Division 1 Coventry are walking away from the 32,000 seat Ricoh Stadium, almost double the capacity of Loftus Road. I wonder what the future holds for us on the new stadium front? Coventry City plan to build new stadium after Ricoh Arena dispute Coventry City are looking for a site on which to build a new stadium. The Sky Blues are planning for a future away from the Ricoh Arena after a year-long rent row with Arena Coventry Ltd. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22581748 please log in to view this image I think also of relegated Wolves with their stadium expansion project, which must now seem like a white elephant - wonder what the status of that project is with another relegation? http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1099605&page=15&langid=6 So much for these words from March 2010:- "BIGGER THEN THE VILLA, BIGGER THEN CHELSEA ... THE WOLVES ARE MARCHING UP, THE WOLVES ARE MARCHING UP. AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO BELIEVE US, AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO BELIEVE US, AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO BELIEVE US ... THE WOLVES ARE MARCHING UP. WIMABIGCLUB" http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1099605
It shows the importance of OWNING your own stadium lock, stock and barrel. I trust TF will never put us in such a position to be at the landlord's obscenely expensive mercy...
I think that the lesson here is that a football club must own its own stadium which is I believe one of the few things we actually need to thank Briatore for. Even the French rugby union are now building their own stadium because renting the stade de france is too expensive.
This is a problem West Ham are going to face. Their rent bills are sky high and dependent pretty much on them staying in the PL. Will end in troubles for them I am sure.
Its in Coventry, there's no additional income and they are in L1 which is where we belong unless we get a new ground because the likes of Brentford, MK and Doncaster will overtake us.
I was thinking the same thing - as others have indicated, it is important that a football club actually own their stadium, rather than renting/leasing it as a tenant.
Having ownership of the ground is very important. It can be an assett - however, it is often the first thing to go if there is a need to raise big money (whether to pay tax bills, etc, or to fill the pockets of assett strippers). Interestingly, the first match played at the Ricoh was against the R's in 2005.
