Coventry EGM cancelled as club reveals groundshare back-up plan

Coventry say an extraordinary general meeting to discuss their future has been cancelled after they reached a groundshare agreement.

The EFL had given Coventry until May 29 to inform it where they
will be playing their home games next season, with the club still hoping to agree a deal with Wasps to extend their stay at the Ricoh Arena.

In a statement, Coventry said: “This groundshare is in place to make sure the club has somewhere to play in the scenario of a deal to play at the Ricoh Arena not being agreed.

“We can confirm that talks with the aim to achieve a deal to play at the Ricoh Arena are continuing between Coventry City Football Club, its owners SISU and Wasps Holdings Limited.

“Our focus and desire is to agree a deal at the Ricoh Arena – this is everyone’s preferred option, and the right option for Coventry City. While the back-up of a groundshare exists to ensure the future of the football club continues, another groundshare is not something anyone wants to happen.

“Details of the agreed groundshare and of our ongoing discussions with Wasps Holdings Limited remain confidential, due to mutually signed confidentiality agreements.

“We understand the frustration that fans are feeling, and have expressed to us, at not knowing where their club will be playing next season, not being able to plan for next season and supporting Mark Robins and the team, and the time that this is taking.

“We will provide a further update to supporters as soon as we are able to.”

The Football League has told Coventry they do not want them to be based any further than six miles from their current home.

Two options have been mooted, groundshares with either Birmingham, whose
St Andrew’s stadium lies outside the six-mile radius, or Coventry Rugby’s Butts Park, which does not.

FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.