UEFA Euro 2016

The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2016 for short, will be the 15th quadrennial top-level European football event. It will be held in the summer of 2016. The host nation(s) are yet to be selected. Should the selection process and timeline used for Euro 2012 be applied again, the host(s) will be chosen in the spring of 2011.

The 2016 tournament will be expanded from 16 to 24 teams after the plan was unanimously agreed by senior officials of all 53 UEFA member nations. [ [http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=64/newsid=754190.html UEFA] - UEFA approves 24-team EURO from 2016 ]

Hosting requirements

A minimum of eight stadia is necessary to host a championship in the present 16-team format. Minimum eight stadia must have above 30,000 seats, three of those eight must have above 40,000 seats and a , and at least one of those three must have 50,000 seats and a . As the tournament will be expanded to 24 teams, the experience of past 24-team World Cups (1982 to 1994) shows that 9 to 12 stadia are necessary to host such a competition. This would favour bids from single large countries or joint bids by two or more medium-size countries.

Possible bids

Several countries are reported to be considering bids:

Scotland

Scotland, along with the Republic of Ireland, bid for Euro 2008 and there has been much discussion over whether the nation should consider a solo bid for Euro 2016. The entrance into government of the Scottish National Party (SNP) has boosted the hopes of such an outcome.

Existing venues

Scottish stadia that currently meet the criteria (most obviously the requirement for 30,000 seats) are:

* Murrayfield Stadium, in Edinburgh, home of the Scotland national rugby union team and Edinburgh Rugby, capacity 67,800. It has been used to stage matches in previous Rugby World Cups and has also held the final of the Heineken Cup, Europe's premier club rugby union competition. This stadium has also been used previously for high level football matches, such as qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League.

* Hampden Park, in Glasgow, a UEFA 5-star stadium, home of the Scotland national football team and Queen's Park F.C., capacity 52,103. There is the capability to increase capacity by as much as 20,000 seats, adding a second tier to the North Stand, and digging down the pitch and athletics trackbed (which is too small for international events) adding seats into the area formerly occupied by the track.

* Celtic Park, also in Glasgow, home of Celtic F.C., has hosted many European football matches in UEFA competitions such as the Champions League. It has also been used for Scotland international matches and will be used as the venue for the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. There is also potential for expansion to at least 68,000. Despite not currently meeting the criteria for UEFA 5-Star stadium status, the club is actively working towards it.

* Ibrox Stadium, also in Glasgow, a UEFA 5-star stadium, home of Rangers F.C., capacity 51,082, but with confirmed works to increase capacity to 51,900 and proposed works to increase capacity to 57,000. Recent reports suggest that a major overhaul may now take place to increase Ibrox to 70,000.

However, a bid featuring three stadia in one city is not currently supported by UEFA, and usually a minimum of 7 cities with a minimum of 8 stadiums is required. Therefore, Glasgow would most likely provide only two of the venues; Hampden, and either Celtic Park or Ibrox.

Potential venues

Although not enough suitable stadia are currently in place in Scotland, this is not necessarily a problem. Several of the eight stadia used for Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, such as the Tivoli Neu Stadion in Innsbruck, were also far from UEFA's required standards and were reconstructed or upgraded for the purposes of the tournament. Possible new or upgraded venues in Scotland could include:

* Aberdeen: the New Stadium for Aberdeen, replacing Pittodrie Stadium. A plan for a 32,000 seat arena, with a retractable roof, was included in the Euro 2008 bid. Although a new site has since been selected, and proposed capacity reduced to 20,000-25,000 seats, the new design includes the option for temporary or permanent expansion of the ground capacity.

* Dundee: a new shared stadium for Dundee United and Dundee, replacing their current homes at Tannadice Park and Dens Park, which are adjacent to each other on the same street. This proposal was included in the Euro 2008 bid. There are concerns about match attendance numbers in the stadium after the tournament; however, both clubs have recently expressed interest in the idea. [cite news |title=North east trio unite on Euro bid |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/7440929.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2008-06-06 |accessdate=2008-06-07]

* Kilmarnock: temporary or permanent expansion of Rugby Park, home of Kilmarnock F.C., the fifth largest football stadium in Scotland with a current capacity of 18,128. Rebuilding the older Main Stand (including a temporary third tier) and filling the corners could boost capacity to between 30,000 and 31,000.

* Edinburgh: temporary or permanent expansion of either one or (in unlikely circumstances) both club stadiums in the city. Easter Road Stadium in Leith, home of Hibernian, current capacity 17,500, was included in the Euro 2008 bid, featuring a capacity of 30,000 of which a few thousand were temporary. The club currently has plans to redevelop the ground to around 21,000. Tynecastle Stadium, home of Hearts, current capacity 17,420, is situated in a more constrained site closer to Murrayfield Stadium; however the club has announced plans to increase capacity to 23,000 by 2010, subject to planning permission. In either case, further temporary expansion would be necessary.

* Inverness: a new, most likely multi-purpose venue that could be used for a variety of sporting (and possibly non-sporting) events, including Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.'s home matches, exhibitions and concerts. This could include a large proportion of temporary seats for the tournament that would be removed afterwards. By far the largest urban area (and only city) within the Highlands, a region with a population of over 200,000, Inverness could be justified as suitable for such a venue.

* Stirling/Falkirk: A new, most likely multi-purpose venue that, as well as football, could be used for athletics. Proposals to demolish the current national athletics arena, Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh, have increased calls for a new athletics arena in Scotland. Stirling and Falkirk are feasible options due to their central location and their proximity to Glasgow, which will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The new Falkirk Stadium is also currently under construction and as yet incomplete, with room for expansion.

If the tournament is extended to 24 teams, then at least ten stadia would be required for any bid. This has led to suggestions Scotland would prefer a joint bid if the tournament expands - although, in theory, the competition could be held satisfactorily if all the aforementioned proposals were used.

Accommodation Provision

In terms of hotel accommodation, Scotland fulfilled the criteria for Euro 2008 most satisfactorily. The existence of such a large tourist industry, especially involved with the annual Edinburgh Festival, and the nations growing role in international business, ensures large hotel capacity.

Transport Provision

Transport provision is also more than suitable. There are five international airports situated in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and at Prestwick near Kilmarnock and Glasgow, some with direct links to North America and the Middle East. Dundee also has a domestic flights only airport which could be upgraded, although it is close enough to Edinburgh under UEFA guidelines, while Stirling is close enough to both Edinburgh and Glasgow. In addition to road and ferry links to England and Northern Ireland, direct ferry links currently exist to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway and Belgium. Road transport between possible host cities, for the most part, more than fulfils the criteria for dual carriageway provision, except the road to Inverness where remaining sections of the A9 would have to be upgraded. Additionally, motorway routes connect Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Perth (near Dundee). Railway routes exist between all possible host cities, as well as services to England and Wales and onwards to continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. In addition, Glasgow has a subway network, and construction of a network of trams is under way in Edinburgh and due to be completed by 2011. There are a large number of public and private bus companies, as well as UK-wide bus routes linking up all the major towns and cities.

Hosting Experience

In terms of hosting large-scale events, Scotland has plenty of experience for such a comparatively small country. Scotland hosted the Commonwealth Games of 1970 and 1986 in Edinburgh, and Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In football, Scotland has hosted neutral finals of the UEFA Champions League in 1960, 1976 and 2002; the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1962 and 1966; and the UEFA Cup in 2007. It also hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1989. In other sports, Scotland has hosted the Island Games (Shetland) in 2005; matches in the Rugby World Cup in 1991 (Edinburgh), 1999 (Galashiels, Edinburgh, Glasgow) and 2007 (Edinburgh); matches in the Rugby League World Cup in 2000 (Edinburgh, Glasgow); and matches in the Cricket World Cup in 1999 (Edinburgh). Regular events in golf are held, on an almost annual basis, and certain tennis events have also be hosted in recent years. Football matches in the Olympic Games in 2012 may be held in Glasgow.

Scotland also has experience of hosting major non-sporting international events, including the annual Edinburgh Festival, major international concerts like T in the Park, and many international conferences and meetings. Scotland also hosted the important G8 Summit of world leaders in 2005.

If hosted by Scotland, Euro 2016 could form part of a 'Golden Decade' in British Sport.

Scotland-Wales

If the tournament is expanded, or for other reasons Scotland feels a joint bid may be more successful, Wales may be invited to join Scotland to form a 'Celtic' bid for Euro 2016. Scotland and Ireland launched a similar but unsuccessful joint bid for Euro 2008, which went to Austria and Switzerland. Initial comments by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond suggested that solo Scotland bid would be preferential if logistically possible. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/6667885.stm Salmond wants Scots Euro 2016 bid] ] However, more recent reports claim that both Salmond and Welsh First Minister Rhodri Morgan are supportive of a joint Scotland-Wales bid. [ [http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2008/06/09/wales-and-scotland-discuss-euro-2016-bid-55578-21042653/ Wales and Scotland discuss Euro 2016 bid - Daily Post North Wales ] ]

Host venues in Wales may include:

* Cardiff: the Millennium Stadium, a UEFA 5-star stadium, home of the Welsh national football team and rugby union team, which has a capacity of 74,500 and would be seen as a major advantage. In addition, the New Cardiff City stadium, home of Cardiff City, will have a capacity of 25,000 seats once completed in 2009, which will be upgradable to 30,000+.

* Swansea: the Liberty Stadium, which holds 20,000 seated spectators but was not designed with increased capacity options. Unless this could be circumvented, another new stadium would effectively be required.

* Wrexham: the Racecourse Ground, home of Wrexham F.C., which has a current capacity of 15,500 and could be temporarily upgraded for the purposes of the tournament.

* Llanelli: Parc y Scarlets in adjacent Pemberton, the new home of the Llanelli RFC and Scarlets rugby union teams, set to open in November 2008, could also be temporarily upgraded and used for the tournament.

* Newport: the replacement for the Rodney Parade Stadium, home of Newport RFC and Newport Gwent Dragons, scheduled to have a seated capacity of 15,000 by 2010, which could also be temporarily increased.

* Bridgend: Brewery Field, home of Bridgend RFC and Celtic Crusaders, with a current capacity of 12,000, would require extensive upgrading but could potentially also be used if necessary.

Scotland-Republic of Ireland

Alternatively, Scotland could choose again to bid jointly with the Republic of Ireland rather than Wales. Any such joint bid could include the following stadia:

* Croke Park, Dublin is the temporary home of the Irish national football and rugby teams. The stadium has a capacity of 82,500 and is the 4th largest stadium in Europe. The Stadium hosts the All-Ireland final in both Hurling and Gaelic Football most years and also hosts the International Rules series between Ireland and Australia

* Lansdowne Road, Dublin is under construction and will be completed in 2009, the future capacity will be 50,000. Lansdowne Road has been used in the Rugby World Cup for group games as well as one quarter-final and one semi-final game. It has also hosted the Heineken Cup final.

* Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork has a current capacity of 43,500 however the Cork county boards announced plans to increase the capacity to 60,000.

* Semple Stadium, Thurles has a capacity of 55,000, the stadium has hosted the All-Ireland final before. There has been a proposal to increase the Stadium to 57,00 and to install new facilities.

* Gaelic Grounds, Limerick has a capacity of 50,000 OR Thomond Park, Limerick has a capacity of 26,000. However, although Thomond Park was extensively renovated in a project that ended in 2008, it was not converted into an all-seater (it is a rugby union ground, and all-seated configurations are not mandatory for that sport); further upgrading would be necessary before that stadium could be used.

* FitzGerald Stadium, Killarney has a capacity of 40,000 however this may increase to 50,000.

* McHale Park, Castlebar has a capacity of 36,000

Some of these stadia however are GAA stadia in rural and isolated towns and would therefore be unsuitable as host stadia. New soccer stadia built in cities such as Galway and Waterford would be preferable over Fitzgerald Stadium, McHale Park and Semple Stadium.

With regards to transport, Ireland has 3 major international Airports, Dublin Airport, Cork Airport and Shannon Airport as well as Ferry crossings between France, England, Isle of Man and Wales.Ireland also has a good rail service.

France

On 18 April 2007, the President of the French Football Federation, Jean-Pierre Escalettes, declared France's intention to bid. The President of the LFP, Frédéric Thiriez, commented that they would be a favorable candidate, owing to the quality of the infrastructure already in place. On December 11, 2007, the French sports minister, Bernard Laporte, said the bid would have the full support of the government and it would be submitted at the end of 2008 or early 2009. [ [http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldFootballNews/idUKL1161429220071211?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldFootballNews France to bid for 2016 European championship] ]

France has an excellent pool of modern stadia built or renovated for the 1998 World Cup, which would require only minimum upgrades to meet Euro 2016 criteria. In addition, new stadium projects are currently under way in Lille, Lyon, Nice and Strasbourg, three major french cities that did not host the 1998 tournament and hope to make the cut in 2016. Accommodations in all potential host cities and transportation links between them are more than adequate. The country has hosted two major football events in recent history (1998 World Cup and Euro 1984), plus the (World Cup 1938), 1960 European Nations' Cup and many minor tournaments (most recently the 2003 Confederations Cup, 2001 U-17 Championships, and 1994 UEFA U-21 Championships). France also hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, using each of the stadiums that had been used in 1998. The only way in which France may be disadvantaged, therefore, is if UEFA decide to stage the tournament somewhere it has not been before, which would favour the Scotland-Wales, Norway-Sweden, Greece, and Turkey bids.

The cities Lille and Lyon are also working on new stadiums. Lille's stadium will be the most technologically advanced stadium once it is built and Lyon's will have an incorporated, accommodating hotel.

Sweden-Norway

According to an article [ [http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=128&a=314155 Sverige söker fotbolls-EM] ] in the Swedish newspaper "Göteborgs-Posten", Sweden and Norway are considering co-hosting the championship, with Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadium as the venue for the final. Gothenburg is the natural choice for the final as the city is the most central venue, close to the Swedish border with Norway. However, the 43,000-capacity Ullevi currently holds a only and would need expanding to over 50,000 (and improved amenities) to attain the necessary to host the final. The new 50,000-seat football-only national stadium in Solna, Stockholm, on the other hand, will be designed to 5-star standards from the start and will form a central part of the bid.

Other stadia being considered in Sweden are the Swedbank Stadion in Malmö and Olympia Stadium in Helsingborg. A new or upgraded Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim, Brann Stadion in Bergen, and Viking Stadion in Stavanger are the planned venues in Norway. One to four further stadia upgrades/constructions would be needed if the tournament were to be expanded to 24 teams. On February 6th 2008 the Football Association of Norway released plans of selling Ullevaal Stadion and building a new 52,000 seat stadium somewhere else in Oslo.

"'Sweden

"'Norway

Turkey

The former head of Turkish Football Association, Hasan Doğan, had declared that he will try to bring EURO 2016 to Turkey before his term of office ends but he died of a heart attack in Bodrum, a popular tourist destination in southwest Turkish Riviera, where he was on vacationcite news
title = Futbol Federasyonu Başkanı Hasan Doğan kalp krizinden öldü
url = http://www.milliyet.com.tr/default.aspx?aType=SonDakika&Kategori=turkiye&ArticleID=890258&Date=05.07.2008&ver=96
publisher =
date = 05-07-2008
accessdate = 2008-07-05tr icon] cite news
title = Federasyon Başkanı Doğan hayatını kaybetti
url = http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/spor/futbol/9365088.asp?gid=229&sz=26651
publisher = hurriyet.com.tr
date = 05-08-2008
accessdate = 2008-07-05tr icon] , during his declaration that he would be giving up the position possibly in the next term. [ [http://www.tff.org/default.aspx?pageID=250&ftxtID=4242 Doğan: "We're preparing for EURO 2016"] ] He also mentioned that there were "positive talks" between him and Michel Platini about this issue. [ [http://www.ntvspor.net/Pages/15855.ASP NTVSpor.net] ] Current stadia that can be used for the tournament include:

* Atatürk Olympic Stadium, built in 2002, with a large capacity of 83,000. The stadium, which hosted the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, was awarded 5-stars by UEFA.
* İzmir Atatürk Stadium, home venue of Altay S.K. and Göztepe A.Ş. is located in the city of Izmir and has a capacity of 58,008.
* Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, located in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul, is home of Fenerbahce S.K. and can hold 50,000. It is the second stadium in Turkey with 5-stars by UEFA. It will host the 2009 UEFA Cup Final
* BJK İnönü Stadium is the football stadium of Besiktas JK, in Istanbul. The stadium is currently the 4th largest in Turkey and has 32,150 seats. There is a construction project about the stadium to increase its spectator capacity to 40,000
* Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium is home of Trabzonspor, located in the city of Trabzon and can hold 30,000 people.

Stadiums to be completed in the near future:

* Aslantepe ArenA will be the new home stadium of Galatasaray SK and will be opened in September 2009. It will have a capacity of 52,647 and is expected to become Turkey's 3rd 5-star stadium.
* New Ankaraspor Stadium will replace the Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium as home ground of Ankaraspor. Its capacity will be 35,000.

* New Trabzonspor Stadium will be Trabzonspor's new stadium and will hold between 30,000 and 50.000.
* Kayseri Kadir Has Stadyumu is going to replace the ageing Kayseri Atatürk Stadium, in Kayseri, Turkey. It will be part of the larger Atatürk Sport Complex and is expected to be completed in August 2008. It will be the home of Kayserispor and Kayseri Erciyesspor. It will be one of the most modern stadiums in Turkey when completed, and will offer a number of restaurants, cafes, and VIP areas for fans. Two brand-new shopping centres will also be located nearby, as will a car park with a capacity of 1785 cars.

Also, the new stadiums of Konyaspor, Bursaspor and Antalyaspor will all have over 30,000 seats and easily meet the UEFA requirements.

However three or more stadia in one city is not currently supported by UEFA. Therefore, Istanbul would most likely provide only two of the four major venues; Olympic Stadium, and either Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium or Aslantepe ArenA as the BJK İnönü Stadium only has a capacity of 32,000 ,and even if it is expanded to 40,000 , the other tow stadia have 5-star, a plus for the bid.

Greece

Greece bid for both Euro 2008 (in a joint bid with Turkey) and for Euro 2012 and failed in both instances. The bid is supported both by the Hellenic Football Federation, the Greek Government and the Greek Minister of Sports.

* Athens Olympic Stadium, in Athens, home venue of AEK Athens and Panathinaikos with a large capacity of 71,030. The stadium which hosted the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was awarded 5 stars by UEFA.
* Karaiskakis Stadium, in Pireaus, home venue of Olympiacos, can hold 33,334. The stadium was awarded 4 stars by UEFA.
* Toumba Stadium, in Thessaloniki, home venue of PAOK, can hold 28,701.
* Lysimachos Kaftanzoglio Stadium, in Thessaloniki, is the home vanue of Iraklis and can hold 28,028.
* Pankritio Stadium, in Heraklion, is the home venue of OFI and Ergotelis and can hold 26,400.
* Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, in Thessaloniki, is the home vanue of Aris and can hold 22,800.
* Panpeloponnesian Stadium in Patras, has a capacity of 23,588 and can be expanded to over 40,000 seats.
* Panthessaliko Stadium in Volos has 22,700 seats and can be expanded to over 30,000.Stadiums to be completed in the near future:
* Votanikos Arena in Athens will be the new stadium of Panathinaikos and will hold 42,000
* AEK Arena in Athens will be the new stadium of AEK Athens and will hold 50,000
* AEL Arena in Larissa will hold 21,000, and can be expanded to 35,000.
* Gipedo Asteras Tripolis in Tripoli will hold 15,000.However, similar to the Scotland situation, three stadia in one city is not currently supported by UEFA,. Therefore, Athens would most likely provide only two of the venues; Olympic Stadium, and either Votanikos Arena or AEK Arena.

The major drawbacks are that many of the larger Greek stadia are based in Athens and the infrastructure links with stadiums on the Greek isles would have to significantly increase. Also, some of the stadiums lack the quality required by a major tournament such as the EURO.

Hungary-Romania

From unofficial sources, Hungary may be in the process of inviting Romania to co-bid for Euro 2016. Considering two failed bids (for Euro 2004 with Austria, and for Euro 2012 with Croatia), Romania appears to be the last co-hosting solution. However, it is considered that a Romania/Bulgaria bid for Euro 2020,already announced, would have a better chance of realisation — Romania (jointly) hosting 2016 would rule them out of bidding for 2020. Also Romania will have much more time to improve its infrastructure and other facilities if the country is to bid in 2020 along with Bulgaria, which also needs time to evolve.

The eventual bid sounds plausible as Romania’s new national stadium The Lia Manoliu Arena will be finished in 2010 and the selection of the host(s) will be made in 2011.

Still, there is the possibility that Romania will bid with Hungary, a country that has more funds to invest in such an event than Bulgaria, in 2020 again, if they will fail in 2016. Despite all this, the one who is the most advantaged is Romania, because they will make the decision with who they will bid with.

References