches.html
Thoughts?

 

[welshglory]

Why have you made two threads for this? I suggest you keep this one and delete the other one, since there hasn't been a final decision yet.

To answer your question i think it would be a great idea and much better than playing at the Emirates. Although you have to ask, are 3 stadiums in London really needed?

 

[welshglory]

Interesting reading the comments on the link though about the lack of atmosphere it would have because of the athletics track. I agree in many ways. Hmmm...

 

[Melhor Time]

Bad idea.

London already has three venues selected to host matches which is too many. If the IRB and RFU go for this stadium then one of the others will have to be axed. Probably, as said above, Emirates Stadium.

I am planning on attending the World Cup in England and am looking forward to getting to Gloucester, Manchester, Coventry, Leeds, etc. No need for London to host more than 10 matches let alone utilize three or four stadiums.

 

[RWC2011Fan]

Why have you made two threads for this? I suggest you keep this one and delete the other one, since there hasn't been a final decision yet.

To answer your question i think it would be a great idea and much better than playing at the Emirates. Although you have to ask, are 3 stadiums in London really needed?

Accidentally made two threads in the process of editing the ***le. It's been deleted now-by one of the mods I presume.
I dunno, I quite like the Emirates, although I do think they have a few too many "big" stadiums.

 

[Peat]

Why have you made two threads for this? I suggest you keep this one and delete the other one, since there hasn't been a final decision yet.

To answer your question i think it would be a great idea and much better than playing at the Emirates. Although you have to ask, are 3 stadiums in London really needed?

Needed? No.

A good idea? Probably. Big stadiums with a good chance of selling them out.

 

[welshglory]

Accidentally made two threads in the process of editing the ***le. It's been deleted now-by one of the mods I presume.
I dunno, I quite like the Emirates, although I do think they have a few too many "big" stadiums.

Better than having too many small stadiums

I quite like the Emirates to and it wouldn't be bad i suppose, probably a lot better than the Olympic stadium.

Excuse me if i have now completely contradicted myself!

 

[racingmetrofan]

Biggest problem is, looking at the picture, that even in the best seats the fans would be miles away from the pitches.

 

[psychic duck]

Might as well use the Olympic Stadium since it's paid for and now built. I'd also imagine since the Olympic stadium is seeming to be desperate to be kept in use after the Olympics and not end up like the Olympic Stadium in Athens, it would be easier to get it available than Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

As for the distance from the pitch concerns, the stands in the Olympic Stadium is actually going to be closer than Wembley (http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/f...olympic-stadium-would-be-closer-pitch-wembley), I'm not saying they are close to the pitch though and they really should have put in a system like the Stade de France has which can retract the closest seating for Athletics and then put it back again for Football or Rugby.

Bad idea.

No need for London to host more than 10 matches let alone utilize three or four stadiums.

Melhor, this is instead of another London stadium not as well, there will be very likely 3 London Stadiums regardless of whether this is used or not.

 

[Nielsch]

Wembley and Twickenham just have to be used. If there's need for another stadium in London (which I doubt) the organizing committee should go for the stadium which they deem favourable based on rental price, availability, turnover prospect and facilities. From where I am I can't say which one would - in comparison - be better: the Olympic Stadium or Emirates.

 

[welshglory]

More progress on this

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ru...-want-use-Olympic-Stadium-2015-World-Cup.html

Interestingly there are now 20 venues being considered, these are the new ones:
London:Olympic Stadium (reduced to 60,000)
Derbyride Park (33,957)
Ipswichortman Road (30,311)
Leicester:King Power Stadium (32,262) (I'm assuming incase Welford Road isn't finished by then)
Sunderland:Stadium of Light (49,000) (Competing with Newcastle for the North)
Birmingham:Villa Park (42,788)
Brighton:AMEX Stadium (27,350) (Competing with Southampton for the south coast)
Reading:Madejski Stadium (24161)

 

[Nielsch]

Why do they need / want three stadiums in London? Aren't the two biggest stadiums in the country enough for that city?

 

[Teh Mite]

Because nobody north of Birmingham gives a hoot about rugby.

 

[Nielsch]

Still doesn't explain the need for 3 stadiums in London...

 

[Teh Mite]

Have a wild guess where the RFU are based, then couple that with the areas in the UK said RFU are likely to profit the most from the tournament - hint: It's not in Newcastle.

 

[kovana]

Sounds great. This RWC could have the potential to have the highest crowds and highest Crowd averages EVER for rugby.

 

[Nielsch]

Have a wild guess where the RFU are based, then couple that with the areas in the UK said RFU are likely to profit the most from the tournament - hint: It's not in Newcastle.

That's not what I mean. Why do you need a third big stadium in London when you've already got Twickenham and Wembley? Why play three big matches in three different stadiums when they can also be played in two? It's not like they will have 3 matches on simultaniously.

 

[psychic duck]

Some reaction from football clubs over the RWC potentially coming to their stadiums.

http://www.theweek.co.uk/sport/49082/world-cup-rugby-arsenal-wenger-puts-boot

THE OLYMPICS may be over but England is already turning its attention to the next major sporting spectacle to be held on these shores. The Rugby World Cup, the third biggest global sports after the Summer Olympics and Football World Cup, will be held in England in 2015 and tournament organisers want to stage some of the matches in the Olympic Stadium in Stratford and at some the Premier League's top club venues.

But the authorities are meeting resistance - not least from Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Top of the organisers' hit list is the 80,000-capacity Olympic stadium. "You would be mad not to include it as part of your thinking," said Ross Young, chief operating officer of England's organising committee.

The stadium is now standing idle in east London and Rugby World Cup [RWC] organisers want to include it in the list of 10 to 12 venues that they have to have finalised by early 2013.

Much will depend on whether the Olympic stadium is leased out in the intervening period. As the BBC reports, four bids are under consideration including one from West Ham United.

RWC organisers hope that several football stadiums will host matches, including Wembley, Old Trafford, Anfield and the Emirates.

"To get as near as we can to the three million ticket sales, we have to engage with football clubs because they are the only ones who are going to give us the capacity to drive those numbers," Young explained to the BBC. Only by selling 3m tickets will organisers reach their target of raising £100m in revenue.

However, one club reportedly not interested in doing rugby a favour is Arsenal. The Daily Mail claims manager Arsene Wenger "can't see any point" in letting his hallowed turf be cut by 30 pairs of size 12 boots.

The Emirates stadium is ideally placed to stage matches, being just a stone's throw from the mainline railway stations at King's Cross and St Pancras, but apparently Wenger is "adamant" that Arsenal will have no part to play in the 2015 World Cup.

Not only is the Frenchman concerned about the effect on the pitch but he doesn't want to risk causing disruption to Arsenal's fixture list by the staging of matches at the Emirates.

In contrast, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has no such concerns because he trusts the advice of groundsman Keith Kent, formerly responsible for the Old Trafford pitch and now in charge of the turf at Twickenham, the traditional venue for England rugby matches.

The Mail says Liverpool City Council would love to see some Rugby World Cup matches staged at Anfield because of the revenue it would bring to the city, but the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, have expressed reservations.

Perhaps, as Americans, they're frightened of seeing their country hammered by a small Polynesian island like Tonga.

 

[j_remos]

Great idea.... A Million times easier to get to/from than Twickers.. As long as they put those lovely express trains on again from St Pancras.

 

[Rinzler]

Its one thing having large capacity stadiums to host games, its another thing filling them. I understand the need for the larger teams to play there, but surely it would be better to have games between smaller teams at club rugby grounds instead. I know Welford Road and Kingsholme are hosting games, but its a bit concerning seeing Leicester FC's ground now being considered.