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Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium has been included in a list of 14 stadiums that are under study for use if the UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 is successful.
The existing favourites to host the tournament six years from now, the United Kingdom and Ireland, officially submitted their initial bids to UEFA on Wednesday, setting out their vision for the tournament to be played between the European nations.
Part of the dossier sets out a proposal for a shortlist of 14 places that can only be used, which will be reduced to ten stages when a final list is sent to UEFA in April next year. Unfortunately, Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium is not on the restricted list, along with Newcastle United’s St James Park and Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
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In addition to the two fields with greater capacity than Riverside, on the FA’s online page it noted that “the plan ensures that all of our proposed cities and stadiums are connected through direct, fast and sustainable travel and accommodation links that will provide an unprecedented delight for groups and fans. “
However, Riverside Stadium has shown that it is capable of playing the first overseas matches in recent years, with Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions playing two friendlies here last summer before those European Championships, while the Lionesses have also played friendlies here recently. More recently, Teesside Stadium has also hosted Rugby League World Cup matches.
Unfortunately, there will be no matches at Middlesbrough for the 2028 European Championship. However, if they come, as expected, to the UK and Ireland that year, Middlesbrough Football Club can still take credit. This is thanks to the just. amenities available at Rockliffe Park.
With a score of countries descending to the UK and Ireland, everyone will want bases, and for countries whose organising matches will be played at the North Stadiums and even Scotland, Middlesbrough’s Rockliffe Park will prove to be a popular selection for the visiting countries.
In addition to a proper infrastructure on the education floor that provides next door everything they could want to prepare for matches, it is also located in a secluded and personal domain with the hotel and golf course on site, making it the best location for a country. Get off and focus on the tournament without distractions and with a minimum between matches.
Southgate was well aware of what Rockliffe had to offer from his time at Boro and that is why he organised England’s educational camp ahead of Euro 2020, which included two Riverside friendlies against Austria and Romania, to be founded at Rockliffe Park. Three Lions would win any of Teesside’s friendlies before reaching the European Championship final last summer, with a one-year delay due to Covid-19.
Speaking about bringing England to Rockliffe, Southgate said: “Coming here was a peaceful setting and Middlesbrough have been fantastic chasing us. At the time I was here, they were only building the hotel and the golf course, but we have already done so count the educational facilities.
“Being able to walk from the hotel to the school on foot, minimizing travel, has been important. We need a calm environment. Obviously, as the games approach, the outside noise increases, but being here is a relaxed atmosphere. And everyone can focus on their education and enjoy a pleasant atmosphere. “
While England are likely to move into their St George’s Park resort in Burton, Rockliffe Park will actually prove to be a popular choice for the side of the nations that will eventually manage to qualify for Euro 2028. And even if unfortunately we won’t show it at each and every match at the Riveraspect, the football club deserves to at least take advantage of the economics of renting its facilities.
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