Trust statement regarding the AHC (16 Viewers)

[CJ_covblaze]

The Sky Blue Trust recently expressed its concern and sadness at the reported news that the Allard Way facilities will no longer be available to house Coventry City’s academy when the present agreement between CCFC and the Alan Higgs Trust expires in June 2017.


We understand that the Coventry Sports Foundation, the organisation that now manages the Academy base at Allard Way,has been reported as saying that the door is still open for the club to extend its existing lease at the site. Wetherefore now urge all parties to work together tomake this happen.


We believe that having a Category 2 academy is massively important for the future of the club. Coventry City needs to continue to attract and then develop the players who will become the future of our club. It is therefore imperative that this status, which attracts a grant in the region of £500, 000 from the Premier League, is protected.


We have seen the reported plans that Coventry Sports Foundation is looking to find an alternative use for the vital indoor pitch. Whatever the background to this is we find it a distressing development and would ask for clarification on this particular issue and the wider plans of the club with regard to the academy in terms of its immediate, medium term and long term plans.


The Trust is therefore asking both sides to spell out their intentions in this matter before irreversible decisions are taken. Is the door still open from Coventry Sports Foundation? Is the club seeking to stay at Alan HiggsCentre? Are both sides talking or willing to talk?


This is not a time for taking sides or repeatedly going over old ground. This matter is far too important for posturing and bluffing and needs resolving at the very earliest opportunity.


The Trust has fought for the Academy in the past and will do so again as it is now more important than ever and cannot be allowed to be downgraded or even disbanded.


We are happy to work with both Coventry City FC and the Coventry Sports Foundation in looking to reach an early solution to this critical issue.

 

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[Grendel]

The council are building a swimming pool for elite athletes and also wasps players. This boat sailed two years ago.

 

[chiefdave]

Good statement. Glad to see it addresses both sides. We need to establish if the door truly is still open or if it is a 'CCFC can still buy Higgs half' type of open door.

If it can be established that staying long term at Higgs is an option available to the club then pressure needs to be applied to Anderson and CCFC to get the deal done.

How about inviting Anderson, someone from CSF and someone from Wasps to the next trust meeting. Will be harder for them to spin things when the others are there to speak as well.

 

[Monners]

Yes, clarification form all parties would be good. The Academy has to be fought for and protected. Good statement.

 

[chiefdave]

The council are building a swimming pool for elite athletes and also wasps players. This boat sailed two years ago.

If true then the trust need to make sure that message is public knowledge.

 

[Grendel]

If true then the trust need to make sure that message is public knowledge.

It is public knowledge - there is lots of information on it and the deal is done.

 

[stupot07]

Good statement, you really need to press the sports foundation on whether the door is really half open or whether the swimming pool and wasps are done deals.

If the door is open and plans for the swimming pool in particular can be shelved, then we need to put pressure on Anderson to commit long term.

What I'm hearing is though that the swimming pool and wasps are done deals.

Good luck! Pusb

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[Nick]

It's a good statement and all sides need to be pushed, especially the higgs side about wasps and the pool and if the door is open like they say, how they are going to accommodate.

 

[Monners]

It's a good statement and all sides need to be pushed, especially the higgs side about wasps and the pool and if the door is open like they say, how they are going to accommodate.

All sides need to be pushed without taking any stance on the issue - as fans it's about the future of the Club, so the Trust must be impartial

 

[chiefdave]

It is public knowledge - there is lots of information on it and the deal is done.

By public knowledge I mean get the message across. Take one look on this forum or the CT comments and you will see a very small percentage of people think it is a done deal. Most think it is down to SISU and are poised to point the finger at them if and when an announcement is made.

 

[chiefdave]

It's a good statement and all sides need to be pushed, especially the higgs side about wasps and the pool and if the door is open like they say, how they are going to accommodate.

If they're putting a pool in they would have plans wouldn't they? One quick look at the plans and the trust would be able to tell us if they allow for the academy to remain.

 

[Steve.B50]

The council are building a swimming pool for elite athletes and also wasps players. This boat sailed two years ago.

That's what they want to do, we have to try and stop this.
More to this that we are seeing.
For once let's all get behind a campaign that vital to our future?

 

[Steve.B50]

If they're putting a pool in they would have plans wouldn't they? One quick look at the plans and the trust would be able to tell us if they allow for the academy to remain.

It's about profit and getting grants.
Do we really need a small swimming pool?
Maybe, and it's just a thought is this all bring pushe through a little quickly?

 

[Steve.B50]

If they're putting a pool in they would have plans wouldn't they? One quick look at the plans and the trust would be able to tell us if they allow for the academy to remain.

At present we do not have any Academy after June 2017 full stop.

We cannot move it elsewhere as once you lose the Academy you cannot re start it when or if you build another facility. Once gone it's gone forever.

 

[Broken Hearted Sky Blue]

Where's Zorro when you need him?

 

[Nick]

It's about profit and getting grants.
Do we really need a small swimming pool?
Maybe, and it's just a thought is this all bring pushe through a little quickly?

Like the wasps sale?

Why would they be pushing it through quickly?

To stop interference?

 

[Broken Hearted Sky Blue]

The council are building a swimming pool for elite athletes and also wasps players. This boat sailed two years ago.

Well you can't say fairer than that we'll just have to accept it then won't we?

 

[shelby76]

i think this is disgusting one of the top cat 2 academies in the country being treated like this, absolutely taking the piss out of the club and the academy, if were not careful we will end up closing the academy our club produces players year in year out academy staff sweat blood and tears to get these lads up to scratch not very nice situation, wasps have no regard for anything trying to wipe the club out shocking. If we lose the academy last one out turn the lights off,thats it in a nutshell.

 

[italiahorse]

i think this is disgusting one of the top cat 2 academies in the country being treated like this, absolutely taking the piss out of the club and the academy, if were not careful we will end up closing the academy our club produces players year in year out academy staff sweat blood and tears to get these lads up to scratch not very nice situation, wasps have no regard for anything trying to wipe the club out shocking. If we lose the academy last one out turn the lights off,thats it in a nutshell.

Have we got enough information to actually know for certain whats going on?
There is no planning application yet so anything could happen.

 

[sky blue john]

Why can't we accomodate the academy at Ryton ?

 

[Nick]

Why can't we accomodate the academy at Ryton ?

Not enough space I don't think?

 

[chiefdave]

Why can't we accomodate the academy at Ryton ?

Sure I've read before that the Ryton site can't be extended. Would need to buy the old Connexion whatever that is called now - can't imagine that would be cheap.

Would be nice though to have it all in one place and under our own control.

 

[Nick]

Sure I've read before that the Ryton site can't be extended. Would need to buy the old Connexion whatever that is called now - can't imagine that would be cheap.

Would be nice though to have it all in one place and under our own control.

The easiest way would be to convert connexion I think.

Don't think it could house a full size pitch though

 

[italiahorse]

Why can't we accomodate the academy at Ryton ?

Why can't they build the swimming pool where the 4 netball pitches are ? Move the netball pitches where the skate park is.
Wasps could build there complex at the Severn Trent site the other side of the complex where there is also plenty of unused land unused.
The academy could stay where it is.
Or have Sisu got a 17 point plan for the centre to consider ?

 

[Nick]

Why can't they build the swimming pool where the 4 netball pitches are ? Move the netball pitches where the skate park is.
Wasps could build there complex at the Severn Trent site the other side of the complex where there is also plenty of unused land unused.
The academy could stay where it is.
Or have Sisu got a 17 point plan for the centre to consider ?

So the higgs should be coming out to say that even with the pool and wasps ccfc can stay, rather than just the door is open with no mention of wasps or the pool?

If it's the case they could all.co exist, you would think they would have said?

 

[Broken Hearted Sky Blue]

They are building on the Severn Trent site

 

[stupot07]

Why can't we accomodate the academy at Ryton ?

I believe you need access to an indoor 4g pitch to be a cat 2 academy.

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[chiefdave]

At present we do not have any Academy after June 2017 full stop.

We cannot move it elsewhere as once you lose the Academy you cannot re start it when or if you build another facility. Once gone it's gone forever.

Think a good starting point would be firing out some questions to each group. Make them as unambiguous as possible so they can't wriggle out of answering.

Off the top of my head something like this:

CCFC
Have you requested an extension to the current deal?
If yes have you requested the extension on the same terms as the current deal?
What is the longest term you would be prepared to sign for, assuming the same terms as the current deal?

CSF
Are there any plans, either formal or informal, for the facilities required for the current standard of academy to be removed and / or replaced?
Has a longer term deal, on the same terms as the current deal, been offered to CCFC?
What is the minimum term you would require for the academy facilities to remain in place?
Are there any plans, either formal or informal, for Wasps to use the Higgs Centre and / or adjoining land as their training base?

CCC
Have any discussions, either formal or informal, taken place regarding facilities at Higgs Centre with any other group?
If yes has anything been discussed which would prevent CCFC continuing to base their academy there?
If yes has anything been discussed relating to Wasps using the Higgs Centre and / or adjoining land as their training base?

WASPS
Have any discussions, either formal or informal, taken place relating to Wasps using the Higgs Centre and / or adjoining land as their training base?
If yes has anything been discussed which would prevent CCFC continuing to base their academy there?

 

[Skyblueweeman]

Have we got enough information to actually know for certain whats going on?
There is no planning application yet so anything could happen.

Steve seems to think that it's 100% certain.


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[Grendel]

Isn't the plan to build a 50 metre pool at the centre?

The aim as I understand it is to develop to launch to co-incide with the launch of a complex in the city centre.

There are numerous questions to ask are there not? The sports association grant appears to only be covering a percentage of the cost so;

Who is paying for the rest? On cost projections this appears to be a shortfall of around £6 million or possibly £12 million including the construction of the internal infrastructure including a 500 seated area.

What is the motivation for doing this? It seems a potential cost for the taxpayer. Are wasps players including as elite athletes and will they be using this facility? If so are the private company paying or is the taxpayer funding wasps use age?

The projection is this is a financially sustainable operation despite the fairfax pool being funded to the tune of £2 million a year. The assumption is a 50% uplift in the number of customers using the revamped water park in the centre will fund the losses incurred at this pool. They would mean a 50% increase in users of the city centre facility - really? What assumptions have been made given the fact that footfall in the centre is declining? The detailed analysis would be interesting. If this is wrong who pays for the deficit?

If the council is committed to sporting excellence surely it's focus is on young Acadamy players from the community? How does this reconcile with the assumption the elite athletes will be from outside the community who use the pool?

Again - what are wasps contributing and what are they benefiting from?

 

[mark82]

Could the trust broker a meeting between CCFC and CSF?

 

[Broken Hearted Sky Blue]

So by the interest on this thread we can safely say that the majority of people on sky blue talk aren't interested

 

[Broken Hearted Sky Blue]

Could the trust broker a meeting between CCFC and CSF?

I think we need a meeting of CCFC,CSF,CCC and WASPS

 

[Deleted member 5849]

So by the interest on this thread we can safely say that the majority of people on sky blue talk aren't interested

I don't quite know what to say, tbh.

The first question is, surely, do the club want an academy? I'm with wingy in my hypothesis, that I can't help but feel they're moving away from the idea of an academy, to that of spending the cash buying up others' rejects.

So there's the first question, and the response to that determines the rest. If they don't want an academy, then pressuring everyone to talk is redundant, as it would appear they all want the same thing(!) If they *do* however, then the question moves onto whether they have a Plan B if Higgs fails.

Following *that* we move onto the bigger questions...

 

[Nick]

So by the interest on this thread we can safely say that the majority of people on sky blue talk aren't interested

What can we do? As fans?