Spot on. OAP's/disabled travel should've been one of the priorities. For a game at the Ricoh taking someone on the number 4 who had restricted mobility or couldn't walk at all is relatively easy in this day and age with buses that kneel to the curb and have appropriate seating. Not everyone can get on a coach. The only other alternative for some is a bus to Coventry station, train, then bus to the ground which is probably in the region of 15 quid each rather than 4.
Keeping the ball boys/girls would've been nice. As would the club doing more to help the volunteers that keep the fanzone going.
Shame it's been down to the Trust, FPA and members of the SCG to do the simple things that club should be doing themselves.
Exactly, it's lack of action in areas like this that, for me, make the talk of wanting to be at the heart of the Coventry community ring hollow. Even with the move away, there's so much they could be doing to soften the blow on the more vulnerable.
Edit: I'm going to go on a rant here.
We are a football
club. Not a football
company. We should be seen as members of this club, not as customers of this business.
I've just watched a German team, full of homegrown talent, look like dominating world football for the foreseeable future. Their clubs are about the only major ones that consistently turn a profit and don't rely on wealthy backers and dodgy deals to stay afloat.
Half of their strategy at club level is based around investment in youth first over signings and integrating the youth and senior setups, and for that I cannot praise the work of Fisher and Waggott enough (whoever actually makes those decisions). Pressley, and Robins before him, are both the type of managers that I'd happily have here for a long period, building a legacy. Our academy will produce good enough talent for this league if we invest in it, and that has been proven recently.
However, the other half is that they are strongly rooted in the community. Bayern get 55% of it's income from sponsorship, mostly from local companies. Compared to 37% for Man Utd for example. Their club is run by member owners, who prioritise local talent and sustainability over short term success and who use local celebrities like former players to drive sponsorship money into the club. A lot of the clubs also have local teams in other sports and encompass ladies and disabled sports teams.
They are truly part of their local community, from fund raising and sports to, in some cases, helping out local families in need or other worthy causes. This builds not only strong loyalty (that with cheap tickets becomes strong attendances) but also opens up a wealth of local income that otherwise would be missed out on. People are far more likely to invest if they feel part of the club. We may not have Adidas or Audi on our doorstep, but we do have big local companies that we could be doing far more for. We do have local sports and businesses that would benefit from our exposure, not to mention local talent that could vastly improve the half time and pre-match entertainment
A club should be a showcase for local talent, a networking venue for local business, a place of inclusion for all members of the community, where everyone's on one side for a change.
But none of that is possible if the club isn't present in the local community, let alone if it's straight up toxic.
This is why there should be no obstacles to a short term return, whether it takes free rent and absorbing match day costs, or dropping the claim to the £590k from ACL or an acceptance that ticket revenue will far outweigh F&B for a couple of years at the Ricoh while negotiations/ground building is ongoing from Sisu.
