LEAGUE CHAIRMAN APPOINTED TO 2018 WORLD CUP BID TEAM
Lord Mawhinney is set to play a key role in the effort to stage the 2018 World Cup Finals in England.
The Football League Chairman is to serve on the bid's Executive Board as one of two Deputy Chairman, along with Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill. The Board will be chaired by Mawhinney's counterpart at the FA, Lord Triesman.
England 2018 Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the Football Association, will coordinate the bid and the make up of the Board ensures that the bid will draw on experience and achievement within football, world sport, international relations and the global business community.
Commenting on his new appointment Lord Mawhinney said: "I am honoured to have been asked to serve on the World Cup Bid Executive Board and I am looking forward to working with my distinguished colleagues. With them, I will do what I can to deliver the 2018 World Cup Finals to England."
The government will be represented on the Executive Board by the Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe. The Minister for Sport will remain the government's representative throughout the bidding process
Sir Keith Mills, who is Deputy Chairman of LOCOG and was International President and CEO of the successful 2012 Olympic bid, is one of three Non Executive Directors along with Baroness Amos, who has served as CEO of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Leader of the House of Lords and Secretary of State for International Development and Sir Martin Sorrell who is CEO of WPP, the world's largest advertising and marketing services group.
In announcing the members of the Executive Board, FA Chairman, Lord Triesman, said: "I am delighted we have established an outstanding team of Board members who are committed to bringing the World Cup Finals back to England. Within this group, there is a wealth of experience that will be integral to the formulation of a successful bid.
"England has to earn the right to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Over the coming months, we will have to show we can do so to the highest standards and with the right values. People round the world football family will have views about what produces a great World Cup and we will be listening and learning. If we have the honour of succeeding it will be because we earned the right from the members of our international family.
"I am confident this team will put together a bid which exceeds FIFA's requirements and expectations by making the best possible case for a World Cup in England. We also want to show that a World Cup on these shores will benefit the development of football around the world and create positive change. The creation of this team puts us in an excellent position to develop further these objectives when FIFA outlines its requirements later this month."
