As the USA Bid Committee prepares to choose the finalists for the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup National Proposal, area organizers are encouraging the Central Florida community to show its support for Orlando.
Supporters are urged to visit the Orlando bid website: http://www.gousabid.com/orlando to sign an online petition to help bring the world’s largest sporting event to the Florida Citrus Bowl. The goal is to gather 15,000 electronic signatures by December 15th (15K by December 15).
“This is how we can show the nation how excited we are for the chance to welcome the world once again,” said Sam Stark, president/CEO of the Central Florida Sports Commission. “Hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the globe traveled to Orlando for the games and festivals surrounding the 1994 FIFA World Cup. We were one of the most successful American sites, and we need the area’s support to bring the games back to Orlando.”
Orlando is one of 27 cities under consideration by the USA Bid Committee to host soccer games should America be chosen to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup. Eighteen cities will be chosen from that list by the end of the month. That group will be included in the official US proposal that will be sent to FIFA in May of 2010.
In addition to signing the petition, local organizers encourage everyone to share the link with friends, family and co-workers and spread the word on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites in order to achieve the goal of collecting 15,000 signatures by December 15.
The Sports Commission, City of Orlando and the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau are leading Orlando’s World Cup efforts. A final decision on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup host nations is expected next December.
