Play here for free, Ricoh owners tell Coventry City
IN a surprise move the owners of the Ricoh Arena have said Coventry City can still play their home games at the stadium next season – and at no cost.
It is especially surprising given that the League One club have been involved in a rent dispute with stadium owner Arena Coventry Ltd (ACL) for more than a year.
It was assumed that the club would have to ground share next season and that its long-term future resided in a new ground being built elsewhere in the city. Property agents have already been brought in to seek a suitable site.
But now ACL appears to have a change of heart.
In a statement it said: “We have today notified the Football League of a proposed solution for the coming season to enable the football club to fulfil its commitments under Football League regulations, and to provide stability whilst Coventry City Football Club Limited, which owns the League Share, remains in administration.”
That solution entails the club becoming a rent-free tenant of the Ricoh.
The club remains in administration and its administrator Paul Appleton yesterday declared the final deadline for takeover bids is tomorrow.
A number of serious offers are understood to be on the table including one from US property magnate Preston Haskell IV.
But in another twist, the Coventry Telegraph newspaper is reporting that ACL is also interested in buying the club, a move that, if successful, would see the club partly owned by taxpayers.
ACL is jointly owned by Coventry City Council and the Alan Edward Higgs Charity.
