The chair of troubled club Coventry City Tim Fisher has confirmed that the club was still planning on leaving Ricoh Arena.
He met with a supporters’ group where he announced thatthe club’s RFC Chairman Jon Sharp had agreed to a move that will see them share the Coventry Rugby’s Butts Park Arena.
Fisher said the owners of the club Sisu no longer have plans for a new stadium. The club is contracted to remain at Ricoh until next year.
“We weren’t able to close a land deal on our own stadium – full stop. But we have spent a lot of time working with the Football League and Coventry Rugby Club to develop a stadium which would be more than ample in terms of capacity,” Fisher said.
The chair reiterated that the plan of the club was to remain in the city. He also confirmed that Sharp has decided to commit as long as there as there was “some form of mediation.”
“As long as there is a breakout of peace, I believe the Butts Park Arena is an option for a Coventry RFC and Coventry City groundshare,” Fisher said. The issue of renovating the grounds are still unclear as the talks of Butts Park Arena seems to placate the suffering of the fans as it is closer to the city centre.
The club’s problems continue: four different managers this term, bottom of the third tier of English football, relegation issues and fans unrest. The club is set to play against Oxford United in the EFL Trophy final on April 2 and tens of thousands of tickets have been sold already.
The club would have to share the Butts Park Arena that already houses Coventry RFC, and Coventry Bears – a semi-professional league side.