17 Dec 2009Milton Keynes Dons chairman thrilled by World Cup recognition

Football Clubs News | Football Technology and Stadia

Pete Winkelman, the Milton Keynes Dons chairman, reacted with excitement after his club's ground was included in the list of stadia for England's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Stadium:mk is one of 17 venues that the bid team will formally submit to FIFA next May, with Milton Keynes taking its place alongside 11 other potential host cities for the tournament.

Winkelman said that the ground's inclusion was "a reward for the emphasis that the city of Milton Keynes has put on football and its development".

He noted that the city "wasn't even on the map" when England won the World Cup in 1966, while it has only had a Football League side to call its own since 2004.

"To be in among a host of fantastic footballing cities around the country is so exciting for us," Winkleman added.

Although the ground currently holds just 22,000 supporters, plans to double the capacity of stadium:mk are already in place.

Derby, Hull and Leicester were the ones that missed out when the list of prospective host cities was whittled down to 12.

Written by Terry Mitchell

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