Butts (5 Viewers)

[CCFC88]

Can someone refresh my mind, what was the final nail/nails in the coffin to a butts groundshare?

I remember something about the council saying no football can be played there? Did their owner completely rule out us playing there?

Surely this would be a more viable groundshare than Burton/MK/Blues if a couple of temp stands can be knocked up to increase capacity to anywhere near 8k. With the growing pressure on the council, if the only block on us playing there was cause the council said no, if they allow us to share there on condition we drop the legals could this be a decent option for the "starving Wasps" project.

I may have missed something glaringly obvious as to why this isn't better than moving away whilst "building on woodlands".

 

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[Alex1987]

I agree The Butts is the best place to play right now (with the exception of the Ricoh) however I recall the owner of Coventry Rugby Club said he would not deal with SISU (I don't know why this is).

 

[rob9872]

I like the Butts and I can not lie

 

[Nick]

The owner submitted a proposal to the council that included a groundshare with CCFC, it annoyed the council as he had previously assured them there would be no groundshare there. The council then tried to update the lease to say that no pro football could be played there.

I think the latest from him was:

One thing we can’t do is to have any formal arrangement with them, any groundshare while they are owned by their current owners.

“And the reason for that is quite simple - the current owners are in the first place, whether correctly or not, vilified within the city and we have spent many years re-establishing our relationship and our standing in the city, and I’m not prepared to risk that by associating with City’s owners.

He has his own plans, he doesn't want to piss people off that could hamper them going forward. Don't blame him at all really, has to look after himself and Cov Rugby.

 

[skybluesam66]

so

no football there (Except Cov united and Cov ladies)
in fact i remember a game there years ago featuring the Tiswas team

 

[chiefdave]

so

no football there (Except Cov united and Cov ladies)
in fact i remember a game there years ago featuring the Tiswas team

Professional football was to be prohibited.

 

[ceetee]

Professional football was to be prohibited.

....until Cov Utd get to the glorious heights of a professional league. Oh, I forgot, that's SBT's master plan for the Ricoh

 

[Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon]

I think the Council claimed it was a 'fishing' exercise to flush out whether professional football was part of the future plans or not.

 

[fernandopartridge]

The owner submitted a proposal to the council that included a groundshare with CCFC, it annoyed the council as he had previously assured them there would be no groundshare there. The council then tried to update the lease to say that no pro football could be played there.

I think the latest from him was:


He has his own plans, he doesn't want to piss people off that could hamper them going forward. Don't blame him at all really, has to look after himself and Cov Rugby.

The council bullied him

 

[Nick]

I think the Council claimed it was a 'fishing' exercise to flush out whether professional football was part of the future plans or not.

Considering they had put in a proposal including a groundshare with ccfc I'd guess it was a giveaway

 

[Deleted member 5849]

The council bullied him

It has always read that way, sadly.

Tell you what, in all this nonsense, CRFC are the team worst affected. A glass ceiling put in place for them, after all the efforts to stop them going bust and disappearing.

If CCFC do ever go bust, or if people can't make it to games elsewhere for whatever reason, it'd be nice to see them benefit with some higher gates, give them a bit more cash to push upwards. Criminal how a club with such a great heritage and tradition has just been trampled over.

 

[fernandopartridge]

It has always read that way, sadly.

Tell you what, in all this nonsense, CRFC are the team worst affected. A glass ceiling put in place for them, after all the efforts to stop them going bust and disappearing.

If CCFC do ever go bust, or if people can't make it to games elsewhere for whatever reason, it'd be nice to see them benefit with some higher gates, give them a bit more cash to push upwards. Criminal how a club with such a great heritage and tradition has just been trampled over.

You've got a council CEO who isn't from Coventry and a former ACL CEO who also wasn't from Coventry. As such they had no attachment at all to the city.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

You've got a council CEO who isn't from Coventry and a former ACL CEO who also wasn't from Coventry. As such they had no attachment at all to the city.

Don't care where they come from tbh. That's no excuse for not understanding what a tradition means, and what a past means to the present.

It's more a symptom of the short-termism we have now, where nobody looks further ahead than the next five years (at best!)

 

[higgs]

I agree The Butts is the best place to play right now (with the exception of the Ricoh) however I recall the owner of Coventry Rugby Club said he would not deal with SISU (I don't know why this is).

Probably pressure from the council

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Johnnythespider]

It has always read that way, sadly.

Tell you what, in all this nonsense, CRFC are the team worst affected. A glass ceiling put in place for them, after all the efforts to stop them going bust and disappearing.

If CCFC do ever go bust, or if people can't make it to games elsewhere for whatever reason, it'd be nice to see them benefit with some higher gates, give them a bit more cash to push upwards. Criminal how a club with such a great heritage and tradition has just been trampled over.

I would add that i think ccfc has it's own glass ceiling sharing with a wasps team that holds all the cards, but agree with you that having a premiership team in your own sport, parachuted in to the city you have played in for over a hundred years is a proper smack in the face, imagine if they had brought in another football team, it doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[Deleted member 5849]

I would add that i think ccfc has it's own glass ceiling sharing with a wasps team that holds all the cards, but agree with you that having a premiership team in your own sport, parachuted in to the city you have played in for over a hundred years is a proper smack in the face, imagine if they had brought in another football team, it doesn't bear thinking about.

It's as much, however hard SISU may try to portray it as such, they're hardly innocent in all this. I honestly can't think of anything CRFC have done to deserve them getting a team parachuted in over their head.

Best team in Britain in the 60s, major force up until the mid 80s when the move towards professionalism caught them cold (half the Rugby Lions team that reached the top flight was Cov). They've done more than Wasps will ever do.

 

[Sick Boy]

It has always read that way, sadly.

Tell you what, in all this nonsense, CRFC are the team worst affected. A glass ceiling put in place for them, after all the efforts to stop them going bust and disappearing.

If CCFC do ever go bust, or if people can't make it to games elsewhere for whatever reason, it'd be nice to see them benefit with some higher gates, give them a bit more cash to push upwards. Criminal how a club with such a great heritage and tradition has just been trampled over.

Hear hear!

 

[clint van damme]

so

no football there (Except Cov united and Cov ladies)
in fact i remember a game there years ago featuring the Tiswas team

Was at that. Chris Tarrant called my mate a little bastards!

 

[Johnnythespider]

Was at that. Chris Tarrant called my mate a little bastards!

Yep that was tiswas

 

[Harryshipman1998]

Can someone refresh my mind, what was the final nail/nails in the coffin to a butts groundshare?

I remember something about the council saying no football can be played there? Did their owner completely rule out us playing there?

Surely this would be a more viable groundshare than Burton/MK/Blues if a couple of temp stands can be knocked up to increase capacity to anywhere near 8k. With the growing pressure on the council, if the only block on us playing there was cause the council said no, if they allow us to share there on condition we drop the legals could this be a decent option for the "starving Wasps" project.

I may have missed something glaringly obvious as to why this isn't better than moving away whilst "building on woodlands".

Coventry City: Rugby club dismiss Sky Blues' planned move to Butts Park Arena - BBC Sport

We will not deal with them as long as they are owned by Sisu," Sharp told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire.

"They are a sister club bearing the city's name with a proud old history, who have fallen from grace, just like us. We're marching back up. I sincerely hope they do too.

"We'll offer what support we can to get there, but the one thing we cannot do is have any formal arrangement with them, any groundshare, whilst they're owned by their current owners.

"Whether correctly or not, the current owners are vilified within the city. Whether that is fair or not, I'm not going to comment on.

"But we have spent many years re-establishing our status in the city. I'm not prepared to risk that by associating with City's owners."

We rely on a good relationship with Coventry City Council and are talking to them about how to develop this ground.

"But how can we do that supporting someone who is suing them. It does not make business sense, never mind from a moral point of view. Our position has not changed."

 

[chiefdave]

We rely on a good relationship with Coventry City Council and are talking to them about how to develop this ground.

Thats your key line there. We know they were happy to ground share as they submitted a business plan on that basis. Then the council got involved and they backed off. Not hard to see why when they need the council onside for their own ground development.

 

[Earlsdon_Skyblue1]

Coventry City: Rugby club dismiss Sky Blues' planned move to Butts Park Arena - BBC Sport

We will not deal with them as long as they are owned by Sisu," Sharp told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire.

"They are a sister club bearing the city's name with a proud old history, who have fallen from grace, just like us. We're marching back up. I sincerely hope they do too.

"We'll offer what support we can to get there, but the one thing we cannot do is have any formal arrangement with them, any groundshare, whilst they're owned by their current owners.

"Whether correctly or not, the current owners are vilified within the city. Whether that is fair or not, I'm not going to comment on.

"But we have spent many years re-establishing our status in the city. I'm not prepared to risk that by associating with City's owners."

We rely on a good relationship with Coventry City Council and are talking to them about how to develop this ground.

"But how can we do that supporting someone who is suing them. It does not make business sense, never mind from a moral point of view. Our position has not changed."

Oh look, another one.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

It has always read that way, sadly.

Tell you what, in all this nonsense, CRFC are the team worst affected. A glass ceiling put in place for them, after all the efforts to stop them going bust and disappearing.

If CCFC do ever go bust, or if people can't make it to games elsewhere for whatever reason, it'd be nice to see them benefit with some higher gates, give them a bit more cash to push upwards. Criminal how a club with such a great heritage and tradition has just been trampled over.

London Wasps want to stop anyone encroaching on their turf. Can’t have another top flight rugby club in the city as it might then alert the locals to a successful ‘Coventry’ club instead.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

I would add that i think ccfc has it's own glass ceiling sharing with a wasps team that holds all the cards, but agree with you that having a premiership team in your own sport, parachuted in to the city you have played in for over a hundred years is a proper smack in the face, imagine if they had brought in another football team, it doesn't bear thinking about.

Next year will be Cov’s 150th. Is it even mentioned in the City of Culture?

 

[Adge]

Was at that. Chris Tarrant called my mate a little bastards!

Was Sally James there?....

 

[usskyblue]

Did they score from a ‘Compost Corner’ m8 ?

 

[Adge]

Did we get any revenues from the custard pies?

 

[clint van damme]

Was Sally James there?....

I can't remember mate but I would probably have spanked the chimp round the back of the stand if she had been

 

[usskyblue]

Goal celebration m8 ?

 

[oscillatewildly]

so

no football there (Except Cov united and Cov ladies)
in fact i remember a game there years ago featuring the Tiswas team

I was there too! Terry Thomas in goal with baggy shorts (may have even been plus fours) and a fishermans landing net.
I'm pretty certain it was on the Sunday following our previous days 3-1 triumph (Alan Green hat trick) over Wolves that sealed their relegation.
My, how times have changed - No more manic Saturday morning kids TV.

 

[better days]

The only time I spoke to Chris Anderson when he was here he said the Butts was the club's preferred option and it looked like it might happen
It seems that the council is using it's leverage in any way it can to force the club's owners to drop their legal action whatever the consequences for the club

 

[pusbccfc]

Butts is still a dream for me.

Squeeze a compact 20k stadium there with a big terrace behind one goal. Share it with our cities rugby team. Walkable from the city, station and Earlsdon.

Retractable roof allowing it to turn into a proper concert venue of over 20,000. Imagine a venue like that near the city centre. Something we've always lacked.

You could even do what Bristol City did and play there while it's being rebuilt.

It will never happen, but I do think it's the only suitable site for a stadium in the city.

 

[Mucca Mad Boys]

It has always read that way, sadly.

Tell you what, in all this nonsense, CRFC are the team worst affected. A glass ceiling put in place for them, after all the efforts to stop them going bust and disappearing.

If CCFC do ever go bust, or if people can't make it to games elsewhere for whatever reason, it'd be nice to see them benefit with some higher gates, give them a bit more cash to push upwards. Criminal how a club with such a great heritage and tradition has just been trampled over.

I don’t think CRFC are affected or have a ‘glass ceiling’ put over them. They have their own niche in the market, proper hardcore Coventry rugby supporters support CRFC. Most people I know who go up the Wasps is because for a day out, watching quality rugby. As such, my impression is that the initial support for Wasps was a bit of a gimmick and people won’t stick with Wasps in numbers if things go badly for them.

Cov rugby are looking to do bits, consolidating in the Championship and then attempting to get back into the Premiership. I’d love that.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

It can’t be easy though having Wasps in the City. People who aren’t committed to Cov, young boys or girls just getting interested in the sport will see a top flight team playing in Coventry and probably plump for them over a second division team. Look at the difference in facilities too. When I first heard that Wasps were thinking of moving here I was sure the Rugby Union would veto the move because of the top class and historic club already here. It turns out that they are as useless as the EFL and the FA.

 

[Irish Sky Blue]

All these people who now go to Wasps, at least the Coventry contingent, if they wanted to watch rugby, had they gone to Cov, they would have given the City’s own rugby club a fighting chance of reaching the top flight. Imagine what Cov could have achieved if they were watched by 6k or 7k each home game.