COVENTRY City Football Club are calling for multi-party talks in a bid to keep their ‘lifeblood’ youth academy at the Alan Higgs Centre if Wasps move in.
But the club insist the talks should include the F.A, the Football League and Sport England – and must focus on how to retain their prized Category 2 status academy which receives £650,000 annual funding and offers centre of excellence facilities to city youngsters and future footballing stars.
It comes as councillors this week also confirmed their backing for plans for a new 50 metre swimming pool at the centre alongside Wasps’ proposed new training centre, to be built on the football club’s existing academy facilities.
Councillors also renewed calls for discussions between CCFC and Wasps.
It follows Coventry City Council’s planning committee’s decision on August 4 that it was ‘minded to approve’ rugby club Wasps’ planning application to build a £7million training centre at CCFC’s purpose-build academy premises in Allard Way for when the football club’s lease expires next June.
The planning committee placed conditions on its approval, which included that the government does not wish to step in and make the decision itself on green belt grounds, and that Sport England’s concerns about the Category 2 academy’s future can be resolved.
If that does not happen, the committee of councillors decided the entire matter should go back to the council’s planning committee.
Governing body Sport England is a statutory consultee in the planning process and has the power to make recommendations to councils and the government over planning applications.
The football club yesterday released on their website a letter written to council planners last week – not published in the planning application material on the council’s website – which called for the multi-party talks.
The club had also previously written to planners at the end of last month – in another letter then published on the CCFC website – to state Coventry City Council should also be included in the talks alongside Sport England and CSF.
The Coventry Observer’s Save Our City campaign is calling on the council, the Higgs centre’s operators the Coventry Sports Foundation and all parties to ensure the 133-year-old football club’s Category 2 academy is retained in the city.
The CCFC website statement yesterday says: “We hope that all parties can work together to ensure that all necessary information can be produced and any issues arising can be discussed to enable Sport England to take a position on the application.
“We have written to the Council to say that we would be extremely happy to cooperate fully with all relevant parties to ensure that Sport England has all necessary information about the football academy and its Category 2 status.
“We have previously provided this information to Coventry Sport Foundation (CSF) but we are more than happy to sit down with all parties and discuss how the facilities at the Alan Higgs Centre can be programmed in order to allow Wasps to develop its training academy without displacing the football academy or threatening its Category 2 status.”
It states the club was ‘pleased’ to note CSF chief executive Paul Breed had written to Wasps urging further dialogue and adds: “So it seems that everyone is now in agreement that this important process should indeed proceed.
“We are pleased to say that both the FA and the Football League are lending their full support to this process and have confirmed their intent in taking part in the discussions.”
On Coventry Observer (strange no text yet).. so can't read but it is gonna be usual artlcle uncritical of SISU (they can do no wrong) and scathing of every other party (AKA the conspirators).
http://coventryobserver.co.uk/news/save-city-coventry-city-call-multi-party-talks-academy/
LOL, you don't understand my sense of humour. Actually the article is more measured than usual.So quick to try and disprove it, before you have even read it! Nice one!
Yeah, I do get it. I often claim joke when I make myself look silly.LOL, you don't understand my sense of humour. Actually the article is more measured than usual.
I think it indicates a softening of attitude from SISU, maybe there is a bit of realism about the situation hitting home.
What don't you understand? Seems pretty self explanatory to me.Less Read at his best: "..........and offers centre of excellence facilities to city youngsters and future footballing stars......" Does anyone know what this means?
Does it?What don't you understand? Seems pretty self explanatory to me.
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Less Read at his best: "..........and offers centre of excellence facilities to city youngsters and future footballing stars......" Does anyone know what this means?
Less Read at his best: "..........and offers centre of excellence facilities to city youngsters and future footballing stars......" Does anyone know what this means?
Welcome back, looking a bit obvious now!!Less Read at his best: "..........and offers centre of excellence facilities to city youngsters and future footballing stars......" Does anyone know what this means?
1) A centre of excellence is an enhanced football training facility. Usually using top notch equipment and technology.
2) Any city youngsters that could step into the academy I presume.
3) By using said facilities and being coached and assessed by good quality coaches.
4) This is a bullshit question.
With all due respect mate, that's a bullshit answer.
i) How is a Centre of Excellence accredited?
ii) Can you name two of them? Here's a clue...St George's Park is one nb Google searches can give outdated responses
iii) Presume? Ha ha. Is it offered to all city youngsters?
iv) How does a city youngster qualify to be offered this?
iv) is the CoE facility and it's qualified coaches offered to (say) girls?
Typical sweeping, unsourced and unresearched Less Read. As usual
1) A centre of excellence is an enhanced football training facility. Usually using top notch equipment and technology.
2) Any city youngsters that could step into the academy I presume.
3) By using said facilities and being coached and assessed by good quality coaches.
4) This is a bullshit question.
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Have I missed something mate?Welcome back, looking a bit obvious now!!
Embarrassing.
the bloke seems to have completely missed the start of our season, check his post history...Have I missed something mate?
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The season has started?the bloke seems to have completely missed the start of our season, check his post history...
Is this guy for real?
Hi is mate. He isProbably not but who cares Tim? I've just taken a look at the article and about a dozen of the most recent ones relating to the sky blues. Only one reader comment. I think Les is virtually talking to himself.
Most certainly has an agenda of some sort, hasn't bothered on here since les reids last article.Is this guy for real?
Oh well, at least we have the Coventry Wasps Telegraph to offer us neutral, balanced, unbiased articles to keep us all informed.
Less Read at his best: "..........and offers centre of excellence facilities to city youngsters and future footballing stars......" Does anyone know what this means?
So a cat 2 academy is a Centre of Excellence? You must reference this, Less Read needs all the help he can get.I hate Les Reid, but this post is nonsense. Both young people from Coventry and promising players from elsewhere join our academy, which as a Cat 2 academy is a centre of excellence. Not rocket science.
Article is light on opinion to be honest, you've got to stretch to pick a hole.
Personally, I'm just glad people are talking. Little suspicious of the club asking for every man and his wife to be in attendance, but it's a positive move. At best it might speed things up with all the players in one room, at worst it's a bluff to be called.
Does it?
OK,
i) how do you define ' centre of excellence' facilities?
ii) which city youngsters qualify to use them?
iii) how are 'future football stars' identified?
iv) If you fail to become a star in the future, are you timewarped back so you can't use them?
Thanks for the offer to provide Less with some clarity.
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Yup. Here's to believing anything and everythingFuck me, you've got to be taking the piss.
You show a complete lack of basic understanding and you're getting worked up about something. Jog on.
That is pretty much what I thought when I read it.I am a big critic of Les' biased reports (as well as Simon's) but this seems perfectly fine to me.
Are you saying Soccerrocks wouldn't exist without the cat 2 status? Nothing to do with their own motivation, then?As I pointed out to Simon Gilbert yesterday when the Telegraph seemed to be at pains to point out that the Academy was not particularly worthwhile to the club by merely stating 10 mill or so has been recouped in transfer fees, but not mentioning the added benefits of having academy players come through the ranks, then going on further some of these players become coaches, set up company's and offer leisure time and coaching to youngsters across the City. Such as Soccer Rockz...
What's your motivation?Are you saying Soccerrocks wouldn't exist without the cat 2 status? Nothing to do with their own motivation, then?
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Enlightenment, Nick. You'll be the biggest challenge.What's your motivation?
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