Plymouth front row for Rugby World Cup 2015 Team Bases

Plymouth’s sports facilities could be making another appearance on the world stage with key city venues in the running for Rugby World Cup 2015 Team Bases.

A consortium of local sports partners, led by Plymouth City Council, put together a bid to be a potential Team Base before and during the tournament and organisers England 2015 has confirmed that the city has been successful in making the approved list.

The consortium also includes Plymouth Albion Rugby Club, SLM Ltd, the University of St Mark and St John Plymouth as well as the Ministry of Defence, and their training facilities will now be included in the England2015 Team Bases prospectus, which is being considered by the competing teams.

Bases on the approved list are not guaranteed to host teams, however they will be used to provide the competing nations with their Team Base options, many of which are currently undertaking visits of prospective bases.

A Team Base must include an indoor and outdoor training facility, a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a hotel. These facilities must meet international team training standards and be located in close proximity of one another. Match venue location has also been taken into account. England Rugby 2015 requires up to 50 bases for use during the tournament. These will be confirmed mid-2014.

Teams that could potentially train in Plymouth include Italy and Tonga, as well as three nations who have come through the qualification process, who are due to play matches at Sandy Park (Exeter Chiefs’ ground) for matches. 

Deputy leader Councillor Peter Smith said: “Great stuff! Plymouth’s sporting record is beginning to grow and our facilities are proving a great draw for teams wanting to combine hard graft with Britain’s Ocean City and all that if offers: great places to eat, drink, sleep and enjoy.”

In 2012 a number of Olympic teams and individuals chose the city for their pre-Olympic preparations including the Canadian diving team, Ghana, the Lithuanian dive team as well as some individual diving competitors from Mexico.

Councillor Smith added: “We want to show Plymouth as a confident and proud city and by working together; these partners are helping us cement our reputation. A lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes between the partners and while this news does not yet mean a team training here is in the bag, it clearly puts us in the running. We’ve got to be in it to win it!”

Professor Cara Aitchison, Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Mark and St John said: “The University of St Mark & St John is proud to be the leading education partner in Plymouth’s successful bid to be selected as a Team Base for the Rugby World Cup 2015.

“The University’s world class training facilities and our ability to provide sports therapy were identified as key strengths of the bid. We have some of the best sports facilities of any university in the UK and we are delighted to share these with international partners.

The University is pleased to partner in sport initiatives that have such wider economic impact. After the Olympics Games and the Football World Cup, the Rugby World Cup has the most significant economic impact of any major international sport event and is therefore of great potential economic benefit to Plymouth and the wider region.’ 

Maurice West, Director or Plymouth Albion Football Club said: “It’s wonderful news. I’m sure that many of our supporters will be really excited about the possibility of having world class players train here in Plymouth and it is exciting for Plymouth Albion to have the opportunity to be involved in the build up to  this celebration of the best the game has to offer. 

The requirements of the bid were complex and it would have not been possible for any individual organisation in Plymouth to have met all the criteria. By doing what Plymouth does well and collaborating as a group of organisations and forming a partnership, Plymouth’s bid has been successful and is great news for everyone involved and the wider community. This provides further testament of the quality of facilities available in the city.”