H
Huckerby
Guest
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/28881455
[h=1]Coventry City agree deal to return to Ricoh Arena[/h]
League One side Coventry City are to return to the Ricoh Arena after agreeing a two-year deal with the company that runs the stadium.
The Sky Blues have been playing their home games in Northamptonsince the start of the 2013-14 season after a long-running row over rent.
But after negotiations over the last month the stalemate has been resolved.
The agreement can be extended until 2018, with the first game set to be against Gillingham on 5 September.
The chairman of Arena Coventry Limited, the company that runs the Ricoh Arena, Chris Robinson said: "ACL are pleased to announce the return of the Sky Blues to the Ricoh Arena.
"Discussions that have taken place over the last month with Steve Waggott, development director from CCFC, have been conducted with great spirit and a real sense of commitment, to secure the return of the club to the city.
"This is great news for the fans that have been waiting for their club to return to the Ricoh Arena."
The deal ends a stand-off between ACL and Sky Blues owners Sisu which dates back to April 2012.
Coventry argued that their relegation from the Championship to League One that year left them unable to afford the £100,000 rent and stopped payments.
A debt of over £1m accrued over the next 12 months as the row continued, as part of the club was placed into administration.
That led to a 10-point deduction in March 2013 before the club was bought by Otium Entertainment Group only to be hit with another 10-point penalty for the start of last season.
With no end to the dispute with ACL, Otium announced the club had agreed an initial three-year deal to ground share with Northampton Town, while it put plans together to build a brand new home for the Sky Blues back in the Coventry area.
Despite protests from fans, the club duly moved into their new "home" some 34 miles outside Coventry for the start of the 2013-14 campaign.
Put plans together to build a brand new home? A debt accrued because they couldn't afford the rent? Nothing can put me in a bad mood today but this has annoyed me a little
[h=1]Coventry City agree deal to return to Ricoh Arena[/h]
League One side Coventry City are to return to the Ricoh Arena after agreeing a two-year deal with the company that runs the stadium.
The Sky Blues have been playing their home games in Northamptonsince the start of the 2013-14 season after a long-running row over rent.
But after negotiations over the last month the stalemate has been resolved.
The agreement can be extended until 2018, with the first game set to be against Gillingham on 5 September.
The chairman of Arena Coventry Limited, the company that runs the Ricoh Arena, Chris Robinson said: "ACL are pleased to announce the return of the Sky Blues to the Ricoh Arena.
"Discussions that have taken place over the last month with Steve Waggott, development director from CCFC, have been conducted with great spirit and a real sense of commitment, to secure the return of the club to the city.
"This is great news for the fans that have been waiting for their club to return to the Ricoh Arena."
The deal ends a stand-off between ACL and Sky Blues owners Sisu which dates back to April 2012.
Coventry argued that their relegation from the Championship to League One that year left them unable to afford the £100,000 rent and stopped payments.
A debt of over £1m accrued over the next 12 months as the row continued, as part of the club was placed into administration.
That led to a 10-point deduction in March 2013 before the club was bought by Otium Entertainment Group only to be hit with another 10-point penalty for the start of last season.
With no end to the dispute with ACL, Otium announced the club had agreed an initial three-year deal to ground share with Northampton Town, while it put plans together to build a brand new home for the Sky Blues back in the Coventry area.
Despite protests from fans, the club duly moved into their new "home" some 34 miles outside Coventry for the start of the 2013-14 campaign.
Put plans together to build a brand new home? A debt accrued because they couldn't afford the rent? Nothing can put me in a bad mood today but this has annoyed me a little