Sport Industry Group

Anson: 2018 bid in ongoing talks with Beckham- 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00

Andy Anson, chief executive officer of the England 2018 World Cup bid, has exclusively revealed at the inaugural Sport Industry Breakfast Club event that his team is in constant talks with David Beckham over potential roles he could play as an ambassador throughout the summer.

Speculation as to how the England 2018 bid might use Beckham around the tournament has risen following the former England captain's unfortunate injury which looks to have ruled him out from being named in the England World Cup squad.

Said Anson: 'We sat down with Beckham's people just last week to discuss potential roles for him in the lead up to and during the World Cup in South Africa, we are in constant talks with him but we dont want to distract Fabio Capellos plans in any way. We have sent a message to David wishing him a speedy recovery and Im sure that we will talk to him soon.'

Speaking in front of a packed room of industry executives at Bloomberg's offices in central London, Anson also discussed the costs of hosting the bid, citing that the great advantage for England is the stadia infrastructure that already exists.

'Each host city funds their part of the bid within the city, so we think that £15m will be spent by each city on the stadium and activities such as fan fests etc. The great thing about this bid is that all the stadiums are, or will be, developed anyway so there is no extra cost there. Plus, around 15-20% of ticket revenue goes back to the stadiums.'

When questioned on ticket prices, Anson added that, should England be successful in the bid, then the cost of tickets would replicate Premier League prices.

'We are aiming to reflect the average Premier League ticket price of around £39 but at the top end we will look to the skies as we have to show FIFA that we can make more money than anyone else.'

Anson also revealed that while the bid has received no funding from the Premier League but the two organisations are working closely together: 'We have a good relationship with them (the Premier League), they are working with us on projects - through marketing inventory and certain legacies.'

Andy Anson was the inaugural interviewee for the Sport Industry Breakfast Club with Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper the subject for the second such event set for 8th June, just two weeks prior to this year's Wimbledon Championships.

Draper will be followed by McDonald's UK CEO Steve Easterbrook who will address the Breakfast Club members on 16th September following the first World Cup to be held on African club.

The Sport Industry Breakfast Club sees four high-profile industry executives address an audience of their peers over the course of the year. Click here to find out more and join the club.