Ryder Cup Europe has arranged an important symposium to provide additional intelligence for those Bidding Nations seeking to host The 2018 Ryder Cup between Europe and the United States.
The six Bidding Nations – France, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden – have been invited to The 2018 Ryder Cup Symposium at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel on Wednesday, 13 January 2010.
Richard Hills, the European Ryder Cup Director, will head The 2018 Ryder Cup Bid Committee that will evaluate progress made by each Bid, including site inspections to all six countries.
All six Bidding Nations have been advised that the deadline for the submission of bids has been set for April 30, 2010. The Host Nation for the 42nd edition of the biennial match started in 1927 will be announced in 2011.
Hills said: “This is as thorough an evaluation process as we have ever embarked upon in determining a Ryder Cup Host Nation and Venue. The 2018 Ryder Cup Bid Committee is in the process of visiting each country, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their Bid in their own environment.
“In addition we felt that bringing the six Nations together for a symposium would provide all involved with a forum at which opinion, information and questions can be shared. We have already been impressed by the level of commitment and the clarity of the bids, and we are keen to ensure that by providing additional information to all parties at one time they will leave London even better placed to further develop their individual tenders.
“We believe that with little more than three months remaining from the time of the symposium to the submission of Bids this is a positive step on the pathway to the eventual announcement in 2011 of the Host Nation and Venue for 2018.”
Those in attendance at the Bid Symposium will include leading figures from The European Tour, the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe, and representatives from The Ryder Cup Policy Board, including the Professional Golfers’ Association and the PGAs of Europe. In addition a panel of influential independent observers has been appointed – Nick Bitel, Jaime Byrom and Michael Payne.
- Nick Bitel, a partner of the law firm Max Bitel Greene and one of the country’s leading sports law experts, sits on the boards of several sports industry bodies including the Olympic Park Legacy Company, Events for London Steering Group and London Community Sports Board. He has been Chief Executive for the London Marathon since 1995 and was Chairman of UK Sport’s Major Events Panel for six years.
- Jaime Byrom is the CEO of Byrom plc, a Sports Event Management Consulting company that specialises in providing turnkey solutions in the areas of Accommodation, Ticketing, Information Technology, Hospitality and Transportation, and he is also the Executive Chairman of MATCH Services AG and of MATCH Hospitality AG as well as the CEO of The FIFA Ticketing Office. His entrepreneurial skills have assisted Host Countries and Cities in their bids to stage major international sports events, guiding and advising the aspiring Hosts from the Bid process through to the successful delivery of the event.
- Michael Payne has been at the forefront of the sports marketing industry for more than 30 years having led the global marketing effort for the Olympic Movement from 1983 to 2004 as the International Olympic Committee’s first ever Marketing and Broadcast Rights Director. He oversaw the development and implementation of marketing programmes for 15 Olympic Summer and Winter Games before becoming, in 2004, an independent sports marketing consultant joining the management team of F1 as special advisor to the Chairman-CEO, Bernie Ecclestone, amongst other organisations and various international boards. Payne has been intimately involved in the bidding process for the Olympic Games – first as an IOC Director reviewing different bids, and more recently as a senior strategic advisor to the successful London 2012 and Rio 2016 campaigns. He is a regular commentator of sports marketing industry affairs for CNN, BBC and other media groups around the world.
Hills added: “We have identified three key individuals each of whom are highly respected in the business and sporting worlds and who will bring their own unique brand of expertise to the table. This will assist The 2018 Ryder Cup Bid Committee identify the correct Nation to host this prestigious match when it returns to the Continent of Europe for the first time in 21 years.
“The thoroughness of the evaluation programme will see each Nation visited again during the 11 month period between the bids being submitted and the Host Nation for 2018 being announced and this process is designed to ensure that any remaining concerns are identified and addressed.”
The 2018 Ryder Cup Bid Committee has compiled a Bid Evaluation Criteria Programme for the six Nations. This is intended to meticulously examine the comparative strengths of each bid by focusing primarily on the golf course and infrastructure and, importantly, on each Nation’s attitude to the environment.
Essential to all bids will be a commitment to the development of a world class facility – new or existing – and the provision of ancillary facilities with suitable access and infrastructure commensurate with the staging of an international sports event.
Hills added: “The Host Nation will be required to demonstrate investment in a multi-faceted programme underpinned by active Government support. All six Bidding Nations have been made aware of the exact requirements in terms of the golf course and infrastructure and the demand for a robust environmental action plan so that The Ryder Cup can act as a catalyst for long term action within both regional and national arenas.
“From the announcement in 2011 the successful Host Nation will be contracted to embrace this programme which will take in 12 years of tournament support for The European Tour, the European Senior Tour, the European Challenge Tour and other professional events. They have also been made aware of other areas vital to the success of the staging of The Ryder Cup such as accommodations, transport, security and the media.”
The 2018 Ryder Cup will be the 42nd edition of the biennial encounter – first played in 1927 – between Europe and the United States. Players from Continental Europe first became eligible for the match in 1979 since when eight matches have been played in the United States, five in England and one each in Ireland and Spain. The 2010 Ryder Cup will be played at The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales, from 1-3 October next year.
All six Bidding Nations for The 2018 Ryder Cup have, since 1972 when The European Tour officially began, demonstrated their support for the development and growth of the game through not only hosting tournaments but also by nurturing the supply of players onto the world stage.
Together France, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden had hosted a total of 700 tournaments – 491 on The European Tour, 162 on the European Challenge Tour and 47 on the European Senior Tour – by the end of The 2009 European Tour season. At that time 75 different players from those six countries had gained 317 wins on The European Tour and 146 had won 267 titles on the European Challenge Tour.
- France has hosted 113 European Tour, 50 European Challenge Tour and 11 European Senior Tour events. Ten French golfers have won 23 tournaments on The European Tour and 35 players have gained 50 wins on the European Challenge Tour. Thomas Levet and Jean Van de Velde have represented Europe in The Ryder Cup.
- Germany has hosted 87 European Tour, 20 European Challenge Tour and six European Senior Tour events. Six German golfers have won 56 tournaments on The European Tour and eight have gained 18 wins on the European Challenge Tour. Bernhard Langer played in ten Ryder Cups and he was the successful European Captain at Oakland Hills, Michigan, in 2004.
- Holland has hosted 38 European Tour, 12 European Challenge Tour and four European Senior Tour events. Three players from Holland have won four tournaments on The European Tour and seven players have gained 11 wins on the European Challenge Tour.
- Portugal has hosted 59 European Tour, ten European Challenge Tour and ten European Senior Tour events. Daniel Silva is the one Portuguese player by birth to have won on The European Tour while José-Filipe Lima has taken Portuguese nationality since his win in 2004 and he won the ECCO Tour Championship on the European Challenge Tour in 2009.
- Spain has hosted 152 European Tour, 31 European Challenge Tour and 13 European Senior Tour events. A total of 28 Spanish golfers have won 150 tournaments on The European Tour and 24 have gained 43 wins on the European Challenge Tour. Nine players from Spain – Seve Ballesteros, José Maria Cañizares, Antonio Garrido, Ignacio Garrido, Sergio Garcia, Miguel Angel Jiménez, José Maria Olazábal, Manuel Piñero and José Rivero – have represented Europe in The Ryder Cup.
- Sweden has hosted 42 European Tour, 39 Challenge Tour and three Senior Tour events. A total of 27 Swedish golfers have won 83 tournaments on The European Tour and 71 have gained 144 wins on the European Challenge Tour. Eight Swedish golfers – Niclas Fasth, Pierre Fulke, Joakim Haeggman, Per-Ulrik Johansson, Robert Karlsson, Jesper Parnevik, Jarmo Sandelin and Henrik Stenson – have represented Europe in The Ryder Cup.
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