Rival codes back bid

[the_gun]

Australia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup has received a major boost after the three rival codes Down Under agreed to support Football Federation Australia's submissions.

FFA announced that the all-important Bid Book has been completed and is ready to be submitted to FIFA this Friday.

“We have the unified support of the nation behind our bid and we are ready to host the biggest sporting event in the world,” FFA chairman Frank Lowy said.

“This is great news for football and great news for the whole country as everyone will benefit if we win the right to host a FIFA World Cup.

Australia is in the running to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, however, planning for the event had been hamstrung by the reluctance of rival codes - rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules - to allow their stadiums to be utilised in a bid.

A successful bid would mean the World Cup would be staged in the middle of the National Rugby League, Super 15 and Australian Football League seasons and therefore cause significant disruption.

But the codes have now signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with Australia's Federal Government, ensuring the FFA's bid would be FIFA-compliant.

The AFL's chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou said his body had agreed to give up use of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Skilled Stadium in Geelong, Perth's Subiaco Oval, Gold Coast Stadium and Adelaide Oval.

Melbourne's Etihad stadium would remain exclusive to AFL matches.

"We have consistently supported Australia's bid for the World Cup as we have with other major sporting events," Demetriou said.

"We know it will cause serious dislocation of our AFL season, including up to 90 games that will need to be relocated and/or rescheduled, but we also accept that all codes need to make accommodations to ensure major events come to Australia."

The MOU also outlined a compensation plan for other codes and ensured the AFL would not be affected by the Confederations Cup in the year before the World Cup.

"All matters are now resolved and we, like all Australians, will continue to throw our support behind Australia's bid for the soccer World Cup," Demetriou said.

[Red-4-Life]

AFL......help.....FFA??? thats a first!