The team behind England's bid, led by Andy Anson, want to launch an international marketing campaign similar to the one conducted by London 2012 during its successful bid to host the Olympics.

 

 

Kris Dent, the bid's communications director, is hoping to appoint a PR by the autumn to help bring the tournament back to England for the first time since 1966, when the team led by Bobby Moore won the trophy for the only time in the country's history.

 

The world governing body FIFA will choose hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at a meeting in December 2010.

 

There are nine countries bidding for 2018.

 

England are the favourites but face strong opposition from a joint bid from Portugal and Spain while Russia and Holland and Belgium, another joint bid, are also hoping to bring the tournament back to Europe for the first time since Germany staged it in 2006.

 

There are also bids from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and the United States, although they are all considered more likely contenders for 2022, which Qatar and South Korea are also bidding for.

 

England 2018 has already sent an international PR brief out to selected agencies.

 

The document said the international campaign "will need to focus primarily on the 24 FIFA ExCo (Executive Committee) members, their key influencers and their relevant media markets", reports PR Week.

 

According to the brief, the main campaign messages will be that England is producing a technical bid that exceeds FIFA's requirements; that England has a "deep passion for football and cares profoundly about its national game"; that England would provide "a warm welcome to guests from around the world'; and that a World Cup bid would leave 'a lasting legacy in developing football both domestically and iternationally in countries of the developing world, from grassroots to elite level".

 

The official launch, handled by Pitch PR in May and which featured David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, was overshadowed by a row when it emerged that the British National Party politician Richard Barnbrook was among those at the campaign launch at Wembley Stadium.

 

It led to the bid being publicly criticised by Jack Warner, an influential vice-president of FIFA whose support is crucial to England's bid being successful.