The problem is when they are pressed they just trot out the same bollocks about sites identified etc, etc.
People get excited, start photoshopping pictures of the Nou Camp onto a Google maps image of the Butts and we go round in the same circles we have for years.
Next time Fisher mentions a new stadium whoever is interviewing him should just cut him dead, tell him No one believes him and steer him back on to more immediate issues.
Mark and I did say that to Ms Seppalla and we had a 15 min conversation
Both mark and I left having previously been completely it was all bollox felt there was a lot of rational opinion and aspiration. I think in a follow up we’d be pushing strongly on why things are or aren’t progressing. Obviously Covid 19 is an issue
Stadium Plans – Short & Long Term
Dave & Joy both seemed hopeful that a deal could be reached with Wasps for us to play at the Ricoh Arena next year, whether promoted or not. Bringing the club back to Coventry remains a priority, and he believes it is also important to Wasps to have the added revenue from CCFC being there.
We questioned whether the quality of the pitch at the Ricoh Arena would form part of those negotiations, as it was acknowledged by all parties that the improved playing surface at St. Andrew’s had contributed to the quality of football on offer this year. Dave confirmed that the pitch would form part of the negotiations and would be high up the priority list.
Owning our stadium, and associated revenue streams, remains the longer-term goal. For this reason, the aim is to look to agree a sustainable deal to allow us to play at the Ricoh Arena for 5 years whilst work is ongoing. If a deal cannot be reached with Wasps to play at the Ricoh Arena, then we do have agreement from the EFL to remain at Birmingham for a further 2 seasons beyond this season. Naturally they would like to start selling season tickets from March, but they cannot do this until we know where we will be playing.
As previously communicated, the search for stadium sites is ongoing and has been narrowed down to a shortlist of 6 sites. A further site has also recently been identified. Although all sites are suitable for a stadium, the new site is considered the ideal location. As the exact location of the sites is commercially sensitive, they couldn’t tell us where the sites were, however, it was confirmed that all sites on the shortlist have been approved by the EFL for their proximity to St Mary’s Guildhall in Coventry, which is a marker point for the EFL.
Joy confirmed she can see the potential in the fan base for bigger crowds. Both Joy & Dave thought that crowds would have been in the region of 15 – 18k for some of the bigger games this season (such as Rotherham & Sunderland) at the Ricoh Arena. For this reason, when looking at sites and designs for Stadiums they have this figure in mind as a minimum. The potential new stadium would possibly be a 4-sided design rather than a bowl (similar to the design of Shrewsbury’s new stadium) as this allowed greater scope for future expansion. Current thinking is that new stadium would be 18-20k, expandable to somewhere in the region of 30k.