Sports letters: National stadium for fans or image?

Sir: Does the nation need a national arena? Athletics and predominantly northern rugby league bodies seem to think so and are happy with Wembley. However, as I write, the FA has made no such commitment, other than for cup finals and glamour ties.

While football would be the arena's most profitable sport and the FA are under contract to play England games at the stadium until the start of the next century, is England's Wembley future so sure?

With a super stadium planned for Newcastle, Manchester United's ever- mushrooming Old Trafford and a stadium to be built in Manchester for the Commonwealth Games, England's football team at last has the option of playing all over England.

Finally, after Manchester's glorious attempts to land the Olympics, the IOC have hinted that a new stadium may enhance England's chances for the future. Following the success of Euro 96, Fifa, world football's governing body, would also look favourably upon an English bid for 2006 with an array of new stadiums and an amazing state-of-the-art stadium for the nation's capital.

MATTHEW POCKNELL

New Cross, London