Regeneration big wigs from around the region are off to Wembley today to put forward their case for hosting the 2018 World Cup. Whether they'll be bombing down the motorways in a team bus, their city colours proudly flying out of the back window is debatable but only one can hit the back of the net and score not just the honour of bringing footie home but the economic boost of 100,000s of visitors.
It was all smiles and rip-roaring speeches today but debates behind the scenes about stadium development have been a little more complex. Clearly many had hoped to have venues already coming out of the ground as part of larger grand regeneration plans which have since hit the buffers.
Amongst the hubris today, little was said about the money to fund them or the developer appetite to deliver them. Below we assess each city in turn and take a look what the local press is saying:
Birmingham: Plans for a City of Birmingham stadium had seemed to wither on the vine. The Birmingham Post reports that these may now be being reignited. It follows a long on, then off again, proposal to build a Super Casino as part of a new stadium. This was eventually abandoned by the council which opted for the NEC as a Super Casino site. before the government kicked all Super Casino plans into the long grass.
London: the Olympic Legacy Company was still debating last week whether to retain the Olympic Stadium's 80,000-seat capacity. Paul Norman's Olympics blog says a decision would need to be made shortly.
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