Big sky blue news tomorrow (14 Viewers)

[chiefdave]

Sorry to link to Cov live but there are a few good things in this

Coventry City Ricoh Arena return - Boddy and Vaughan face the media

Latest Coventry City news from CoventryLive as we bring live updates on the breaking story that the Sky Blues are returning to the Ricoh Arena after nearly two seasons away

www.coventrytelegraph.net

- we have primacy of fixtures
- we're working with them on the pitch, it's having major regeneration this summer and we're jointly investing in more lamps
- Boddy expects us to average 17k
- we can hold pre-season games, testimonials and the like
- best ever deal on F&B, we get a slice of car parking revenue too
- implies we're paying the same in rent

If all this is true we've properly had their pants down.

The primacy thing will piss the Wasps supporters off as when we were suggesting that would be a requirement they were insisting there was no way Wasps would give that up.

You've got to assume what is coming out is correct as its coming from both sides but if its all as is being said it is starting to sound like Wasps have backed down on pretty much everything. Doubt that's out of goodwill or a burning desire to see us back in Coventry. Their next set of accounts could be interesting, despite the government bailout and other funding are they worse off financially than we suspected. Still haven't got a new TV deal either have they?

 

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[Evo1883]

I wouldn’t believe anything about the ccc being against the move back to the Ricoh unless I heard it with my own ears

Is that like not believing Prince Andrew could be a nonce until he told you himself

 

[jordan210]

Lego has saved the club !!

 

[shepardo01]

I wouldn’t believe anything about the ccc being against the move back to the Ricoh unless I heard it with my own ears

They are hardly likely to broadcast it publically are they Pete!!?? Listening to Duggins on CWR yesterday, he did seem agitated and sounded bitter.
He was also asked about lifting parking restrictions when games were on to try to attract more people with more ease - (not sure whether they are enforced for Wasps games or not) he said he definitely would not.

He also got quite angry about the EU complaint and said is was still "not resolved".

I wonder whether Council/Wasps relations may have soured somewhat with this (They have the planning permission for the Hotel, they have the 5mill plus for work on Ricoh - training ground sorted in Henley where land is likely to be sold for housing)

He did not sound like somebody who was pleased with the deal.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

They are hardly likely to broadcast it publically are they Pete!!?? Listening to Duggins on CWR yesterday, he did seem agitated and sounded bitter.
He was also asked about lifting parking restrictions when games were on to try to attract more people with more ease - (not sure whether they are enforced for Wasps games or not) he said he definitely would not.

He also got quite angry about the EU complaint and said is was still "not resolved".

I wonder whether Council/Wasps relations may have soured somewhat with this (They have the planning permission for the Hotel, they have the 5mill plus for work on Ricoh - training ground sorted in Henley where land is likely to be sold for housing)

He did not sound like somebody who was pleased with the deal.

That’s a great shout about parking. I wonder why it’s a no? It’s not dangerous is it?

 

[mrtrench]

So salty of Boddy to thank "Andy Street, the West Midlands Mayor, and Allan Andrews from the West Midlands Combined Authority" and not mention CCC. It's like the Queen stating that "recollections may vary" in response to The People's Princess Meghan.

 

[Liquid Gold]

If you could lift even a bit of the parking restrictions then it would improve the match day experience no end.

 

[Alex1987]

So salty of Boddy to thank "Andy Street, the West Midlands Mayor, and Allan Andrews from the West Midlands Combined Authority" and not mention CCC. It's like the Queen stating that "recollections may vary" in response to The People's Princess Meghan.

I guess if CCC have done little to help (presumeably the case), why thank someone who genuinely wasn't involved? He's not thanked the Coventry MP but I wouldn't say it's 'salty'....

 

[jimmyhillsfanclub]

Anyone any idea of the costs involved in a 5 or 10 year sponsorship deal/naming rights for the stadium?

I know subsequent deals are generally of considerably lower value than the original but what are we talking? £1m/year? £500K/year?
Am I way off?

 

[mrtrench]

I guess if CCC have done little to help (presumeably the case), why thank someone who genuinely wasn't involved? He's not thanked the Coventry MP but I wouldn't say it's 'salty'....

That's exactly why it's salty... I don't mean that in a bad way, I like good examples of polite passive aggression. By not thanking them, he's stating that they didn't help. But it's really part of their role to be involved and help in things like this. So in a very polite and almost disingenuous way, he's saying between the lines that CCC were part of the problem.

 

[shepardo01]

That’s a great shout about parking. I wonder why it’s a no? It’s not dangerous is it?

He claimed it would negatively impact the residents of his constituency and he and they had fought hard for them to be in place - so he would NOT be lifting them on match days!

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Is that like not believing Prince Andrew could be a nonce until he told you himself

I know many of the council past and present on a personal level and they serve the city well. I’m happy the football club is only a part of that. Cllr duggins is used to getting his own way and when he doesn’t he doubles down.

 

[Grendel]

That’s a great shout about parking. I wonder why it’s a no? It’s not dangerous is it?

It was set up because of impacting local residents but it extends for far too far from the ground

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

He claimed it would negatively impact the residents of his constituency and he and they had fought hard for them to be in place - so he would NOT be lifting them on match days!

How does it?

 

[Evo1883]

Lego has saved the club !!

Because we're massive

 

[Frostie]

David Conn (artist?) still at it...

 

[shmmeee]

Having met Duggins, agitated and bitter is his default setting.

 

[Evo1883]

David Conn (artist?) still at it...

Wellllllllllllll... I mean dave, we don't pay 1 mill a season now and we get more commercial access than before... So it wasn't in our best interest to just, carry on.

Go about it differently yea ofcourse

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Because we're massive

Love that reaching out from db

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Having met Duggins, agitated and bitter is his default setting.

Yep that’s right. That’s not necessarily negative

 

[fernandopartridge]

This is quite ridiculous and points to only one person who must have pulled the plug

The Ricoh has long been a big selling point for successive managers to attract new players to the club, and that was the case with the likes of Gus Hamer, Michael Rose and Fankaty Dabo - all of whom were shown round in consecutive summers over the last two years when the football club had hoped to be back in the city.

 

[Liquid Gold]

Having met Duggins, agitated and bitter is his default setting.

For you to say this I'm going to use my usual barometer of your council opinions and deduct that he's 20x worse than Hitler.

 

[Bugsy]

This is quite ridiculous and points to only one person who must have pulled the plug

Dugg pulled the plug

 

[shmmeee]

For you to say this I'm going to use my usual barometer of your council opinions and deduct that he's 20x worse than Hitler.

Find me one positive post I’ve made about George Duggins.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Dugg pulled the plug

I can’t believe that but who knows what leverage there was

 

[Evo1883]

Find me one positive post I’ve made about George Duggins.

 

[SonofErnie]

Sorry to link to Cov live but there are a few good things in this

Coventry City Ricoh Arena return - Boddy and Vaughan face the media

Latest Coventry City news from CoventryLive as we bring live updates on the breaking story that the Sky Blues are returning to the Ricoh Arena after nearly two seasons away

www.coventrytelegraph.net

- we have primacy of fixtures
- we're working with them on the pitch, it's having major regeneration this summer and we're jointly investing in more lamps
- Boddy expects us to average 17k
- we can hold pre-season games, testimonials and the like
- best ever deal on F&B, we get a slice of car parking revenue too
- implies we're paying the same in rent

If all this is true we've properly had their pants down.

In their eyes, perhaps some money is better than no money, especially if results in a stadium sponsorship deal, which I’m doubtful will result in a share for CCFC.

 

[Magwitch1]

Regarding parking restrictions I’m in councillor Duggans constituency and the parking restriction is a joke, the restriction starts almost at Riley Square Bell Green between there and Foleshill Road there’s hundreds of parked vehicles all the time. I park by my house all week but risk a fine on a match day and concerts family can visit all week but not match day afternoon or Tuesday evenings I went to the initial residents meetings and it was the biggest load of clap trap I’ve heard, lot of ejits sounding off for the sake of it about excess traffic I challenged the councillors of the day sure Duggan would have been one but their minds were made up regardless. A crazy thing also I live in Longford, where there are these ridiculous restrictions yet less than a stones throw away you are in Exhall not ccc territory where their are no restrictions.
Now strangely the last eighteen months while we have been in Brum I haven’t seen any traffic wardens prowling about like they did when football matches were on, does rugby not count ?
And finally re parking around Foleshill Road near the Wheatsheaf and Parkstone club there is a large Temple and when there’s a function wedding whatever cars are parked all over the place no wardens about then !

 

[chiefdave]

Now strangely the last eighteen months while we have been in Brum I haven’t seen any traffic wardens prowling about like they did when football matches were on, does rugby not count ?

Does freedom of information cover parking tickets? Could fire in a request for how many were given out in the restricted area on dates for our games and Wasps games.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Can you follow up a request as in his contingency?

 

[hill83]

Find me one positive post I’ve made about George Duggins.

Nah

 

[shmmeee]

Nah

Please?

 

[robbiethemole]

David Conn (artist?) still at it...

Did the Council build it for us???? not sure they did really

 

[oldskyblue58]

The deal has to be good for both sides for it to work not just now but for potentially 10 years. If one side felt unfairly treated by the deal then we are going to end up back at square one pretty quickly with all the rancour that brings. To think that to get this done CCFC/SISU got one over wasps i think is fanciful. For both clubs it was critical to get the deal done and for a reasonable period

The only thing so far that surprised me is that CCFC get fixture priority, but thinking about it wasps do not have as many fixtures and quite a few are on Fridays & Sundays in any case. They do not have mid week games it seems. Also it must be possible to alternate weekends - surely not a big hurdle

Wasps had at their disposal all of the past financial history relating to site operations, some or most of which they would have to share with CCFC to some degree to get the negotiations and deal done. So between the two sides there must be a fair degree of transparency.

So the rent is same as ? before at the Ricoh (ie prior to Birmingham move?) the rent at St Andrews? Not sure so far from what has been said only comment i can find is that it hasn't been discounted for a return because of the improved other terms

CCFC get a better share of F&B. Good they should. So long as wasps costs are covered then wasps no worse off. Those costs will have been drilled down and agreed during negotiations. Personally i think it would be a mistake to believe wasps make nothing in the deal. Any costs will have been deducted from the site F&B turnover before CCFC get their improved slice. I suspect that the biggest improvement though will be because of the bigger attendances hence why Boddy encouraged people to buy. In the past it was suggested CCFC got a net profit share equivalent to 15% of Turnover net of VAT. Guessing, but to me it isnt going to be huge figures. Just as an example say similar set up gives them 25%

previous deal F&B Turnover net of VAT £1m @ 15% = 150k to CCFC
new deal example F&B Turnover net of VAT £1m @ 25% = 250K to CCFC
New deal example F&B Turnover net of VAT £2m @ 25% = 500K to CCFC

All very welcome of course

Car parking CCFC get better access to this source. Again good. CCFC did have some access to car park income previously but it was a small number of the spaces available. Sounds like more spaces made available to CCFC. There are what 2100 spaces at the Ricoh (assuming car park C available) say CCFC got 1000 as part of the deal then 23 matches @£10 less VAT and costs that could be worth around £190k (adjust number of spaces to suit). All welcome but probably still leaves wasps with some income they didn't have for last two seasons.

Biggest benefit to CCFC is the increased crowd numbers. CCFC get and always have had 100% of the ticket sales. In the last accounts to 31/05/2019 the match receipts were 2.54m with average crowd at 12363. If Boddy's prediction of 17000 average crowds comes off then it is reasonable to assume in excess of 3.5m annually match day receipts. Add in increased central funding and increased commercial opportunities from playing in Coventry then you begin to see why it was important to come back to the Ricoh. CCFC were never going to get 17000 average at St Andrews. It isn't just the crowd numbers but it is what can be added on to those numbers commercially and culturally - which adds to income total.

Looks like there is agreement to improve the pitch and that both sides will contribute. We dont know the split of contribution, but didnt CCFC have to pay for many years. Last time the pitch relayed i believe it cost £1m+ so we are not talking small figures. A better pitch will clearly help CCFC but look at how wasps try to play (which is a fast running game) and a good pitch suitable for football is not going to hinder them and they wont have to pay for all of it

Wasps now have a rent paying tenant for a minimum of 7 years but probably 10 years. There is no short term one or two year agreement with a fractious relationship. Why is that important. Well its guaranteed income for wasps each year. But it is also going to improve the other turnovers and other commercial opportunities. Which will of course improve the lease value which makes refinancing easier and meets bond covenants.

wasps would not have done this deal if they thought that it would place them in a worse position financially. They are not stupid. The point that they would go down to on operational income, other than rent, with CCFC would be break even. I doubt they have or needed to get to that point. Even at break even it seems to me that they improve their cash flow by the rent and their balance sheet by the maintenance of the lease value.

Both sides need this deal to work. I am sure both negotiated hard and there are robust legal agreements. Very glad they got it done

The EU case we all know can not be stopped by any party involved, wasps just needed to step back and recognise that, to get on with things and move forward.

CCC & Duggins actually have little say in it. The deal is between two private entities and the voters would have a fit if he tried to block it. To me he seems to like his own way and reacts very badly if challenged (been there done it and he didnt like it)

Just all my opinion of course. Personally just glad both sides have seen sense, finally

Looking forward to watching CCFC at the Ricoh. Well done to all involved. Pretty certain both teams will be better for it on and off the pitch

 

[Magwitch1]

Does freedom of information cover parking tickets? Could fire in a request for how many were given out in the restricted area on dates for our games and Wasps games.

Be a good idea to see how many tickets have been issued in the since August 2019 they will know and I would think as a council tax payer you should be told, but I’ll hazard a guess...none.
Can’t remember if there’s been any concerts.