The plan for the UK and Ireland to host football's Euro 2028 would be great news for the North East if it comes off.
It could see at least one of the region's major football stadia used to stage games and possibly two if the present Tory government stands by its levelling up promise if still in office - or Labour maintains the promise if it wins the general election.
At the Euro 2020 competition - staged in 2021 - 11 venues were used all across Europe for 51 games.
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If there is an even spread across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, it could possibly see both St James' Park, home of Newcastle United and Sunderland's Stadium of Light used as venues.
When England staged Euro 1996, St James' Park was one of the venues which saw the likes of a young Zinedine Zidane perform there.
As well as being brilliant for football fans, it would provide a huge and much needed boost for the local economy, particularly the hospitality industry, as it would see millions of pound spent in the region.
Sarah Green, chief executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “The region has a brilliant reputation for holding world-class sporting events, and I believe that’s down to a combination of factors.
"The local population is passionate about sport, which helps to create amazing atmospheres both in sporting venues and throughout the city.
"The North East is home to amazing hospitality businesses, meaning visitors will always be able to find a hotel, restaurant or bar to suit them.
"Uniquely, we also have amazing sporting venues in the heart of our city centres.
“The economic benefits of sporting events to the region are significant with both visitor numbers and hotel occupancy increasing during the events.
"In a recent visitor survey, it was found that 15% of visitors to Newcastle state their main reason for visiting the city is to watch sport."
Like Ms Green, Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah said the region is made for staging such an event.
"The North East combines unrivalled passion for football with the most gorgeous countryside, tourist attractions from just about every stage of humanity's existence from hill forts to the Centre for Life and of course our famous night time economy," she said.
"Having the Euros in the North East would be a fantastic opportunity to advertise that to Europe and indeed the world and make a significant contribution to our economy. As well as the chance to see some great football."
Her Labour colleague Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell agreed.
"St James’ Park is an internationally recognised symbol of Newcastle and the North East with a long history of delivering memorable moments for sports fans," she said.
“In recent years, on top of a brilliant atmosphere for Newcastle United games, it has attracted Olympic football, International Rugby Union Tests, Rugby League’s Magic Weekend and will be hosting the opening game of the Rugby League World Cup this year.
“The stadium is just a few minutes’ walk from the famous Geordie hospitality on offer in our vibrant city centre. I can’t think of a better destination for Euro 2028 than Newcastle.”
The thought of staging such a prestigious event and the benefits it could bring has cross party support.
The Conservative MP for Darlington, Peter Gibson, said: “Bringing large sporting events to our here gives us the opportunity to demonstrate all that is good about our fantastic region.
“It also gives us the opportunity to boost our local economy in particular the hospitality sector.”
Coun Nick Forbes, Newcastle City Council leader, said they were right behind the bid and it would be a win-win for the North East and the competition itself if games were staged in the region.
He said: “We think the atmosphere at St James’ Park is the best in the country and fans travelling to the city would be guaranteed a warm welcome.
“Visitors would also be able to experience the vibrant culture and rich history which makes our city such a great place to live.
"We have a world-class track record of staging major sporting events, from being successfully involved when England hosted Euro 96 to more than 80,000 people over two nights attending the Heineken Champions cup final and European Challenge Cup Final in 2019.
“A report by the Newcastle Falcons and the NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) found that the rugby games in 2019 delivered a £24.6m boost to the city’s economy, while the city’s hotel occupancy rate was 99% over the weekend and 96% of visitors said they found Newcastle friendly and welcoming.
“The economic benefit for hosting a match in Euro 2028 would be enormous and be another fantastic opportunity to showcase our city to a global audience.”
Meanwhile leader of Sunderland City Council, Coun Graeme Miller, said: "We all know our city and region have a huge passion for football.
"We have the stadiums and the infrastructure for hosting major sporting tournaments and events, and await further details about the bid."
