Ricoh Arena operators Arena Coventry Ltd. still want League One Coventry City "to play at the stadium," according to the BBC. ACL and the Sky Blues "have been embroiled in a year-long row over rent." The League One club has "agreed a groundshare at Northampton's Sixfields Stadium for the next three seasons." ACL Dir Peter Knatchbull-Hugessen said, "We have a plan B, but we've not moved into any sort of contracts because what we really want to see is the Sky Blues playing there." Despite threatening legal action over City's plans, Knatchbull-Hugessen insisted that "ACL would not struggle financially if the club were to leave the stadium for good." Knatchbull-Hugessen: "It will be tight [without Coventry City], and we have a year or so where we think again on how to use this resource for the people of Coventry" (
BBC, 7/17). In Coventry, Simon Gilbert wrote Coventry University head of sport & tourism applied research Dr. John Beech has urged Coventry City Council, ACL and hedge fund Sisu to get together and thrash out a solution to keep the football club in the city -- "saying that all parties involved in the bitter dispute will suffer if a deal cannot be reached." Beech: "Clubs have made moves to new grounds in the past, but there is already a new ground in Coventry. It's madness and I can't see any sense in building a second new stadium" (
COVENTRY TELEGRAPH, 7/17).
