City stays on side for World Cup

Dave Beeche, CEO of Fifa U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015, inspects the Springs Flat training grounds for cup teams. He says Whangarei is doing well in its plans for hosting cup games. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Whangarei might have dropped the ball by not getting a top class hotel built in time for hosting Fifa Under 20 World Cup games, but the failure won't stop the the matches going ahead.

The city is hosting three U-20 pool games and a game in the round of 16. When Fifa gave the city the rights to host games last April it set minimum requirements the city had to meet for hosting the event. The world football governing body said it needed a minimum of 22 top-class hotel rooms per team and with double-header games that meant for four teams at once, plus media and Fifa officials.

At the time the Whangarei District Council said it would have a hotel ready in time for the first game in May. That now won't happen, but Dave Beeche, chief executive officer of Fifa U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015, said that won't see the city's dreams of hosting the games kicked into touch.

Mr Beech, who was in Whangarei yesterday to talk to key stakeholders and check on progress on other facilities, said Fifa had agreed to compromise its rules so that the matches would go ahead in the interests of promoting the game.

"There's absolutely no risk of losing the games [from Whangarei]. Fifa is prepared to compromise on the hotel requirement," he said.

"It's not an issue [for Fifa], but it could impact on Whangarei's chances of hosting tournaments in the future."

Mr Beeche said despite the hotel situation, Whangarei was doing "very well" on other facilities for the games, and Toll Stadium was on track to be the first venue to sell out a U-20 cup game. More than 50,000 of the 750,000 tickets nationally had been sold, with sales for Whangarei's games well ahead of predictions.

Yesterday he visited Toll Stadium and the new training grounds and facilities at Springs Flat the council has prepared for participating teams.

"Everything's well ahead of schedule and the Fifa feedback is that the local organising committee have worked very well and the other infrastructure is coming along nicely."

He said the draw for which teams will be based in each city would be made on February 10, with one of the seeded teams likely to get a game in Whangarei.

Toll Stadium will host three U-20 group matches, with the first kicking off at 4pm on May 30; the second at 1pm on June 2 and the third from 2pm on June 7. Whangarei's round of 16 match will kick off at 4pm on June 11.

A Covec economic assessment report estimated $3.5 million of income for category 3 host cities such as Whangarei, made up of $1.87 million from New Zealand Football and Fifa spending money in the city to deliver the event; $1.04 million spent by international visitors and .76 million from domestic visitors.

-Phoenix reserves in town - page 32.