Coventry City seal purchase of CBS Arena

Image: Coventry City FC

Coventry City Football Club has completed the purchase of the Coventry Building Society Arena from Frasers Group, marking a pivotal moment in the club’s history.

Coventry City said the announcement came in the week of the 20^th anniversary of the Arena’s opening, a stadium that has played host to two decades of Sky Blues memories, from unforgettable victories to moments of resilience and unity.

For the first time since the ground was built, the EFL Championship Club now owns its home.

The milestone event secures long-term stability, safeguards the future, and opens new opportunities for growth on and off the pitch, the club said.

The 40,500-capacity Coventry Building Society 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.

Doug King, Chairman and Owner of Coventry City, said: “Today is a defining day for Coventry City Football Club. For too long the question of stadium ownership has cast uncertainty over our future.

“By bringing the Arena under the Club’s ownership, we are safeguarding not only the present but for future generations. This is our home, and it now belongs to the football club and its supporters.”

It emerged last month that King had been exploring the possibility of building a new 40,000-seater stadium at the site of Butts Park Arena, although the chairman of Coventry Rugby Club described the plans as “unfeasible”.

The Sky Blues’ agreement to play at the CBS Arena had been due to expire at the end of the 2027-28 season.

It has been a torturous time for supporters since they left Highfield Road in 2005. In that time they have had four stadium owners, four home grounds, three football club owners and countless protests.

But now the stadium, which was built for Coventry City, belongs to the club along with the arena’s casino and hotel.

King added, “This is more than a transaction. It is a statement of ambition and belief in Coventry. The Arena will always be a symbol of our city’s strength and creativity, and as owners we can invest in facilities, fan experience, and wider opportunities for our community. We are proud to finally call this stadium our own.

“On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank our supporters. Through years of uncertainty including times when we had to play in other cities and towns, your loyalty has been unwavering. This moment is as much yours as it is ours.

“I am also grateful to Frasers Group who have negotiated this agreement in good faith and I wish them well for the future.”

Frasers Group Owner Mike Ashley said: “Doug King has been a pleasure to work with and he is a fantastic custodian of the club. With him at the helm, I am sure Coventry City FC has every chance of becoming a Premier League club soon.”

Coventry’s home match as owners of the stadium was against Queens Park Rangers, marking another poignant chapter.

Fittingly, QPR were the first visitors to the Arena in 2005, and they returned as Coventry celebrated not just an anniversary, but a new era of ownership and ambition.

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