Supporters forum (3 Viewers)

[Sky Blue Pete]

Questions For the Supporters Forum Meeting on the 4th December 2025 @ 6.00pm in the


Midea Lounge at the CBS.

1. Can the facilities provided in the West Stand concourse be improved? As there is only one bar at present, could portable bars or trollies be provided ?There used to be access
to the bar in the Hub (Hotel bar) but this is not accessible anymore (Rugby Supporters
Group)

The Club is looking at ways to enhance the concourse food and drink provision throughout the Arena as part of wider plans, while appreciating the limited space in
some areas of the stadium. The Mill is now a popular hospitality lounge.

2. Can we please have a timeline on when the PA system to be improved as it is probably
20 years old. It is currently very difficult to hear or understand anything that is said.

(Rugby Supporters Group)/ (Sky Blue Talk

The Club is aware of issues in some areas of the Arena. The Arena has previously engaged with audio experts with a view to upgrading the speakers, however this would
be a major project and one which cannot be done during the season. There is no
timescale currently.

3. Can the points needed for away games for season ticket holders that are members of a

Supporters Club? Say to 1,200? We have been unable thus far to fill coaches now and
are regularly returning 50% of our away tickets due to members not meeting the points limit set. Can we please do something about this as we have to subsidise the shortfall on spaces, and as a result losing money taking supporters to away games. We are a not

for profit group and I fear we will fold if it continues like this. We did pay the memberships in good faith at the start of the season, but the goal posts were moved
which has caused issues for all supporter’s groups. (Rugby Supporters Group)

It is important that access to away tickets for all Coventry City fans is fair. Fans who are
members of supporter groups receive the benefit of only needing to fall in any of the top 4 point categories. We have always encouraged fans to assign their tickets correctly to ensure a true reflection in points.

4. Can the A444 be re-opened directly after the match? As an alternative, can a second
pedestrian bridge be built by the island? Alternatively, close the pedestrian crossing after the game instead of the road? Encourage fans to use the bridge or the tunnel that leads to car park C.

Other A444 suggestions:

Build a fence stopping road access to pedestrians? Costly but works long term.

Keep away fans in for 15 – 20 minutes to allow home fans to exit first, this removes the
element of fans leaving together and causing problems with each other.

Use stewards as crossing guards in high footfall areas where needed. (Rugby Supporters Group) / (Sky Blue Talk)5. 6. 7. 8. The closure of the road is for safety reasons, and is in place for all major events at the Arena, similarly to road closures at other venues for major events.

The Club does not keep away fans in for safety and logistical reasons, but these generally represent around 2000 in crowds of 30,000 (i.e. around 6%) so would not change the egress levels.

In 23/24, the season prior to the closure:

- The Club encouraged fans to use the existing crossing facilities (bridge, underpass) via website, programme and social media – publishing articles and maps.

- The Club and Arena regularly stewarded the existing crossing, however supporters would not adhere to instructions.

Cost of additional bridges would be significant.

When will the Wi-Fi access in the East Stand be sorted as there are still issues such as
limited connection and access? (Leamington & Warwick Supporters Group) / Sky Blue
Talk)

The Club is aware of issues in some areas of the Arena. The Arena has previously engaged with experts in this area, however this is a major project. There is no timescale
currently.

Are there concerns about the negative feedback regarding ticket prices for certain
matches, especially the pricing for U18’s. Shouldn’t we be encouraging home fans to
buy the remaining tickets at a price that is more attractive? (Leamington & Warwick
Supporters Group)

The Club is aware of comments from some supporters regarding Category A+ fixtures,
however the vast majority of games are not in the price category. Attendances are the highest that they have been for a number of years from Sky Blues fans, with a number of games sold-out or close to being sold out already this season. It is important that the

Club continues to drive revenue in all areas, including ticketing, to help support the improvements on and off the field that fans are seeing.

In October/November, the Club launched a three-game ticket package to reduce further the cost of attending those matches.

Following up on Doug’s recent video, could you share what improvements are planned to increase the efficiency of the CBS bar and refreshment service? At the moment it’s extremely difficult to get a drink at half-time, and the fan village has been even more challenging. What steps are being are being taken so supporters can reliably enjoy a pint
at the game again? (Coundon Supporters Group)

Since the first Fan Village, additional bars have been in place at all Fan Villages and this has resulted in limited queue sizes. The Club and Arena have also introduced ‘E-Bars’ in the East Stand on a trial basis, and is looking into other solutions in use at other venues.

All venues will experience queues during busy, limited periods such as half-time.

Sky Blue International Supporters (SBI). It was noted that the withdrawal of the previous arrangement allowing SBI members to obtain tickets through CCLSC has unintentionally left some SBI members without supporter accounts or purchase histories. This isimpacting on their ability to access tickets to both home and away games. (Coventry
City London Supporters Club)

Supporters purchasing tickets for home games have always been encouraged to assign their tickets to their own supporter profile to ensure they have points and purchase history, enabling them to buy further tickets.

Away matches continue to be popular, and allocations are limited in size, and therefore it is right that current Season Ticket holders have priority access to these games.

 

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[Sky Blue Pete]

9. We have already seen many enhancements and up-grades since the purchase of the stadium. Are the following items things under consideration?

• Memorial Garden/Opportunities for more bricks to be added?

• Balcony seats, tv stand, press box, segregation (strongly encouraged by block changes)

• North Stand scoreboard?

• Ticket Office up-grade?

• Any plans to change the name of the Anecdote to something more Coventry City

Related?

Already, just over three months since the purchase of the Arena by Doug King, supporters have seen significant improvements to their matchday experience – whether the price of beer, the fan village or other areas – while the Club and Arena are working closer together than ever.

It is important that the Club and Arena make any changes following full consideration and evaluation. Some changes have been possible short-term while others will be on a more medium or long term basis, or others following consultation with supporters or other external organisations.

This is a very exciting period for everyone associated with the Club, with lots of opportunities that have not been available to this Football Club for over 20 years.

• Turnstile searches have increased recently, and have led to longer delays. Has something changed?

Searches on entry reflect the terror threat level and operational requirements to prevent prohibited items from entering the Arena, and the Club and Arena have consistently had searching to reflect this.

• Are you able to add any clarity on the stadium purchase and any details of increased revenue since taking over?

Not at this point.

• Are there any plans to reconsider the costs of non-adult tickets for the higher category games? What’s the breakdown of non-season ticket sales? Adult,juniors etc.

Overall ticket prices are set for the season, with match categories being announced through the season. The Club does not release breakdowns of ticket sales.

• What have been the issues with some of the kits not being available for Christmas purchases?

Shirts are scheduled to be re-stocked before Christmas. The Club has year-on-year increased its order of shirts, and sales themselves have again increased.

• Is there an up-date on an improved train service being available for games?

The Club has met with officials regarding train travel. There has been some increase in frequency, however this is a long-term issue affecting the Arena.

• Can it be possible to pay for either way on the match day shuttle bus?

This is not possible operationally currently, but we note the feedback from supporters.

• Will the club consider a joint season / car park ticket for 2026/27 season? Any plans for digital cards?

The Club will share information on 2026/27 season tickets in due course. The Club has already embraced digital match tickets and has received positive feedback regarding this.

• Has a decision been made to not publicise the younger age group teams? If so why?

The Club has information on our Under 21s and Under 18s via our dedicated Academy X page. Information is regularly published in our matchday programme. Following a period of staffing changes, plans are in place for the website to be updated regarding the Academy teams.

• Is there any scope to extend the parking time (I understand it’s 30 mins) when shopping at the Club Shop or could the club publish the terminal for putting your reg no in?

Fans can scan the QR code in the Ticket Office or the Superstore to double the free parking time. Car parks are run by external company APCOA.

• Would you consider making hospitality more attractive to season ticket holders?


(All Sky Blue Talk)A discount for Season Ticket holders upgrading to hospitality was introduced at the start of this season.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Minutes of the Coventry City Football Club Supporters Forum Meeting


Thursday 4th December, 2025, Midea Lounge, Coventry Building Society Arena


1. In Attendance:


Supporters:


Colin Henderson (CH) – Chair, London Supporters Club


Pete Griffiths (PG) – Vice Chair, Sky Blues Talk


Sarah Morris (SM) - Former Players Association


Alan Ludford (AL) - Diamond Club


Simone Seth (SS) - Disabled Supporters Association


Richard Nowell (RN) - Proud Sky Blues


Mark Sylvester (MS) – Rugby Supporters Club


Martin Cowley (MC) – Southam Supporters Club


Amy Gulliver (AG) – Southam Supporters Club


Jack Saunders (JS) - – Leamington and Warwick Supporters Club


Claudio Cardellino (CC) - – Leamington and Warwick Supporters Club


Paul Armstrong (PA) - Coundon Supporters Club


Joe White (JW) - Coundon Supporters Club


2. Coventry City Football Club:


Doug King – Owner, Executive Chairman


Nicola Ibbetson – Chief Business Officer


Paul Tyrrell – Chief Operations Officer


Mark Hornby – Head of External Relations


Leigh Thomson – Supporter Services Officer


Eamon Collins – Disability Access Officer


Apologies:


Paul Maddox – Welsh Supporters Club


Steve Maloney – Welsh Supporters Club


Steve Harding – Bedworth & Nuneaton Supporters Club


Laura Smith – Family Zone


Billy Bell – Former Players Association


Matters arising from the minutes of the last meeting

• Digital Ticketing – NI confirmed the Club continues to look at this for the future, and has had exploratory meeting with Ticketmaster.

3. 4. • Academy players visiting Family Zone on matchday- MH confirmed this is beinglooked at.

• Museum at the Arena – DK agrees that history of the Club should be shown at the Arena and are aware of desire for museum. Club is in regular contact with Jim Brown. Broader discussions over the Arena strategy overall continue, and this forms part of that.

Equality and Diversity (EFL Mandate) – CCFC

Eamon Collins, the Club’s Disability Access Officer, shared an update. A written version of this update is included in Appendix 1.

CH raised flooding in the underpass. EC said that this area is being looked at and confirmed new pump has been ordered. PT praised response of Council when recent flooding issues have been raised.

MS raised cleanliness of areas around the Arena, on land leading up to the footprint of
the Arena.

CH raised issues of how busy areas around the ground are for supporters in wheelchairs
to get through crowds, especially at peak periods. EC agreed this is a challenge and,
while there is no immediate fix other than additional stewards, it is being looked at. JS
raised issue of queueing system around food/drink vans around East Fan Village.

SS said that education is required so that fans are aware of the needs of disabled
supporters, something that the DSA can support. EC said that stewarding has been
improved to help support, especially in egress.

PT spoke about the Club working with the EFL to achieve the Equality Code of Practice
Standard, a framework to ensure Club is inclusive and compliant with the equalities act, embedding EDI within the Club.

Club update - Doug King

DK said it has been a great start to the season, everyone is aware of the situation but
keeping feet on the ground. DK very happy with the re-investment of previous transfer
income, plus other funds, into the squad to build the squad value and quality.

Recruitment is most important part of Club, and Dean Austin has done a great job to build team and keep squad together. Off the field, a proper management structure has been brought into the Club and we’re in a much better position now compared to previous years.

That has come with cost and investment, and we run a negative operating business.

There is a direct correlation between what players are paid and performance – we’ve
moved our wage bill higher, but that has been matched with revenue growth.

Things have been set up now, the foundations in place, and moved the Club to an elite standing.

Purchasing the Arena is a huge undertaking, it has never made money. We are taking a
lot of time to work on how we want to run the Arena, what we want to focus on and CAPEX down the line.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Everyone is in a rush to find out plans, but you have to take your time, think it through


and focus on areas that will generate revenue to help make us more sustainable.


We have kept the Football Club and Arena companies separate, and being run


separately, while we take stock of the situation. In the next 6-9 months we’ll make some


changes and business plan decisions, but this has to be done carefully and be thought


through.


We have a great stadium, we need to build on what we’ve got and put ourselves in the


best possible position to succeed – our mentality is to push on and keep going.


CC asked if DK felt further ahead than he thought we would be this time last year. DK


said it is incredible what is going on, embrace it and keep pushing forward.


Several supporters spoke about their excitement at the form and league position so far.


DK added that recruitment department has been added to considerably since he arrived


at Club. MS asked about signing of Matt Grimes. DK confirmed Club were interested in


signing him in Summer 2023. DK praised Matt Grimes and his influence, especially on


younger players.


DK said that he understands fans want to know everything that is happening, but will be


brought out and communicated as things come together.


AL asked if Club benefits from Casino revenue. DK confirmed it doesn’t, but it’s instead


a rental deal. There is some profit share of revenue, but minimal. DK is looking at this


agreement, which is a legacy deal.


AL said he believes that car parking charges are excessive, and asked whether plans for


Club to run it. DK said that car parking is run by a contractor. DK the need for the Club to


generate revenue in number of areas, including car parking.


PG asked about if a Director of Football would be brought in, as previously mentioned.


DK said that he works closely with current staff on recruitment, and is hands on in


recruitment and negotiations. Bringing in a Director of Football would create another


layer – the current structure is streamlined and quick. There does need to be proper


oversight though and, to also adhere to new regulator, a proper board for the Football


Club will be put together. Frank Lampard’s preference is also not for a Director of


Football.


AL encouraged earlier transfer window in January if possible. Supporters spoke about


transfer rumours. DK said would not comment and said how important it is that the Club


is careful with information.


MS asked about contract renewals. DK said Club is aware of it.


CC asked if Club would plan for any possible promotion in January recruitment or for


Championship. DK said January is always a difficult time to recruit, aware of its


challenges and has a plan.


RN asked if ownership of the Arena is a ‘selling point’ for new players. DK said not


hugely, but the announcement of the ownership of the Arena has helped the Club and


players this year, and the feeling around. RN praised the secrecy around the purchase of


the Arena.5. Responses to submitted questions – CCFC


Answers to pre-submitted questions are shared alongside these minutes.


CN observed that around some issues that were raised (e.g. WIFI, Tannoy), he felt they


could be answered more positively and vague. DK said that plans are still being


formalised – e.g. WIFI is poor and cost is £1.5m for fix for 25 games. We’re aware of


issues raised, but once strategy is formalised and updates available, then they can be


given. Was pointed to Q9 as covering this area, and Club will update on these issues as


and when they can.


Further discussion on the below questions:


4 – MS spoke further on road closures and post-match safety measures. DK said


preference would be not to have road closures – cost is £6k per game - however with


30,000 people, road closure becomes necessary as the risk is increased, due to number


of fans leaving at the end of the game and the proximity of the road.


MH spoke about steps that were taken in 23/24 prior to road closure to try to avoid it


being required – stewarding, fencing, web/social/programme information about crossing


points – following safety meetings and the Club warned of risk of road closure in future.


Unfortunately incidents continued to be raised despite this and road closure was


required.


MS spoke about away supporters, and violence on the road, and suggested keeping


away fans in the ground. PT said that holding away fans in is not allowed after the game –


Police and Sports Ground Safety Authority do not allow this anymore.


3 – MC raised Question 3. NI said away allocations need to be looked at again next


season, with the guiding principle that loyalty needs to be rewarded and remembered.


However, needs to be a proportion that allows to make sure it doesn’t become a closed


loop and encourage fans (especially young fans) to grow their support. NI also said


issues with policy also comes from fans not allocating points to individuals correctly,


meaning points have not been built up accurately.


NI added 5 out of 12 would have required less than 500 points this season to be able to


buy a ticket.


MC and MS spoke about issues faced by their Supporters Groups over point differentials


between family members. NI emphasised that Club wants to encourage younger fans to


be able to attend away games, but that ticketing policies would not change mid-season.


NI said that loyalty of supporters, through the points that they have, must be recognised.


MS said that due to points required, some members do not have those number of points


so the ticket allocations have not always been taken.


NI said that being a member of a Supporter Group is hugely beneficial when it comes to


away tickets. NI said that shouldn’t be the main benefit of it, but that there is a fair


points system existing that reflects fan loyalty. MC requested further notice of away


allocations/point required, which NI will take back (bearing in mind information is sent


from away clubs), but there was praise for work of Ticket Office on away tickets.DK asked if away tickets is the main reason for joining. MC and MS stated that players


evening are key for them.


NI said that the points system is a fair one – that those with more points demonstrably


have purchased more tickets than those with fewer points.


SS raised about reports on social media of tickets being re-sold to other fans.


CH raised about the Sky Blue International group of international fans and their


challenges of purchasing away tickets. CH thanked DK and NI for attending a London


Supporters Club night recently.


6 – PG raised about question 6 and the cost of tickets for young fans. DK said it’s a tricky


one – Club runs number of initiatives, such as Junior Sky Blues and Family Zone. If there


is a finite amount of tickets to a high demand home game, it is privilege to attend and is


priced as such. Have to make sure kids are part of the Club, with events and different


pricing options and other community initiatives. There shouldn’t be an entitlement to


sell at a cheap price, for high demand game – we need to make ourselves sustainable.


SS spoke about community initiatives that the Club and Sky Blues in the Community


undertake - PG agreed there is lots of positives.


SS spoke about the FA Youth Cup fixture, and Under 21s games at the Academy, and


said it’s a great chance for young fans to come to the Arena and watch players.


CC asked if home and away fans have to be charged the same. NI confirmed this is the


case.


6. Family Zone update


MH said that very good comments have been received over the move inside to the Fan

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

asked if home and away fans have to be charged the same. NI confirmed this is the


case.


6. Family Zone update


MH said that very good comments have been received over the move inside to the Fan


Village, when the Exhibition Hall is available. Regular activities provided by the Family


Zone team (e.g. arts/crafts, games) are proving popular, alongside activities inside the


Village from Sky Blues in the Community and new partners via work with Coventry City


Council.


7. Terms of Reference


CH spoke about Terms of Reference. Chair and Vice Chair have been in post for a


number of years and Terms of Reference need to be reviewed to ensure aims of the


Club/Group continue to be achieved. CH has been in contact with the FSA, who praised


DK for attending each Forum.


8. Any Other Business


MC asked how Club views Supporters Group, in light of online rumour the Club wished


to disband. Rumour was dismissed by the Club and DK emphasised positive feeling


Club has towards them, and wanting to expand engagement between Club and its


supporters – locally and further away. NI said important to provide right access in the


right way, and felt it was previously over commercialised whereas it should be about a


common goal of supporting the Club and bringing fans together.SS said it may be useful to build links between the different Supporter Groups,


especially as Groups may have members with disabilities.


AL raised about availability of gift vouchers in the Store. NI said she would look into this.


SS raised about kit availability – NI spoke about unexpected levels of demand, not


helped by long lead time of 3 months from order to delivery (though that is better than at


other Clubs) NI said Club needs to anticipate early signs of demand, and that there will


be more deliveries before Christmas. Club has a really good relationship with Hummel.


AL asked about running of the Arena. DK said CovCityCo is holding company that owns


the Football Club and also owns the Arena. Arena is operating separately and ‘business


as usual’ for last three months, before next stage to optimise the two companies.


9. Date of next meeting


To be agreed once fixture changes have been finalised, to be held in the Spring.


Appendix 1 – Disability Access Officer Update – Eamon Collins


Updates From July fans Forum:


Visitors Accessible Platform - Update


Having worked closely with Level Playing Field since the start of the season we have a final


agreed design, which is important from a club perspective as it ensures we are guided by


surveyors who are specifically working within the accessibility sphere, to ensure what we install


is compliant. This is now with building control for sign off.


Subway Access - Update


Car Park C Subway:


We have had the foliage on the embankment alongside the subway to Car Park C cut back and


this allowed us to reconnect the lighting to the subway; the Subway is now back in light.


Car Park Subway:


CCC approved budget to upgrade the LED lighting in the 2 subways leading to the Retail Park


and they have ordered new lighting columns and 2 new LED trays to brighten up this entire


area. We are just awaiting a date the works will start. However, the foliage on those


embankments has also been trimmed back and mild weedkiller applied in preparation for this


work.


Sensory Packs - Update


Inventory has arrived at the club with final plans being put in place around availability and


distribution. A likely timescale for this will be in the New Year, with further information to follow


in due course


Table Signage in Hospitality Areas - UpdateThis has proved to be very successful in providing reserved tables across Hospitality lounges for


those with accessible needs, with further tables set aside during the season as a result of


supporter feedback following fan surveys conducted. Working closely with the Arena Ops teams


allows me to increase awareness around the need for these tables with direction given on


appropriate location and spacing, to meet the needs of those supporters using them.


New Notes:


Access Audit:


EFL regulations require us to have a valid Access Audit on the Arena which has a validity period


of 3 years. The Audit was completed by Level Playing Field Auditors over three days from 11 – 13


September, with two days of auditing around the Arena without supporters, and a match day


inspection which happened on the day of the Norwich City Home match. We have just recently


received the Audit back, which is a very lengthy document (554 pages) with a meeting with Level


Playing Field scheduled for later this month to discuss the findings.


Disabled Supporters Forum


A Disabled Supporters Forum was held in the Coventry Building Society Lounge here at the


Arena on Thursday 23 October. It had been 2 years since the last Forum was held. We had


approximately 45 people in attendance which was a good mix of DSA members, supporters I


already know and supporters who I was meeting for the first time. This was a very positive


meeting as it allowed me to update the group on the work that has been carried out around


Accessibility since I joined the Club in September 2024 and gather feedback on supporter


experiences. It also provided a vital promotion opportunity for the DSA to allow them to address


the group and encourage supporters to join and actively engage in their continued efforts to


champion the needs of disabled supporters. They have had new members join as a result which


has helped them to push on


DSA Support


As stated above, I continue to work closely with the DSA to support them, improve their


membership numbers and provide a more visible profile. The new Fan Village represents a


perfect place for them to have a presence here on a match day with a designated table set aside


for them to gather feedback, promote their work and gain additional members.


Additional Matchday Safeguarding Officers


Working alongside the Head of Safeguarding, we recently recruited additional matchday


Safeguarding Officers to assist the Safeguarding and Accessibility operation on match days.


This helps us as a club to meet the increasing demands around match days, to ensure that


children and vulnerable adults receive relevant support when required. Safeguarding and


Accessibility can be contacted on a match day via the Event Control Room. If anyone feels there


is an issue or somebody needs help, please contact your nearest steward who will advise the

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Disappointing response on the matchday shuttle but thanks as always for taking the time to represent the forum and report back on everything.

 

[oakey]

Thanks for all that.
Correction needed - There is no equalities act.
There is an Equality Act 2010.

 

[wingy]

Boy that was a lengthy one, cheers Pete.