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World Cup bids attract lyrical supporters
BARNSLEY Bard Ian McMillan joined the campaign to bring World Cup football to the region yesterday when he presented a new poem on the subject to schoolchildren in Penistone.
Mr McMillan was commissioned by "Back The Bid Leeds" to write a poem in support of the Leeds bid to host World Cup matches in the city, should England be chosen to host the tournament in 2018.
That poem, called World Cup Leeds, received its first public airing when it was read to pupils at Springvale School yesterday.
Referencing the Pennines and Yorkshire pudding, the poem proclaims that "Yorkshire is the proper place for a world class trophy with a smile on its face."
As well as being a regular columnist for the Yorkshire Post, Mr McMillan is poet-in-residence for Barnsley FC and Humberside Police's Beat Poet.
He said: "Even though I'm a Barnsley fan I reckon the bid is good for Yorkshire as a whole.
"I hope it'll be my chant that sways the bid, and of course I hope the final will be played at Oakwell anyway."
Meanwhile, those backing a rival bid by the city of Sheffield have adopted a song specially written by local songwriter Eliot Kennedy as their official anthem.
The songwriter, who has written for the likes of Take That, Brian Adams and the Spice Girls, has penned a track entitled The World at Your Feet which will be performed for the first time at Sheffield's Christmas lights switch-on event on Sunday.
Mr Kennedy said: "When I saw the photos of the Sheffield children being used to communicate the legacy that the World Cup would leave in the city, I was inspired to write a song about the impact that this would have on them.
"The money raised by this song will go into a sports fund which will be used to support sports clubs and groups in Sheffield, particularly those addressing deprivation and disadvantage."
Wayne Coyle, director of the Sheffield 2018 bid, said: "It is a real feel-good anthem which communicates legacy, Sheffield's international community and our passion for football."
A final decision on which cities will host World Cup games is due to be made next month. Leeds Sheffield and Hull have all submitted bids.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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