Gresley in World Cup 2006 bid

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Gresley have thrown their name into the ring for the Moat Ground to be put forward as a prospective venue for the 2006 World Cup, should England's bid to host the competition be successful. The club's board have contacted the FA, sending them a detailed breakdown of their plans to bring the world's premier sporting event to South Derbyshire. Gresley financial director Lance Luckless told us "This is a fantastic opportunity to really put Church Gresley on the International stage. The World Cup is watched by billions of television viewers across the globe. If we could bring some of the games to the Moat Ground it would be great for the Football Club, the village, and the whole area."

The Moat Ground - playing host to the World Cup in 2006?

Scrapyard

Mr Luckless admitted there was a great deal of work to be done to bring the Moat Ground up to World Cup standard. The capacity would have to be increased from it's present total of 2,000, and extra media and corporate facilities would need to be built, but the Gresley board is confident the work could be carried out in time for the tournament, in the summer of 2006. Mr Luckless told us: "My mate's son-in-law runs a builders yard, and he has offered to help by supplying builders rubble to build up the banking around the pitch. We also have a contact at a scrapyard in Swad who will provide us with roofing materials - he supplied us with the corrugated aluminium we used to build the School Street end roof."

Mrs. Miggins

The club also have plans underway for an International Media Centre, at No. 23, Church Street, a property currently occupied by Mrs. Hilda Miggins and her pet cat "Blacky". Said Mrs. Miggins: "There's only me and Blacky here since my husband passed away, so there's plenty of room." Asked if she thought she could cope with the huge influx of visiting press, radio and television journalists who would need accomodating, Mrs. Miggins replied: "I'll have my daughter and Mrs. Gilbert from across the way to help me with the refreshments. There's two spare bedrooms so some of 'em will have to share, and some can sleep on the floor." Mrs. Miggins said she was looking forward to welcoming the world's media into her home, but added "I don't want none of those Germans staying here, not after what they did to my Dad's chip shop during the war."

Bus driver

The staging of World Cup matches at the Moat Ground would require additional transport facilities, but this too is accounted for in the Gresley plans. Gresley Common will be opened up for parking, and an extra two buses per hour will be chartered by  local bus company Arriva before and after matches, to ferry supporters to the ground from Swad bus station. However when we asked one of their bus drivers if he was excited, we got the reply "No we don't go to bloody Castle Gresley. This is the number 8a you know. Tsk".

Tobogganing

Gresley have the full backing of South Derbyshire District Council to bring the World Cup to the area. A council spokesman told us "We are very excited. If the World Cup comes to Gresley it will be the biggest sporting event in the area since the 1992 Winter Olympics were held in Albert Village.