Academy future? (8 Viewers)

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
The Alan Higgs centre has changed hands and there could well be plans to build a swimming pool where the indoor pitch is

That could threaten the Cat 2 status of the academy for CCFC and £500k of funding

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/deal-clears-way-new-14m-11056672

Think it is right to ask how our owners intend to respond - what is the plan ? are they talking to those involved? Do they have an alternative ? When does the academy deal at the Higgs centre run out ? Are they involved in this somehow? I would hope they have been asked?

The clubs future is being based on the academy isn't it? - worrying :thinking about:
 

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Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
The Alan Higgs centre has changed hands and there could well be plans to build a swimming pool where the indoor pitch is

That could threaten the Cat 2 status of the academy for CCFC and £500k of funding

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/deal-clears-way-new-14m-11056672

Think it is right to ask how our owners intend to respond - what is the plan ? are they talking to those involved? Do they have an alternative ? When does the academy deal at the Higgs centre run out ? Are they involved in this somehow? I would hope they have been asked?

The clubs future is being based on the academy isn't it? - worrying :thinking about:


Could they not link up with Warwick university and use their facilities I am not sure if they are good enough and have the required things but they have come very good facilities for tennis etc
 
J

Jack Griffin

Guest
The club only signed up to a rolling deal at the Alan Higgs Centre after initially trying to move out, they were stopped by the FL.

The Higgs charity, once benefactors of the clb, now rather less than disinterested, is clearly trying to disengage itself from CCFC.

Don't forget that the Higgs Centre cost something like £10M to build.

Another giant SISU foo bar. Fucking up CCFC utterly.
 
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oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
They could - anything is possible given some money to do it

Had a quick look at the Alan Higgs Centre Trust accounts. If the property is transferred to C&WAT then it looks to me like the AHCT is insolvent and may well have to be wound up. In which case its going to depend on who CCFC has their contract with for usage of the facilities. If it is with AHCT then those contracts are going to die with the winding up. They may of course negotiate a deal with C&WAT for usage but if the plan is for a pool and I would assume that will be linked to the existing building then the indoor pitch will cease to be.

You would hope that the Trust contacted CCFC to see what their plans were. Lets face though the potential for this came out months ago so CCFC could hardly say they were unaware
 
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oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
I wouldn't blame them at all from disengaging from anything to do with any sport to be honest. Hasn't been a particularly edifying involvement for them and has brought a lot of troubles
 

stupot07

Well-Known Member
This is the first step in their plan to turf out CCFC academy to make room at the Higgs for Wasps

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/wasps-rfc-talks-redevelop-site-10503023
Probably sold it to this new company knowing that they have already agreed a deal with wasps. That way the Higgs trust can absolve themselves of any blame.

People will blame sisu for this, but this would likely still be happening even if the academy had a long term contract.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
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skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
Worrying news. Not just because of the £500k from the premier league because of Cat 2 status but also without the status we're going to find it even harder to compete with the likes of Leicester, Villa, West Brom etc. for local talented youngsters. The long term implications are huge and immeasurably because we could quite simply never have another Wilson or Madison come through the books again if we lose the status meaning that the paydays from transfers of youngsters could be a thing of the past.

Keep saying it but this is another example of short term thinking expecting long term results. A rolling contract is no security at all for the academy, something like this happening was always potentially on the cards We need something more long term whether that be at the Higgs centre or elsewhere. The academy trained at Warwick uni IIRC when SISU pulled it out of the Higgs over unpaid invoices but the facilities didn't meet the required standard for cat 2, hence we came back so as to not lose the standard and funding. So there is the potential to go back assuming we left on good terms but investment will be needed otherwise we need a commitment from and to the new owners at the Higgs and the longer the better.

Over to you CA and (gulp) TF.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
If this has been sold Indirectly to Wasps I assume this will be moved to a Wasps sub thread and that thread will be deleted.

Anything Wasps do has no impact on us we should just stick to talking about football.
 

RFC

Well-Known Member
The Alan Higgs centre has changed hands and there could well be plans to build a swimming pool where the indoor pitch is

That could threaten the Cat 2 status of the academy for CCFC and £500k of funding

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/deal-clears-way-new-14m-11056672

Think it is right to ask how our owners intend to respond - what is the plan ? are they talking to those involved? Do they have an alternative ? When does the academy deal at the Higgs centre run out ? Are they involved in this somehow? I would hope they have been asked?

The clubs future is being based on the academy isn't it? - worrying :thinking about:

Perhaps you should be addressing your concerns also to CCC and Ann Lucas?
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
If this has been sold Indirectly to Wasps I assume this will be moved to a Wasps sub thread and that thread will be deleted.

Anything Wasps do has no impact on us we should just stick to talking about football.

We are talking about football numb nuts. This thread is about the academy of CCFC and a very real threat to it's future. That's down to the club to sort out as it is at the end of every period of the short term contract.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
We are talking about football numb nuts. This thread is about the academy of CCFC and a very real threat to it's future. That's down to the club to sort out as it is at the end of every period of the short term contract.

Unless of course PWKH and his not so merry man decided not to renew.

If wasps buy it then that's it according to you. No talk about wasps or assets owned by wasps.
 

Sick Boy

Super Moderator
If this has been sold Indirectly to Wasps I assume this will be moved to a Wasps sub thread and that thread will be deleted.

Anything Wasps do has no impact on us we should just stick to talking about football.

Had it been sold to them?
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
Had it been sold to them?

No but oddly they wanted to buy it and they wanted to have a pool slap bang in the middle of the indoor pitch.
 

Samo

Well-Known Member
Only page 2 and already the thread is hijacked by Gren-Tone! :(
 

Sick Boy

Super Moderator
No but oddly they wanted to buy it and they wanted to have a pool slap bang in the middle of the indoor pitch.

Haha now there's a surprise. Apparently they want us to be as successful as possible, so I'm sure they'll find a solution if you ask.
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
Only page 2 and already the thread is hijacked by Gren-Tone! :(

Don't worry I've got nothing else to add. I've said my bit. Grendull clearly wants to make CCFC's academy about Wasps so I'll leave it to him. Besides blunder boy has turned up to assist, they don't need my help. They're quite capable of turning the most unlikely thread into a Wasps thread all by themselves.
 

Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
Could they not invest some of the Maddison money and build something at Ryton.
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
Who owns the connection these days?

Will need investment to get the cat 2 status. IIRC the indoor pitch is a big part of getting the status which is why we couldn't stay at Warwick uni. If we can't stay on at the I would suggest our best option would be a joint venture of some sort at Warwick uni. Will still require investment though.
 

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
Didn't they apply to do something at Ryton when they first pulled the academy out of the Higgs but RBC turned it down flat? Seem to remember something came out in the first round of the FOI's.

no they want to sell the land for housing as a way of funding another site i think that got rejectd
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
Agree that SISU should have committed long term to the AHC, however, feel that the PR game is going again.

It is a property deal, unfortunately enabled by CCFC rather than because of.
 

wingy

Well-Known Member
Could they not invest some of the Maddison money and build something at Ryton.
Think they've bought some frost covers out of it
This is subject I've raised a few times and do understand the counterpoint yet at this level it is a fair chunk of money out of the budget to allocate.
I have wondered for most of the season whether it's possible to mothball, given the shift in focus from this manager to the last.
IE :- A team of Coventry Academy product to youth loans imported from the Prem.
Half a mill for the manager to possibly aquire young up coming talent to utilise and then sell for profit along the lines of Andre Grey etc.
Are there more than one way to skin a cat
 

wingy

Well-Known Member
Could they not invest some of the Maddison money and build something at Ryton.
Think they've bought some frost covers out of it
This is subject I've raised a few times and do understand the counterpoint yet at this level it is a fair chunk of money out of the budget to allocate.
I have wondered for most of the season whether it's possible to mothball, given the shift in focus from this manager to the last.
IE :- A team of Coventry Academy product to youth loans imported from the Prem.
Half a mill for the manager to possibly aquire young up coming talent to utilise and then sell for profit along the lines of Andre Grey etc.
I sthere more than one way to skin a cat and find that couple of million transfer fee each season.
 

oldskyblue58

CCFC Finance Director
As for whats gone on well

you can choose to believe its all part of stitch up of CCFC by CCC et al

or that Wasps want the site so get the benefits from this in some way - they are supposed to be interested in a site nearby according to other threads on here

It could be part of the development of a sports hub kind of set up

It could be part of a plot for Wasps world domination

it could be CCFC are part of this, or they have been caught on the hop again

it could be that the Higgs Trustees have simply had all they can stomach from sport in Coventry and the troubles it brings

or it could be CCFC were asked to commit to a long term deal and refused to commit anything long term (is it a rolling agreement or does it have an end date)

or that CCFC actually have a plan ready for an alternative arrangement so dont need it

or was it brinksmanship gone wrong again

Just a thought but were we not told that the facilities on the indoor pitch needed to be renewed at a high cost and had something like a couple years life left? Has the time run out an an alternative use is likely to be better for the community?

Just thoughts but i doubt it is only one of the above theories - it will be several I would think

Personally I just want to hear from the club that academy is safe, has a long term future at Cat 2 , and is well financed. That was why i asked the original questions, which are not unreasonable and only the club can answer for our academy
 

Terry Gibson's perm

Well-Known Member
Didn't they apply to do something at Ryton when they first pulled the academy out of the Higgs but RBC turned it down flat? Seem to remember something came out in the first round of the FOI's.

Quite possibly I can't remember so much has gone on, maybe they could apply again
 

skybluetony176

Well-Known Member
As for whats gone on well

you can choose to believe its all part of stitch up of CCFC by CCC et al

or that Wasps want the site so get the benefits from this in some way - they are supposed to be interested in a site nearby according to other threads on here

It could be part of the development of a sports hub kind of set up

It could be part of a plot for Wasps world domination

it could be CCFC are part of this, or they have been caught on the hop again

it could be that the Higgs Trustees have simply had all they can stomach from sport in Coventry and the troubles it brings

or it could be CCFC were asked to commit to a long term deal and refused to commit anything long term (is it a rolling agreement or does it have an end date)

or that CCFC actually have a plan ready for an alternative arrangement so dont need it

or was it brinksmanship gone wrong again

Just a thought but were we not told that the facilities on the indoor pitch needed to be renewed at a high cost and had something like a couple years life left? Has the time run out an an alternative use is likely to be better for the community?

Just thoughts but i doubt it is only one of the above theories - it will be several I would think

Personally I just want to hear from the club that academy is safe, has a long term future at Cat 2 , and is well financed. That was why i asked the original questions, which are not unreasonable and only the club can answer for our academy

Didn't the pitch get recovered in the end? Thought someone on here who uses it regularly reported that it had been?
 

SkyBlue_Bear83

Well-Known Member
Personally I just want to hear from the club that academy is safe, has a long term future at Cat 2 , and is well financed. That was why i asked the original questions, which are not unreasonable and only the club can answer for our academy
And what if they can't tell you what you want to hear? How can the club guarantee long term cat 2 status when they have no control or indluence over what the higgs do? How can they tell us we have a long term future at cat 2 when the facility is being altered to no longer meet the criteria and, a decision which the club have no say in and without a suitable alternative venue.

Its obvious the people making the decisions at the higgs have no regard for the future of the ccfc academy. Ideally we'd build a new academy centre which the club have full control of and then these uncertainties wouldn't exist
 

dongonzalos

Well-Known Member
As for whats gone on well

you can choose to believe its all part of stitch up of CCFC by CCC et al

or that Wasps want the site so get the benefits from this in some way - they are supposed to be interested in a site nearby according to other threads on here

It could be part of the development of a sports hub kind of set up

It could be part of a plot for Wasps world domination

it could be CCFC are part of this, or they have been caught on the hop again

it could be that the Higgs Trustees have simply had all they can stomach from sport in Coventry and the troubles it brings

or it could be CCFC were asked to commit to a long term deal and refused to commit anything long term (is it a rolling agreement or does it have an end date)

or that CCFC actually have a plan ready for an alternative arrangement so dont need it

or was it brinksmanship gone wrong again

Just a thought but were we not told that the facilities on the indoor pitch needed to be renewed at a high cost and had something like a couple years life left? Has the time run out an an alternative use is likely to be better for the community?

Just thoughts but i doubt it is only one of the above theories - it will be several I would think

Personally I just want to hear from the club that academy is safe, has a long term future at Cat 2 , and is well financed. That was why i asked the original questions, which are not unreasonable and only the club can answer for our academy

We can see other pitches and buildings in the design. What are they for?


The aim is to have the entire football model on one site. The pitches you see in the initial designs reflect first team training pitches as well as pitches for Academy and others for community usage.


Those pitches will be full size and floodlit along with an indoor facility to meet the requirements of Academy Category 2 and possible Category 1 in the future.

Steve Waggot

Year by Year contract agreed to allow the above to happen

Unfortunately like with the Ricoh sale to Wasps the Club forces these decisions to be made. We can have no complaints
 

trondegilsoltvedt97

Active Member
Didn't Sisu/CCFC move the academy out of the Higgs Centre some time ago after refusing to make good some of the facilities they were using ?

Could this be another Sisu chicken come home to roost after that event ?

To be fair, if I rent a pitch at AT7 or Goals etc, I don't expect to have to make good/upkeep the facilities that I'm paying them to use.
 

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