22 NOVEMBER 2009
ACT BOY TO HELP BRING WORLD CUP TO AUSTRALIA
Kai Thornton appointed World Cup emissary and off to South Africa
Football Federation Australia (FFA) today announced Kai Thornton as the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
winner of the Come Write! Come Play! Competition and appointed him to the role of FFA ‘Come Play!’ World
Cup emissary.
As ACT’s winner, 11-year-old Kai will travel to Cape Town in South Africa in early December where he will
be part of the team that helps put Australia’s case forward to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022.
The FFA called on children across the nation last month to tell them in 300 words or less why they think
Australia should host the FIFA World Cup™. Thousands of children used pictures as well as words to say
why Australia should host the games. However, there could only be one winner from each state.
Kai won the competition in the ACT as the judges thought his entry best captured the spirit and passion
Australians have for the World Cup bid.
FFA CEO, Ben Buckley said he was impressed at the number and quality of entries the FFA received, “It
showed the huge community support behind the World Cup bid and is a fantastic illustration of the passion
Aussie kids have for football.”
“I congratulate Kai on his win and hope he enjoys being a part of a significant event in Australian history. The
Cape Town event is an important part of the bid process as it is one of the few official opportunities to
present Australia’s bid before the international football community and media.”
“Children, as the future of football in Australia, will play a crucial role in putting our case across to host the
greatest show on earth.”
Kai and his mother Gail will travel to South Africa with FFA’s bid team and seven other World Cup
emissaries - representing each state and territory of Australia.
Kai is the eldest of three children and lives in O’Connor. Coming from a family who has a passion for
football, Kai could not wait to enter the competition and help put Australia’s case forward to host the FIFA
World Cup™.
“This is a fantastic opportunity. I am looking forward to being a part of a great event. This will be a big
moment in my life and a great experience. Football is the best sport in the world as nearly every country
plays it and I think Australia is the best place in the world to host the World Cup,” said Kai.
Proud mum, Gail McNamara says, “Kai is mad keen about his football. Once he decided he was going to
enter, he spent four hours straight putting together his entry. Football has great role models and a good
affect on children. I am very happy that it is Kai’s favourite sport and he has won this fantastic competition.”
“We believe there is no better place in the world to have the World Cup. I think it will be great for our country
and the ongoing development of football in Australia,” Ms McNamara said.
The FIFA World Cup™ is the largest single sporting event in the world – bigger than the Olympic Games. If
successful, the FIFA World Cup™ will see Australia host almost 1m overseas visitors and would generate
$3.9 billion in direct expenditure and more than 74,000 full-time jobs.
ENDS
For further information and to organise an interview, please contact: Kate McQuestin on 0419 591 150
Facts and figures on the FIFA World Cup:
The FIFA World Cup™ is the largest single sporting event in the world – it’s bigger than the
Olympics Games.
The FIFA World Cup™ tournament has been running for almost eight decades, occurring every four
years.
The next FIFA World Cup™ will be in South Africa in 2010 followed by Brazil in 2014.
The FIFA World Cup™ is hosted by a country (or countries), rather a city.
The FIFA World Cup™ generally comprises 64 games.
The Asian region, which Australia is part of, is the fastest growing region in world football and the
region with the most potential and capacity to grow the game.
26.3 billion people tuned into watch the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ around the world – the largest
television viewing came from the Asian region (approximately 35% of the cumulative television
audience).
To put this in perspective the Australia 2003 Rugby World Cup had a global audience of 3.4 billion.
It is anticipated that the cumulative television audience for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South
Africa will reach 40 billion people.
The last FIFA World Cup™, held in Germany, attracted 2 million international visitors, 3.3 million
spectators, almost 19,000 accredited media and $2 billion in worldwide retails sales of licensed
merchandise.
There are eight bidders for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, including:
o
Australia
o
Belgium/Netherlands
o
England
o
Indonesia
o
Japan
o
Portugal/Spain
o
Russia
o
United States
For the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, the same eight countries are also bidding. They are joined by
Qatar and Korea Republic, bringing the total number of bidders to 10. The two winning bidders will
earn the right to host the FIFA World Cup™, in either June/July 2018 or June/July 2022, as well as
the FIFA Confederations Cup (held in the preceding year).
It is not possible for two countries from the same confederation to be consecutive hosts. For
example, if England was to win in 2018, no other European bidder is eligible for 2022.
Bidding countries must demonstrate:
o
Compliance with the bidding process, bidding registration and bidding agreement
o
Anticipated impact on the game, and on society as a whole, in both the host country and
abroad
o
Support for the bid from the Government, the general public and football community
o
Infrastructure and management capabilities to host the tournament
o
An innovative and meaningful legacy programme for after the event
Further information on Australia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ can be seen at www.australia2018-
2022.com.au
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