It's another step forward for Gloucester Rugby and Kingsholm as we seek to bring World Cup rugby back to our home which, of course, staged a World Cup fixture during the 1991 tournament as well as numerous international fixtures since.
Acting Managing Director Chris Ferguson spoke with obvious delight this morning of Kingsholm reaching the next stage.
"It's great news for Kingsholm, Gloucester Rugby and the City of Gloucester. We have been officially notified that Kingsholm has made the 'long list' of venues still under consideration.
"A lot of hard work has gone into getting us this far but we are also conscious that there is still a lot of work to be done.
"The next stage of the evaluation process will take several months. Clearly the competition is extremely stiff, the long list of 17 venues includes Wembley, Old Trafford and the Olympic Stadium, as well as obviously Twickenham, and this must be reduced to a maximum of 12 when the venues are finally named.
"However the selection process is extremely professional and well-organised. I have absolutely no doubt that if Kingsholm is awarded the honour of being selected the club, the city and the surrounding area will light up the tournament with their passionate support.
"We're one step closer and we'll now be pulling out all the stops to make the final list."
Gloucester Rugby Chairman Ryan Walkinshaw was also delighted by the news, saying:
"As a club we would be honoured to host Rugby World Cup 2015 matches. I know that our own fans would be very enthusiastic, and I am sure that visiting teams and overseas fans would relish the famous Kingsholm atmosphere.
"Over recent years we have put on a number of international matches, which I hope has demonstrated that we can deliver at the highest level.
"If we are successful with our bid the club will be doing everything it can to make sure that the matches held at Kingsholm are a huge success"
Paul James, the Leader of Gloucester City Council, commented:
"I am absolutely delighted by this news both for the rugby club and the city. We have all put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get to this stage and there will be a lot more to do in the future.
"But we are now serious contenders as a venue and as such we have a lot going for us. We are acknowledged as having some of the most passionate rugby supporters in the country and the club has previously staged a world cup fixture.
"We have a great deal of experience in staging major events and local people always turn out in force to support them.
"There are a great many reasons why Gloucester should make the final short list and along with Gloucester Rugby we will be working hard to convince the World Cup organisers."
