Green light for new Wembley

Work will begin next week on a new €1.2bn English national stadium at Wembley.

Demolition begins next week
A news conference at the headquarters of the Football Association (FA) in London today announced that a deal had been signed and the demolition of the old stadium would begin next week. The new stadium is set to be open in 2006.

Basic costs
The conference heard that the basic building costs at the north London venue will be €560m out of a total of €1.2bn, including the full furnishing of the new stadium. All parties, including the main partners - the FA, Sport England and the government - welcomed today's announcement.

Stadium capabilities
The stadium will be capable of hosting football, rugby league and - with some adjustments - athletics. The announcement was made by FA chief executive Adam Crozier, culture secretary Tessa Jowell and Sport England chairman Trevor Brooking.

'Best stadium in the world'
Crozier said: "It has been a long haul to reach a successful outcome. I would like to offer my personal thanks to all the key parties involved who have helped to piece together a deal which delights everyone. It is great news for everyone involved in football. Players and fans can now look forward to enjoying the facilities at what will be the best stadium in the world."

'Great past'
Meanwhile, Brooking, a former English international, said: "This is fantastic news for sport in this country. Wembley will be the best stadium in the world by a mile. Wembley is the most famous stadium brand name in the world. It's arch will in time be as great a landmark as the Twin Towers. It is time to move on from a great past to an even greater future."