bigfatronssba
Well-Known Member
Nick? Do you know anything about it at all?
Wouldn't have thought they'd have needed to nick one from Solihull then.
Wouldn't have thought they'd have needed to nick one from Solihull then.
What actually happened? I remember when I was a kid there was Solihull Barons. Then when I moved back from Canada with an interest in hockey there was the Blaze and still the Barons so who did we move?
Memory of it is a bit hazy but IIRC the Solihull Barons went bust around 1997. That club no longer existed. Somebody then (cant remember who) wanted to reform them as the Birmingham Blaze, playing at a new rink somewhere near the airport. That would clearly have been a new team being set up. The ex-Solihull staff would have just transferred over.
However the new rink didn't happen (for reasons I cant remember) so they had to set up camp in the old Solihull rink (which was very dilapidated) until something could be sorted. Few years later the Skydome was built, so the Blaze moved over here, Solihull Barons reformed.
Im sure CJ can answer it better!
So essentially the Blaze were a new team who happened to play in Solihull while waiting for a new rink, Coventry coming into the frame when the plans in Birmingham fell through. That doesn't really seem like franchising to me.
So essentially the Blaze were a new team who happened to play in Solihull while waiting for a new rink, Coventry coming into the frame when the plans in Birmingham fell through. That doesn't really seem like franchising to me.
Well I did the Google as requested, and the reasons for the move are greater revenues on access elsewhere than Solihull.
But when they were in Solihull was that ever a permanent thing? It sounds like the plan was to use a new rink in Birmingham but when that didn't happen they had to use Solihull as an interim venue while finding somewhere of a size in line with the rest of the league. In terms of revenue all you're really looking at is capacity aren't you? Blaze didn't own the rink in Solihull and they don't own the SkyDome do they so other revenues would most likley go to the owners.
Originally from the neighbouring town of Solihull, the Coventry Blaze evolved from the Solihull Barons to become the Solihull Blaze in 1996. In order to attract a new and larger fanbase the team moved to Coventry in 2000 and continue to occupy the 3000-seat SkyDome Arena.
Can't find anything about any new rink in Birmingham, or Solihull as an interim venue.
Though they may have been having financial problems, so the owners moved to a larger area with more potential fans(rather like Wimbledon did to Milton Keynes).
Of course the Coventry Blaze a couple of years ago were in serious trouble financially and crowds were down around 25%, so lucky they didn't just up sticks to somewhere else.
From Paul Thompsons autobiography.
Is that still available anywhere?
I think the thing that comes through here are that Ice Hockey is more of a franchise sport with teams regularly starting up and ceasing to exist or moving. A quick google seems to indicate that the first Barons team was actually in Birmingham and then moved to Solihull and over there years there's been many different Barons teams but they are really all different clubs who happen to share the same name. Also read that Milton Keynes were moved to Solihull for a season! I guess none of the teams own their rinks and with that they are reliant on the owners to maintain a suitable rink, if they close down or make changes to the rink the teams either fold or move.
Is that still available anywhere?
I think the thing that comes through here are that Ice Hockey is more of a franchise sport with teams regularly starting up and ceasing to exist or moving. A quick google seems to indicate that the first Barons team was actually in Birmingham and then moved to Solihull and over there years there's been many different Barons teams but they are really all different clubs who happen to share the same name. Also read that Milton Keynes were moved to Solihull for a season! I guess none of the teams own their rinks and with that they are reliant on the owners to maintain a suitable rink, if they close down or make changes to the rink the teams either fold or move.
Well...
http://www.eurohockey.com/club/773-coventry-blaze.html?season=2015 says
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/story/0,3604,219231,00.html says
So all about the access to greater revenues eh?
Then in 1999 Solihull Council sold the arena to a private builder. His plan was to remove all the terracing in the arena and replace it with fast food outlets (this was to help with income from general skaters). Obviously this was unacceptable to the Hockey team
So they had problems with their arena's owners, and the arena's owners taking decisions not necessarily in the club's interest... so moved to another town as a way of gaining access to greater revenues for the club?
So they had problems with their arena's owners, and the arena's owners taking decisions not necessarily in the club's interest... so moved to another town as a way of gaining access to greater revenues for the club?
Perspection a go-go! Top comment LS.If there were only 10 football clubs across Britain we'd probably have a bit of a better record.
Well one thing I do have knowledge of is representation, and the entire internet is awash about how they moved for the cash!
So then fine, people want to go and see them, no problem with that... but has the trust not even considered what kind of message it sends out that on the one hand they're protesting against football clubs moving around (and as a result have never actively mailed me or made an offer encouraging me to see Coventry City in Northampton - fine, I wouldn't expect them to) but instead actively encourage me to go and see... a team who moved because of a lack of agreement on way forwards with their landlords. Why not just leave it blank in this instance, as they do with the Sixfields Northampton Coventry horror.
In a battle we're not going to win by ourselves, it's about time we did some joined up thinking and not this shambles we get instead. It smacks of an insular 'I'm alright Jack' mentality, and a determination to put one reading, and one reading only onto messages sent out... and sod the evidence plastered all over the internet, that YOU yourself told me to go and check!
How are we supposed to get support from other parties if we actively encourage attendance at a sport renowned for its teams upping sticks whenever a better financial offer comes along?!?
Fine... no problem with people going to see it, but the Trust needs to think about what messages it sends out.
As, indeed, it seems prepared to do when actively NOT endorsing the football club moving because it wants a financially better deal!
Even if what you say is accurate, how has the football club moving helped its financial situation? Less than 1k city fans tonight, worked well for them hasn't it?
Wouldn't have thought they'd have needed to nick one from Solihull then.
It is a move to help the financial situation. Surely we don't have to go through this AGAIN! The whole point of the club moving is so it gets a financially better deal from the stadium it occupies, so it asserts. In fact, the club asserts it wants a financially better deal in COVENTRY.
Pretty much as the Blaze wanted, and they appear to be welcomed for desiring that!
That's how I understand it. I might be wrong, CJ is more the man to answer.
Can't find anything about any new rink in Birmingham, or Solihull as an interim venue.
Though they may have been having financial problems, so the owners moved to a larger area with more potential fans(rather like Wimbledon did to Milton Keynes).
Of course the Coventry Blaze a couple of years ago were in serious trouble financially and crowds were down around 25%, so lucky they didn't just up sticks to somewhere else.
Is that still available anywhere?
I think the thing that comes through here are that Ice Hockey is more of a franchise sport with teams regularly starting up and ceasing to exist or moving. A quick google seems to indicate that the first Barons team was actually in Birmingham and then moved to Solihull and over there years there's been many different Barons teams but they are really all different clubs who happen to share the same name. Also read that Milton Keynes were moved to Solihull for a season! I guess none of the teams own their rinks and with that they are reliant on the owners to maintain a suitable rink, if they close down or make changes to the rink the teams either fold or move.
Exactly as the Blaze wanted, and they appear to be welcomed for desiring that!
For a start hockey is a sport based on a franchise model and teams moving.
So at this time of all times, we want the trust to be proactively encouraging such a model for sport?
Why don't we encourage football to adopt a similar model, would do away with all the anguish when a team buggers off!
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