dongonzalos
Well-Known Member
Hi,
It has taken a lot for me to write a post on here as I don't normally do anything public like this and so please bear with me as I finally do so. As my username implies my grandfather was Alan Higgs, who as some of you will know was a self made Coventry businessman who during his lifetime made a fortune. He decided to leave all his money to a charity that he wanted set up to help benefit the people of the city, not to my Dad or his sister. This is the Alan Edward Higgs Charity and is responsible for amongst other things the Alan Higgs Centre in Allard Way and (as I think we all know) owns 50% of ACL. My late dad was Sir Derek Higgs who like his father was self made and also had a love for the City of Coventry and the Football Club & for his sins was a Director. He became a director because he was passionate about the club and devoted a hell of a lot of his free time to this endeavour, sometimes to the despair of his family. He invested in CCFC only because he cared about the Club and as far as I'm aware having looked through his papers (despite what some people think) he didn't make any money from it, writing off a sizeable sum when the club was sold.
He died suddenly from a heart attack in 2008 and I strongly suspect that the combined stress from the club sale the previous December (and something at work) contributed to this. He told me at the first match after the club had been sold, that it was the first time in many years that he had really been able to enjoy watching a game. He explained that for the first time in a long time he didn't have to worry about the gate figures or how well the shop did, or any of the financials. You could see the difference just by looking at how much more relaxed he was and it actually made me glad that he was finally really enjoying himself at the Ricoh on a match day.
One of the reasons that he was so keen on the Ricoh Arena was because it was helping to regenerate this run down area of Coventry. He was concerned that had it not gone ahead we would have been homeless and as a result had a clause put into the sale contract. This would have allowed us to buy back Highfield Road for the same amount as we received for it plus some small interest had the deal to build the Ricoh fallen through. He also proposed a sensible - but rejected - league related rent structure for the Club at the Ricoh which PWKH (who I'm proud to say is my uncle) mentioned in another thread. Therefore had he been alive today he would have been appalled to see what is currently going on between SISU and ACL. In actual fact I suspect that he wouldn't have ever allowed it to get to this stage and would have done something by now, he didn't get where he was by being a shrinking violet.
I genuinely don't know all the facts about this because I deliberately haven't asked anyone in the know for information. I know I could have done but I wanted to stay out of it, so figured I would learn what I needed to know reading the CET and posts on here - some of which are very entertaining. Therefore I only know what you all know and it is so sad to see this playing (pun not intended) out like this. I was asked by dad if I wanted to be a trustee of the Charity and I said no, which I think surprised him. My reasoning was that should there ever be a point where the charity (or ACL for that matter) were at odds with CCFC I didn't want to have to make a choice between the two.
What saddens me the most (and why I decided to post) is the fact that whilst the Arena rent stuff has started to flare up, the team aren't playing that badly and we're in the top half of the table. This was something towards the start of the season I wouldn't have credited us with achieving and all credit to the players and coaching staff, please don't stop.
I keep hoping that the famous line about cooler heads prevailing in the Cuban Missile Crisis will apply here and each time I read something about the club on the web it seems less likely. Ignoring who is right and who is wrong for a moment in the rent dispute - If SISU have any respect for the hard work on the pitch the players have been putting in then they should do everything possible to avoid the club or any subsidiaries going into administration and getting us docked 10 points. These people work for you (indirectly or not) and the fans who come and watch the matches, don't kick them in the teeth by undoing all their hard work.
I'm in my late thirties now and I've supported the Sky Blues since I was six (wasn't allowed by mum to go to a match before that). I'm pleased to say that I have been present at some memorable moments in the Clubs history. I was at Wembley for both the 87 Cup final, the Charity Shield, the last match at Highfield Road and the first match at the Ricoh, beating MUFC in the Cup at Old Trafford, as well as many last match relegation escapes. I've also been to some of the smallest grounds in my time and would dearly like to forget going to to watch us lose badly at Southend, Rochdale, etc. I've laughed, cried, and been told off for supporting too loudly in the directors box (which didn't stop me). I spent many hours on trains going to matches both home and away but always did so with a Sky Blue heart. I've met fans on the train who have always been great to talk to, some of whom I've told who I was and others I haven't (sorry if that was you). Yes I probably wasted weeks of my life in time spent travelling from London to far flung grounds just to watch 90 mins of not always pretty football. But as I woke up in the afternoon on a Sunday having got in late the previous evening (normally thanks to a rail replacement bus service etc.) I always thought it was worth it.
I hope I will have a team to support for many years to come and this is all resolved without the need for administration. Oh and that I never ever have to go back to watch us play at Spotland ever again.
It has taken a lot for me to write a post on here as I don't normally do anything public like this and so please bear with me as I finally do so. As my username implies my grandfather was Alan Higgs, who as some of you will know was a self made Coventry businessman who during his lifetime made a fortune. He decided to leave all his money to a charity that he wanted set up to help benefit the people of the city, not to my Dad or his sister. This is the Alan Edward Higgs Charity and is responsible for amongst other things the Alan Higgs Centre in Allard Way and (as I think we all know) owns 50% of ACL. My late dad was Sir Derek Higgs who like his father was self made and also had a love for the City of Coventry and the Football Club & for his sins was a Director. He became a director because he was passionate about the club and devoted a hell of a lot of his free time to this endeavour, sometimes to the despair of his family. He invested in CCFC only because he cared about the Club and as far as I'm aware having looked through his papers (despite what some people think) he didn't make any money from it, writing off a sizeable sum when the club was sold.
He died suddenly from a heart attack in 2008 and I strongly suspect that the combined stress from the club sale the previous December (and something at work) contributed to this. He told me at the first match after the club had been sold, that it was the first time in many years that he had really been able to enjoy watching a game. He explained that for the first time in a long time he didn't have to worry about the gate figures or how well the shop did, or any of the financials. You could see the difference just by looking at how much more relaxed he was and it actually made me glad that he was finally really enjoying himself at the Ricoh on a match day.
One of the reasons that he was so keen on the Ricoh Arena was because it was helping to regenerate this run down area of Coventry. He was concerned that had it not gone ahead we would have been homeless and as a result had a clause put into the sale contract. This would have allowed us to buy back Highfield Road for the same amount as we received for it plus some small interest had the deal to build the Ricoh fallen through. He also proposed a sensible - but rejected - league related rent structure for the Club at the Ricoh which PWKH (who I'm proud to say is my uncle) mentioned in another thread. Therefore had he been alive today he would have been appalled to see what is currently going on between SISU and ACL. In actual fact I suspect that he wouldn't have ever allowed it to get to this stage and would have done something by now, he didn't get where he was by being a shrinking violet.
I genuinely don't know all the facts about this because I deliberately haven't asked anyone in the know for information. I know I could have done but I wanted to stay out of it, so figured I would learn what I needed to know reading the CET and posts on here - some of which are very entertaining. Therefore I only know what you all know and it is so sad to see this playing (pun not intended) out like this. I was asked by dad if I wanted to be a trustee of the Charity and I said no, which I think surprised him. My reasoning was that should there ever be a point where the charity (or ACL for that matter) were at odds with CCFC I didn't want to have to make a choice between the two.
What saddens me the most (and why I decided to post) is the fact that whilst the Arena rent stuff has started to flare up, the team aren't playing that badly and we're in the top half of the table. This was something towards the start of the season I wouldn't have credited us with achieving and all credit to the players and coaching staff, please don't stop.
I keep hoping that the famous line about cooler heads prevailing in the Cuban Missile Crisis will apply here and each time I read something about the club on the web it seems less likely. Ignoring who is right and who is wrong for a moment in the rent dispute - If SISU have any respect for the hard work on the pitch the players have been putting in then they should do everything possible to avoid the club or any subsidiaries going into administration and getting us docked 10 points. These people work for you (indirectly or not) and the fans who come and watch the matches, don't kick them in the teeth by undoing all their hard work.
I'm in my late thirties now and I've supported the Sky Blues since I was six (wasn't allowed by mum to go to a match before that). I'm pleased to say that I have been present at some memorable moments in the Clubs history. I was at Wembley for both the 87 Cup final, the Charity Shield, the last match at Highfield Road and the first match at the Ricoh, beating MUFC in the Cup at Old Trafford, as well as many last match relegation escapes. I've also been to some of the smallest grounds in my time and would dearly like to forget going to to watch us lose badly at Southend, Rochdale, etc. I've laughed, cried, and been told off for supporting too loudly in the directors box (which didn't stop me). I spent many hours on trains going to matches both home and away but always did so with a Sky Blue heart. I've met fans on the train who have always been great to talk to, some of whom I've told who I was and others I haven't (sorry if that was you). Yes I probably wasted weeks of my life in time spent travelling from London to far flung grounds just to watch 90 mins of not always pretty football. But as I woke up in the afternoon on a Sunday having got in late the previous evening (normally thanks to a rail replacement bus service etc.) I always thought it was worth it.
I hope I will have a team to support for many years to come and this is all resolved without the need for administration. Oh and that I never ever have to go back to watch us play at Spotland ever again.