Liverpool puts Everton at heart of tempting 2022 Commonwealth Games bid

EVERTON’S new waterfront home is the centrepiece of a bid, unveiled today, for Liverpool to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Ambitious plans, costing around £672m to host the showpiece event, would also see the Reds' Anfield stadium hosting the opening ceremony.

Throw in venues such as St George’s Hall, Mann Island, the Echo Arena, and the city has come up with a tempting package after original host city Durban, pulled out.

And just to show there’s no hard feelings for the way Manchester all but ignored Liverpool when it staged the games a few years back, Liverpool proposes using its velodrome for cycling and Old Trafford for cricket.

Central to Liverpool’s bid to stage the games is the riverside regeneration of the Bramley-Moore Dock which is already set to become home to Everton.

The new football stadium – which is seeking to replicate the intimacy, fan proximity and atmosphere of Goodison Park – will accommodate a temporary athletics track for the games without any disruption to those features. The track will be installed after the final home game of the 2021/22 season and will be removed before the first scheduled kick-off of the 2022/23 season.

The city is also proposing to host swimming at a new 50 metre pool, within the dock system, which would remain as a public lido afterwards. There would be facilities for triple jump, long jump and pole vault on the dockside by Mann Island.

The Arena and Convention Centre would host badminton, artistic gymnastics, judo, netball and wrestling.

Anfield, home of Liverpool FC, would host the games’ opening ceremony as well as the Rugby Sevens.  Meanwhile the historic St George’s Hall would host the squash finals.

An athletes’ village would also be built alongside the new Everton stadium, which all lies in the heart of the Unesco World Heritage Site.

Liverpool 2022 Bid Chairman Brian Barwick said: “What we have unveiled today is truly transformational. We are utilising our existing, world-class venues such as Goodison Park and Anfield. Some of the other eye catching plans, such as the dynamic new pool in the docks and the creative approach to working with Everton FC’s new state-of-the-art stadium will set the bar for how major games leave a real and tangible legacy.”

Mayor Joe Anderson added: “Since being European Capital of Culture in 2008, Liverpool has undergone a renaissance and this bid taps directly into this creative ambition, innovative approach and the uniqueness of our city which will transform not just how the world views the Commonwealth Games but will also transform the economic fortunes of our waterfront and countless lives across the city.”

The city also today launched its official bid website: www.liverpoolCG22.org with a call to action for the public to back the bid via social media with the hashtag #IAmLiverpool2022

Steve Parry, three times Commonwealth Games medallist and Liverpool 2022 Bid ambassador, said: “Having competed at three Commonwealth Games I know what a special event it is and that Liverpool, my home city, would be the perfect host. The plans to create a pool in the city centre docks are an absolute knockout and a world first for swimming. It will place swimming at the heart of the Games experience and provides a swimming legacy that would be a must-see visitor attraction. These Games would be a great springboard for Liverpool.”