After seven years of excuses, lies, council begging and propaganda, this weekend will had better see the opening of the Arena. I say had better see as the 33,042 capacity stadium does not yet have a safety certificate.
Costing £113m,we’ve gone from a 72,000 super stadium to a bog standard copy of those in Leicester, Derby, Middlesbrough, and Southampton with a conference centre and portable hotel thrown on the side of the Main Stand.
Coventry City who are mere tenants at the Arena having sold off most of their interest due to the financial tight spot that the club has been in for a number of years, were told by members of Arena Coventry Limited that they could expect the keys to their new playing venue to be handed over on July 30th.
However, from March onwards, questions were being asked about whether builders Laing O’Rourke would be able to deliver at this agreed time. Many felt that they would not be able to deliver and so it proved. A suspicious fire one Tuesday night which originally was played down by ACL CEO Paul Fletcher, was blamed for the delay which meant that City had no choice but to go begging to the Football League and get the first game of the season against Norwich City switched to East Anglia as well as missing out on a money spinning opening game which Chairman Mike McGinnity said he had lined up.
Over the summer months and with it revealed that Coventry City Council had not put in an over-time clause, the builders ambled along at a slow pace, knocking off as early as 3pm despite fine weather. Over-time has been paid over the last few weeks and the race to deliver the Arena is on.
Due to various building work and other delays, we won’t be at full capacity for the opening game against Queens Park Rangers. City who have paid the price for their decision of a flat fee of £352 for a season ticket rather than seeking to reward loyalty or encourage long term support, have sold all 20,000 available tickets.
This may rise if Thursday’s safety tests are completed successfully, and A.C.L. and CCFC who have been dragged into this sorry affair can persuade a minimum of 11,000 ticket holding people to attend an open evening, by another only three thousand and not the nine thousand as stated by the former Burnley Paul Fletcher whose announcement to the crowd at Turf Moor on Saturday brought silence from the home fans and some abuse from the Coventry support.
Failure of the game not to go ahead on Saturday will not be tolerated either by Coventry City who will surely face penalties imposed by the Football League or by supporters who will have to rearrange their diaries in order to make the game when it is eventually played.
So it is imperative that all the agencies involved in the Arena work together this week and the club’s new era can begin.