The owner of EFL Championship club Coventry City has been looking into the possibility of building a new 40,000-seater stadium for the club.
The BBC said Doug King has written to Coventry City Council to ask about constructing a new stadium at the Butts Park Arena, current home of Coventry Rugby Club.
The plans for a 40,000 seat stadium have been described as unfeasible by Jon Sharp, the chairman of the rugby club, due to the size and position of the site, just outside the city centre.
But discussions around an alternative home for Coventry City once again raises questions about the club’s long-term future at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The 40,500-capacity arena (often shortened as CBS Arena or just simply Coventry Arena, and formerly known as the Ricoh Arena) is a sports and entertainment complex in Coventry, England (UK).
It includes a 32,609-seater stadium which is currently home to the Championship club Coventry City F.C. along with facilities which include a 6,000 square meters (65,000 sq ft) exhibition hall, a hotel and a casino.
The stadium is owned by the Frasers Group, where former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is the majority shareholder.
Coventry City’s agreement to play there is due to expire at the end of the 2027-28 season.
Under new English Football League (EFL) rules introduced for this season, Championship clubs will be fined £10,000 if they do not have at least a 10-year stadium agreement by 19 August.
The fine would double for each consecutive season without a deal and the EFL would ultimately be able to expel the club from the league if they did not have an agreement covering a whole season.
Jon Sharp, chairman of Coventry Rugby Club, confirmed the Sky Blues’ owner had approached him about developing the 40,0000 seater stadium
Mr Sharp told the BBC: “Yes, it has been suggested. The problem Doug King has is that he owns the football club but he doesn’t own the stadium. He is having discussions with Mike Ashley and I think he wants to have an alternative up his sleeve.
“He did mention it to me and I said it wasn’t going to be feasible. That really is it as far as I’m concerned. We did not know he had spoken to the council.
“We support the Sky Blues, they are our fellow Coventry club. But we don’t think it’s feasible unfortunately and it’s not in our gift anyway, it would be in the gift of the council.”
Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is the majority shareholder of the Frasers Group, which owns the Coventry Building Society Arena
Any move away from the Coventry Building Society would also need the approval of the government’s new Independent Football Regulator following recently introduced legislation, which would also require fans to be consulted over any move.
The idea of the football club moving to the Butts Park Arena had been pushed by Coventry City’s previous owners Sisu back in 2016.
The Coventry Building Society Arena was built for Coventry City in 2005 but has never been owned by the football club.
The stadium was acquired by the Frasers group in November 2022 after former owners, rugby club Wasps, went into administration.
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