A Football Association delegation toured Leeds this week as part of their nationwide tour of 15 cities bidding to be hosts, visiting Elland Road, United's Thorp Arch training base, the John Charles Centre for Sport, Leeds Metropolitan University's Headingley campus and the University of Leeds' Weetwood facilities, which could all potentially be used by countries based in the city.

Harvey said: "The Leeds city region has the facilities, passion, fans and ambition to be a magnificent host city.

 

"The FA's delegation saw some of the best of what Yorkshire can offer, including an internationally recognised football stadium, world-class training facilities and some of the best outdoor spaces in the country.

 

"What we need now is for everybody to show their support for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

 

It has been proposed that improvements would be made to Elland Road stadium so it would be capable of hosting World Cup matches up to and including a quarter-final.

 

Elland, which was opened in 1897, has a capacity of 39,401.

 

The stadium was originally the home  to Leeds City, who were expelled from the Football League at the start of the 1919-1920 season for financial irregularities.

 

In the wake of their demise, Leeds United were formed, and entered the Football League the following year and have played at the ground ever since.

 

They were once the country's top club and reached the European Cup final in 1975 but have now slipped into League One, the third tier of English football, because of financial problems.

 

The ground has also been the venue of choice for a number of England international fixtures in the past, the most recent of which was a friendly match against Italy in March 2002 while the new Wembley was being built.

 

When England were picked to host Euro 96, the most recent international tournament held in country, Elland Road was selected as one of the eight venues.

 

It staged Group B of the qualifying rounds, which included Spain, Romania, France and Bulgaria.

 

The other cities and towns bidding to host matches are Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Hull, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Sunderland.

 

The FA are expected to pick up to 12 grounds to stage matches.

FIFA is due to announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments at a meeting in December 2010.