Wrexham is celebrating today after the RFL confirmed that the town will host matches during the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.
After submitting a strong bid, Wrexham beat off stiff competition from rival applications across the country to stage matches in the 14-nation tournament in two years’ time.
The famous Glyndwr University Racecourse Stadium will host a group match and a quarter final at the competition. Wrexham will also host a team base camp and training venue in what promises to be the biggest and best World Cup yet.
The stadium is the world’s oldest international sporting ground currently in use, and will host a world cup match for the second time after staging the Wales vs Cook Island game during the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.
Wrexham’s bid, under the banner ‘Bringing Rugby League to Life’, received the backing of a number of big names including Wales coach Iestyn Harris and was praised by the Members of the Rugby League World Cup Committee
Today’s announcement officially begins the two year countdown to the biggest Rugby League tournament in history.
Cllr Bob Dutton, OBE, Lead Member for Communities and Performance said:
“The 2013 Rugby League World Cup is coming to Wrexham and this is fantastic news for the region.
“Wrexham has played host too many top class international sporting events in the past and we look forward to adding the 2013 Rugby League World Cup to that list.
“Wrexham submitted a very strong bid that put an emphasis on community engagement and creating a legacy for rugby league in North Wales. This was a real collaborative effort between Wrexham Council, Glyndwr University and various community organizations and is an excellent example of what partnership working can achieve.
“We have an exciting line up of events planned in the build up to the competition and we want everyone to feel part of this massive occasion. I would like to congratulate everyone for all their hard work on the bid and I am thrilled that Wrexham will be part of the biggest rugby league tournament in history.”
Dr Allan Howells, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Glyndwr University, said:
“The opportunity to see a rugby league world cup match being played at their local stadium is brilliant news for the people of Wrexham and hugely exciting for us as a university. When we purchased the Glyndwr University Racecourse Stadium this was exactly the type of event we dreamt of being able to bring to the community of north east Wales. I’m sure it will bring a real buzz to the town, as well as providing an economic boost for the region.”
2013 Rugby League World Cup Tournament Director Nigel Wood said:
“I would like to congratulate Wrexham who have been successful in their bid to host matches in what I am confident will be a World Cup that enhances the UK’s golden decade of sport.
“We experienced massive interest in hosting matches from all across Europe and the bidding process proved to be hugely competitive.
“In putting together their bid over the last 12 months, Wrexham have demonstrated a level of commitment that gives us confidence that the 2013 Rugby League World Cup will exceed everyone’s expectations.
“It has been a fantastic and inspiring bidding process and we have been extremely impressed with the quality, detail and diverse nature of the host bids received.”
Fourteen nations have qualified for the final stages, which will be broadcast to 120 countries around the world. They will play in four groups as follows 14 Group A: Australia, England, Fiji, Ireland; Group B: New Zealand, France, Papua New Guinea, Samoa; Group C: Scotland, Tonga, Italy; Group D: Wales, Cook Islands, USA.
A total of 34 bids, comprising 30 stadia, 47 team training sites and 87 team base camps, were submitted to the RFL. Each of the bidding hosts underwent a detailed inspection from a 2013 team to examine the various sites venue specifications, as well as evaluating the enthusiasm and commitment of each bidding host.
Upwards of half a million people are expected to watch the 28 matches live over a six-week period in the autumn of 2013 with a further 20 million viewers from 120 countries tuning in around the world.
