England striker Peter Crouch and 1966 World Cup winner Geoff Hurst have joined forces with BT in a bid to bring the FIFA World Cup to England in 2018.
The BT England 2018 'Back the Bid' campaign invites people to put their faces on the official supporters' flag to mark their support; and the soccer stars launched the national rally by signing their names in light on a 67ft high flag projected by laser onto Wembley Stadium. Crouch said: "This is everyone's chance to help bring the World Cup to England. We want people to show their passion for football, get behind the England 2018 bid and be remembered for it. Show your mates you've backed the bid and get them all to do the same."
The photos and names will create a mosaic of hundreds and thousands of images on the virtual flag bearing the 2018 bid logo, The FA's three lions badge and the slogan 'England united. The world invited'.
Gavin Patterson, CEO, BT Retail, said: "We want the flag to become a symbol that shows the passion there is not just in England, but across the whole of the UK, among fans to bring football's greatest competition back to England in 2018. Creating the flag filled with photos of people who want to be with us will help to show FIFA that we have the nationwide support to put on a superb tournament."
England 2018 Chief Executive, Andy Anson, added: "The BT photo flag is an exciting way for fans to get behind England's World Cup Bid and show their support. Demonstrating the passion of football fans in this country is fundamental to our bid and BT's campaign provides a fantastic way to capture this."
Supporters can back the bid on Facebook at www.facebook.com/btbackthebid or follow the bid on twitter at @BTbackthebid.