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[Football] Coventry New Stadium









Silverhatch

Well-known member
Feb 23, 2009
4,689
Preston Park
Always had a soft spot for Coventry going right back to our time in the old First Division, remember them as always being an attacking team and those glorious brown away shirts. Their fans have been through the mill over the last 20 years, so good luck to them.

:thumbsup:

Feel exactly the same about Cov having lived in and around the City for three years in the early 80s. High field Road was brilliant. And the people have really dark humour - probably as a result of having their city bombed to shit by the Luftwaffe.
 


GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,186
Gloucester
Oh right, I must have got the two mixed up, as London Irish were at the Madjeski Stadium (they presumably still are). I suppose Wasps must have gained loads of new fans in the Midlands, but then territorial loyalty isn't as strong in rugby as in football, with obvious exceptions such as Gloucester, and many of them will just be going because they want to see a rugby game. I seem to remember that Wasps and Leicester were great rivals (rugby fans correct me if I'm wrong - the obvious rivals for Leicester would be Northampton), and if that's the case they are now only 20 miles apart.

You're right - territorial/tribal loyalty isn't the same in Rugby (with a few exceptions like Gloucester and Bath). In many cases the continuity isn't there - weren't there new clubs/amalgamations when rugby went professional and the big money rolled in?

Many of the rugby teams I can remember back in the day either don't exist any more, or still carry on at a much lower level than in their pre-professional heydays - clubs like Hawick, Galashiels, Plymouth Albion, Redruth, Blackheath, Rosslyn Park, Pontypool, Neath and Pontypridd (sp?). I don't see much about them at rugby's top table any more.
 


West Hoathly Seagull

Honorary Ruffian
Aug 26, 2003
3,544
Sharpthorne/SW11
You're right - territorial/tribal loyalty isn't the same in Rugby (with a few exceptions like Gloucester and Bath). In many cases the continuity isn't there - weren't there new clubs/amalgamations when rugby went professional and the big money rolled in?

Many of the rugby teams I can remember back in the day either don't exist any more, or still carry on at a much lower level than in their pre-professional heydays - clubs like Hawick, Galashiels, Plymouth Albion, Redruth, Blackheath, Rosslyn Park, Pontypool, Neath and Pontypridd (sp?). I don't see much about them at rugby's top table any more.

The Shed gets a bit lively though, doesn't it? I take it though that it's mostly industrial language and banter rather than actual hostility. Would Bath fans be able to go and stand there happily? Because I don't think there is ever segregation at rugby matches, is there? Talking of Blackheath, that was Micky Skinner's club, and Bill Beaumont played for Fylde, while Wade Dooley played for Preston Grasshoppers. Obviously in the amateur days, you didn't need to play for a prestigious club to play for England.
 
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Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,952
Surrey
Oh right, I must have got the two mixed up, as London Irish were at the Madjeski Stadium (they presumably still are). I suppose Wasps must have gained loads of new fans in the Midlands, but then territorial loyalty isn't as strong in rugby as in football, with obvious exceptions such as Gloucester, and many of them will just be going because they want to see a rugby game. I seem to remember that Wasps and Leicester were great rivals (rugby fans correct me if I'm wrong - the obvious rivals for Leicester would be Northampton), and if that's the case they are now only 20 miles apart.
Wasps big rivals have always been Harlequins - from memory I think Wasps were formed as a breakaway club from Quins. Leicester and Northampton has indeed always been a big rivalry too.
 




Shooting Star

Well-known member
Apr 29, 2011
2,883
Suffolk
Looks like 4km rather than 4 miles, but I guess there isn't a direct route in Coventry unlike Lewes Road?

To join the ex-Warwick Uni student love-in (2010-2018), there is actually (Kenilworth Road from memory). Very long road that stretches from the University, past the War Memorial Park all the way to the station and city centre. I walked it once as I was cheap and didn't want to pay for a BFH and took about 1hr 10 mins. Not a dual-carriage way, mind. At least it doesn't touch the infamous ring road which is a horrendous road system made by Satan himself.

Very wistful about my time at Warwick and was absolutely over the moon to discover this news last week. Warwick Uni is very similar to the Amex - technically just within city limits of Coventry. However, cross the road and you're technically in Warwickshire and the land the University will offer the club would be there, which is a fact that many of the Sky Blues fans seem to be pleased about on their forum as they have a very low opinion of Coventry City Council right now and would much prefer this stadium to be built within the jurisdiction of Warwick District Council.

#PUSB
 




Randy McNob

> > > > > > Cardiff > > > > >
Jun 13, 2020
4,724
I wouldn't have thought it would get planning permission if there's a perfectly good stadium in Coventry already
 


ac gull

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,984
midlands
did an evening course at Warwick Uni for a few years - always seemed like the final outskirts of Coventry ( thankfully I only had to drive down A45 from M42 rather than through Coventry ) rather than anywhere near Warwick and plenty of land around the outskirts of the Uni

Whether they all come to a signed agreement that leads to a planning application who knows
 






Coventry is a big enough place to have two stadiums for different sports. Wasps are doing very well at their place and if Coventry City FC have the money, good luck to them it’s probably the ideal solution.

London Irish have gone down the ground share road since the council forced us out of Sunbury more than 20 years ago and it’s been a mixed experience with both Quins and Reading FC. Now we go again with Brentford hopefully third time lucky.

Places like Leicester, Northampton and even Saracens despite their current difficulties show having your own stadium is ideal but It’s too much of an outlay for us given Brentford’s stadium is near-ish Irish’s historic home in London
 


The Shed gets a bit lively though, doesn't it? I take it though that it's mostly industrial language and banter rather than actual hostility. Would Bath fans be able to go and stand there happily? Because I don't think there is ever segregation at rugby matches, is there? Talking of Blackheath, that was Micky Skinner's club, and Bill Beaumont played for Fylde, while Wade Dooley played for Preston Grasshoppers. Obviously in the amateur days, you didn't need to play for a prestigious club to play for England.

Yes away fans go in the Shed, bring plenty of beer though as a peace offering to the natives
 


Oh right, I must have got the two mixed up, as London Irish were at the Madjeski Stadium (they presumably still are). I suppose Wasps must have gained loads of new fans in the Midlands, but then territorial loyalty isn't as strong in rugby as in football, with obvious exceptions such as Gloucester, and many of them will just be going because they want to see a rugby game. I seem to remember that Wasps and Leicester were great rivals (rugby fans correct me if I'm wrong - the obvious rivals for Leicester would be Northampton), and if that's the case they are now only 20 miles apart.

No special rivalry between Wasps and Leicester, it was more Leicester with Bath as top England club in the 80s/90s and regional derby with Northampton. Wasps are a bit like Charlton, one of those clubs who could never seem to generate a rivalry with anyone

I’d say top English club rivalries are
1) Bath v Bristol
2) Leicester v Northampton
3) Gloucester v Bath
4) Irish v Quins
5) Leicester v Bath
6) and errr Oxford v Cambridge lol
 
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Lurker

62 years and counting ...
Mar 8, 2010
416
West Midlands
Not sure really - I'm sure there is money to be made (or saved) by having a tenant.

I think its about Wasps own insecurities from years of being tenants themselves. They were desperate to get their hands on the ground for years, and as soon as they could they've eradicated all trace of the football club, in terms of signage, suite names, branding, etc. Not sure if they've finished the (wasteful) process of swapping out all the sky blue seats for yellow ones, yet.

The only Cov thing left at the whole place, I think, is the statue of Jimmy Hill - hopeful they will be allowed to relocate that to the new ground in time - not much point him standing there being ignored by a load of franchise rugger buggers.

Not actually correct. I was at the shopping centre adjacent to the Ricoh only yesterday, and the process of swapping the seats away from Sky Blue still hasn't even begun, and the enormous Coventry City Club Badge is still in situ on the side of the building. In fact, from the outside, you would not know that Coventry City FC no longer play there.

I wouldn't have thought it would get planning permission if there's a perfectly good stadium in Coventry already

The optimistic view from the CCFC fanbase is that the choice of site is deliberately planned precisely in order to try and avoid problems over planning permission.

Why, you may ask.....?

The sorry saga of why Cov are not currently playing football at the Ricoh is very complicated, but in a nutshell involves disputes and mistrust between THREE parties. One is SISU, the owners of Cov, one is Wasps Rugby Club ... and the other is Coventry City Council.
On more than one occasion SISU has tried to instigate legal proceedings against both Wasps and Cov Council.
So far SISU has failed to win any of the legal battles, but they aren't giving up, and the threat of further legal action continues to hang over the whole sorry dispute.
It is generally felt in the City that Cov Council are mightily peed off with SISU, and unless or until SISU drop the legal actions then it is also felt that Cov Council will not agree to anything that SISU propose ... and that would almost certainly include planning permission to build a new stadium.

Therefore ...... the proposed site for building the new stadium would now appear to be outside of Cov City Council's jurisdiction, and fall within the planning permissions of Warwickshire District Council, who it is assumed (and hoped) will look at the application on merit, and not view it through myopic eyes like Cov Council would.

I live barely a mile from Warwick Uni, so I know the area exceedingly well.
The main campus is located within the City boundaries, so as somebody pointed out earlier in the thread, it is actually in Cov, but the Uni own vast acreages of land all around the area, and some of this land falls outside the City boundary and into the Warwick District boundaries.
Most of this 'spare' land is currently given over to agriculture, and it is here where the proposed site is likely to be, although an exact location has yet to be identified.

Somebody mentioned earlier that Wasps do not want CCFC as tenants and they are trying to force them out of the City.
That seems unlikely to me.

It is well known that Wasps are in deep, deep financial poop.
They need money.
Desperately.

If they rent their Stadium to Cov, it would bring in much needed revenue .... i've seen figures in excess of £1m bandied about.
Why would they wilfully turn their backs on that sort of income? Doesn't make sense, particularly as CCFC are the only circus in town. Who else can they rent it to?

In fact, one conspiracy theory currently doing the rounds is that SISU have deliberately pulled out of negotiations and engineered a position that could ultimately see Wasps forced to sell the Ricoh in order to survive ...... and guess who would come riding to the rescue with a last minute bid to buy the stadium (on the cheap of course) in order for Wasps to survive!

That theory also fits nicely with the general view that this proposed new stadium at Warwick Uni is just a smokescreen and will never see the light of day ... not least because it also involves building a new railway station to service the stadium, which SISU would have to at least partly fund, and there is not a snowball's chance in hell that SISU would ever spend that sort of money.

Meanwhile, as SISU, Wasps and Cov City Council play their big boy brinkmanship games, the only losers are the people that none of those three parties give a toss about ..... i.e. the loyal Coventry City FC fans who are forced to travel to a different City to watch their team play (and we can sympathise more than anyone as to the pain that brings).
 


Randy McNob

> > > > > > Cardiff > > > > >
Jun 13, 2020
4,724
Not actually correct. I was at the shopping centre adjacent to the Ricoh only yesterday, and the process of swapping the seats away from Sky Blue still hasn't even begun, and the enormous Coventry City Club Badge is still in situ on the side of the building. In fact, from the outside, you would not know that Coventry City FC no longer play there.



The optimistic view from the CCFC fanbase is that the choice of site is deliberately planned precisely in order to try and avoid problems over planning permission.

Why, you may ask.....?

The sorry saga of why Cov are not currently playing football at the Ricoh is very complicated, but in a nutshell involves disputes and mistrust between THREE parties. One is SISU, the owners of Cov, one is Wasps Rugby Club ... and the other is Coventry City Council.
On more than one occasion SISU has tried to instigate legal proceedings against both Wasps and Cov Council.
So far SISU has failed to win any of the legal battles, but they aren't giving up, and the threat of further legal action continues to hang over the whole sorry dispute.
It is generally felt in the City that Cov Council are mightily peed off with SISU, and unless or until SISU drop the legal actions then it is also felt that Cov Council will not agree to anything that SISU propose ... and that would almost certainly include planning permission to build a new stadium.

Therefore ...... the proposed site for building the new stadium would now appear to be outside of Cov City Council's jurisdiction, and fall within the planning permissions of Warwickshire District Council, who it is assumed (and hoped) will look at the application on merit, and not view it through myopic eyes like Cov Council would.

I live barely a mile from Warwick Uni, so I know the area exceedingly well.
The main campus is located within the City boundaries, so as somebody pointed out earlier in the thread, it is actually in Cov, but the Uni own vast acreages of land all around the area, and some of this land falls outside the City boundary and into the Warwick District boundaries.
Most of this 'spare' land is currently given over to agriculture, and it is here where the proposed site is likely to be, although an exact location has yet to be identified.

Somebody mentioned earlier that Wasps do not want CCFC as tenants and they are trying to force them out of the City.
That seems unlikely to me.

It is well known that Wasps are in deep, deep financial poop.
They need money.
Desperately.

If they rent their Stadium to Cov, it would bring in much needed revenue .... i've seen figures in excess of £1m bandied about.
Why would they wilfully turn their backs on that sort of income? Doesn't make sense, particularly as CCFC are the only circus in town. Who else can they rent it to?

In fact, one conspiracy theory currently doing the rounds is that SISU have deliberately pulled out of negotiations and engineered a position that could ultimately see Wasps forced to sell the Ricoh in order to survive ...... and guess who would come riding to the rescue with a last minute bid to buy the stadium (on the cheap of course) in order for Wasps to survive!

That theory also fits nicely with the general view that this proposed new stadium at Warwick Uni is just a smokescreen and will never see the light of day ... not least because it also involves building a new railway station to service the stadium, which SISU would have to at least partly fund, and there is not a snowball's chance in hell that SISU would ever spend that sort of money.

Meanwhile, as SISU, Wasps and Cov City Council play their big boy brinkmanship games, the only losers are the people that none of those three parties give a toss about ..... i.e. the loyal Coventry City FC fans who are forced to travel to a different City to watch their team play (and we can sympathise more than anyone as to the pain that brings).

so in a nutshell they want the Council to rubber stamp a new stadium while being in litigation and, which in turn puts them in a negative position with the Ricoh

Good luck with that
 


Cpt. Spavil

Well-known member
Mar 9, 2008
1,071
No special rivalry between Wasps and Leicester, it was more Leicester with Bath as top England club in the 80s/90s and regional derby with Northampton. Wasps are a bit like Charlton, one of those clubs who could never seem to generate a rivalry with anyone

I’d say top English club rivalries are
1) Bath v Bristol
2) Leicester v Northampton
3) Gloucester v Bath
4) Irish v Quins
5) Leicester v Bath
6) and errr Oxford v Cambridge lol

Leicester and Wasps had a rivalry in the late 90s and 00s as both were the best teams.

I think Wasps now have a rivalry with Northampton.

Ask any club and they will say that they all have a mutual hatred towards Saracens who are a disgrace.
 


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