Bristol City in talks over stadium funding
A new supermarket development on the site of the Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol could help to fund Bristol City Football Club's (BCFC) new 30,000-seat venue planned for the outskirts of the city.
The club has confirmed that it is in talks with supermarket giant Tesco over the proposals, which are meant to ensure the Football League Championship outfit receives the maximum value for the site in order to finance the new stadium scheme. It comes as BCFC group chief executive, Colin Sexstone, announced that the new stadium, which will be built on a 42-acre (17-hectare) site near the Long Ashton park and ride facility, will be prepared to form part of England's bid to host the World Cup in 2018.
Sexstone said: "A new regional stadium for Bristol will be the centrepiece of the bid. Bristol City Football Club will play it's part in a successful bid by developing a new regional stadium for Bristol, starting with securing planning permission this year." A planning application for the new stadium, which will have the potential to have it capacity extended to 42,000, is to be submitted in the near future. It is hoped that the venue will be ready to open ahead of the 2012-13 season.