GLASGOW WINS BID TO HOST THE ECU EUROPEAN CHEERLEADING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2013

Glasgow will receive an economic boost of around £1.3 million after being selected to host the ECU European Cheerleading Championships this year.

The colourful event will take place at the city’s new Emirates Arena over the weekend of June 29-30.

The announcement was made at the Emirates today (Tuesday, February 5) by Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB), alongside cheerleaders Chanelle Houston (14), Demi Newlands and Emma Boylan (both 16), Fiona Brown (21), Rachael Watson and Kerry McGee (both 26) and Maxine Turnbull (27) from the city’s Dance and Cheer Academy.

As one of the largest events on the global cheerleading calendar, nearly 3,000 competitors from some 34 countries across Europe will travel to Glasgow for the two-day contest. In addition, the city can expect to welcome more than 2,000 visiting spectators, comprising coaches, family and supporters.

The bid to bring the European Championships to Glasgow was presented to the Amsterdam-based European Cheerleading Union (ECU) by Scottish cheerleading body Scotcheer and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) in July last year.

The coup for the city is also a first for both Scotland and the UK, with the inaugural event in 2011 having been held in Prague before travelling to Amsterdam last year.

Councillor Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: “Today’s announcement is fantastic news for Glasgow. It reinforces that our decision to invest in sport infrastructure, like our world-class Emirates Arena, to not only provide the best possible sporting facilities for our residents but also deliberately and specifically to attract major events has been the right one.

“The European Cheerleading Union’s decision to bring their flagship event to Glasgow is a huge vote of confidence in the city and a real first for Scotland and the UK. We look forward to extending a warm welcome to the thousands of competitors and spectators who will come and soak up the colourful atmosphere of these championships, which will undoubtedly deliver a significant boost to the city’s economy.”

Steve Walls, President and Co-Founder of Scotcheer, said: “We are delighted that our bid to bring the 2013 ECU European Cheerleading Championships toGlasgowhas been successful and we’re now aiming to deliver a show-stopping event, which will really set the benchmark for future championships.

“Over the past decade we have seen a meteoric rise in interest and participation in cheerleading right across Scotland and hosting this event in Glasgow will allow cheerleading clubs from every corner of the UK to compete against the very best in Europe.”

Cheerleaders from Glasgow’s Dance and Cheer Academy (DCA) will be among those competing at this year’s European Championships.

Founded in 2009 and based in the south side of the city, DCA will perform in three categories – senior jazz team, senior jazz duet and senior pom (freestyle) duet. This will be the second time they have competed in the ‘Euros’ having picked up a bronze medal in the senior jazz duet category in Amsterdam last year.

The club also won gold and silver in the senior open dance and junior pom dance categories at the US Finals in Florida in 2011, which attracted 1,700 competing teams from around the world and is regarded as the most prestigious competition on the global circuit.

DCA cheerleader, Fiona Brown, said: “I competed in the European Championships last year and it’s a spectacular event, so I’m delighted that this year it’s coming to my home city and to such an amazing venue as the Emirates Arena. As a club, we’re really looking forward to welcoming and competing against some of the best cheerleaders and teams in Europe- and to being cheered on by a home crowd!”

For more information about the ECU European Cheerleading Championships, visit the European Cheerleading Union’s website at www.cheereca.org.

Ends

For more information, contact:
Graeme Watson
Senior Marketing Communications Manager – Corporate & Digital
GlasgowCity Marketing Bureau

Tel: +44 (0)141 566 0835 / 07534 982 312
E-mail: [email protected]

(Or)

Tricia Crosbie
Corporate Marketing Communications Executive
Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

Tel: +44 (0)141 566 0838 / 07738 782 926
E-mail: [email protected]