'What people don't realize is the football club is the biggest community asset in any town,' said Dave Giffard of the Forever Bury supporters' society.

Using public money has been a feature of sports in the United States since the 1950s, even though economists are almost unanimous in finding that cities receive little economic benefit from stadiums.

With less than a week to go until the first World Cup match kicks off, Google has released imagery of all 12 Brazilian stadiums to get those watching from the comfort of their own homes into the action.