GWENT organisations are backing moves by Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland to host the Euro 2020 football tournament.

UEFA's deadline for formal expressions of interest was at midnight on Tuesday. Just days before Turkey was the only country to come forward, when at the last minute the Celtic countries' joint declaration of interest was lodged.

Georgia has also now declared an interest. There are still 18 months to go before bids need to be lodged.

If a joint bid were successful it would secure the three countries' places in the tournament. Wales has not been involved in a major tournament since 1958.

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: "It is clear, given the scale of the Euros, that only a handful of the largest European nations have the capacity to host on a stand-alone basis.

"For Wales, and indeed all the Celtic nations, only a partnership approach could ever be considered."

This expression of interest will allow the FAW the FAI and SFA to examine the UEFA criteria in detail over the coming months.

Newport West MP, Paul Flynn, said: "This exciting bid should be pursued with vigour. We benefit greatly from major sporting occasions located here.

"It would assist the international visibility of all three countries and improve our reputations worldwide."

Celtic Manor Resort Chief Executive, Dylan Matthews, said: "Hosting the Euro 2020 football tournament would bring lots of visiting supporters from all corners of Europe to Wales and that could only be a good thing for tourism and the economy, generally.

"Football fans following their national teams will all need somewhere to stay and something to eat, so I am sure our business and many others in Wales would see the benefit."

The Head of the University Of Wales, Newport’s School of Sport, Health and Applied Social Sciences, Dr Nicky Lewis, is urging local people to get behind the three countries to host the tournament.

He said: "The breadth of sporting talent in Wales is immense as we see with the number of elite sports men and women who have come through the university in recent years.

"A tournament like this would help to unlock the interests of a whole generation of Welsh football fans, and would surely have a positive impact on the Welsh economy, tourism industry and participation rates in sport."

And Monmouthshire council's chief executive Paul Matthews said: "Monmouthshire County Council would actively welcome a successful bid from Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland to host football's Euro 2020 Finals. Excellent road links with Cardiff and Swansea and the county's ability to cater for fans indicate that Monmouthshire would be the ideal place to set up camp. Our proximity to Cardiff International and Bristol airports means that Dublin, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow are just one short flight away. In between attending matches, travelling fans will be able to take advantage of our fantastic tourism offer."