Ukrop Park has role in USA's bid for '22 World Cup

Ukrop Park, home of the Richmond Kickers, has been identified as a potential team base camp to be included in the United States bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™. The sports complex has been chosen as a possible training camp to host one of the 32 competing soccer nations, if the USA is awarded the honor to host the 2022 event.

Team Base Camps will provide the visiting teams with a ‘home away from home’ and outstanding fitness and training facilities to help them in their final preparations for the biggest sporting event in the world.

“The opportunity for the Richmond community to be a part of a World Cup experience would be amazing,” said Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Director of Soccer.

“The World Cup brings with it an energy, passion and atmosphere that no other sporting event can rival. The possibility to have some of the best soccer players in the world based in Richmond and training at Ukrop Park would be a wonderful achievement for the region.”

If the USA is successful in its bid, the world’s most elite athletes may be able to benefit from Ukrop Park’s state-of-the-art facilities including six lighted athletic fields, including two environmentally friendly Sportexe synthetic turf fields and a full-scale aquatics center.

“We are thrilled that the committee has identified the Richmond region and Ukrop Park as a potential training base camp for their bid,” added Rob Ukrop, President of the Richmond Kickers Board of Directors.

"The future development of Ukrop Park, in partnership with Chesterfield County, will provide an ideal venue for a top national team in the world. We are elated at the possibility of hosting Brazil, Germany, Mexico, or another World Cup qualifier at our state-of-the-art facility.”

The USA Bid Committee announced last week that it has withdrawn from the 2018 FIFA World Cup bid and will exclusively focus on the 2022 campaign.

The decision comes after several months of careful deliberation with FIFA, UEFA and members of the USA Bid Board of Directors. Four European candidates now remain in the race for 2018 (Belgium/Netherlands, England, Russia and Spain/Portugal). Since the FIFA statutes indicate that the competition cannot be held on the same continent on two successive occasions, the 2022 campaign will now be between Australia, Japan, Korea Republic, Qatar and the United States.

The FIFA Executive Committee will gather in Zurich on October 28 and 29 to discuss a number of items. FIFA is slated to make the decision and announce the host nations for both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups on December 2, 2010.