The Academy (3 Viewers)

[PWKH]

The Centre is operated by Coventry Sports Foundation: http://www.covsf.com/

The freehold is owned by Coventry City Council who lease it to the Alan Higgs Centre Trust.

 

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[shmmeee]

I assume that you are joking?

They don't call you lightning for nothing do they?

 

[theferret]

Ferret was making a serious point and the return of the CCFC Academy to the Higgs Centre has been discussed by its Trustees and with Coventry Sports Foundation, which manages the Centre.

If the Sisu web of companies were prepared to pay all that is owed: the repair of equipment and the charges from January to March and to pay for the pitch renovation that we are now completing we would meet. A charity cannot subsidise a commercial company.

Just as the Trustees approved the CVA so the Trustees would decide as Trustees what was in the best interests of the Centre. Their duty is to the Centre and its charitable objectives. Should an agreement with a commercial operation support those objectives and was risk free then the Trustees would be able to enter into it.

As the place was built to meet the Academy requirements in 2003/4 so it is able to meet most of the 2013 requirements. The indoor pitch was not up to the standard required by the Academy as it is now worn out. That will take c£100,000 to replace. I am not sure whether the Sisu web of companies would wish to donate that, but the Trustees would be open to proposals.

Thank you for the detailed response. Your original statement had a finality about it that was worrying.

Perhaps I'm just an optimist, but I cling on to the hope that there is still a chance for all this to resolved with dialogue, although clearly from your perspective item 1 on the agenda is the money you are owed, that goes without saying.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

SISU will be quite happy to have as little operational costs as possible as it increases the time they can spend trying to bust ACL. I wouldn't anticipate any return to the Higgs Centre with them in charge as just winging it somewhere else is cheaper.

They do not care about the footballing ramifications as their eyes are solely fixed on the Ricoh and nothing else.

 

[fernandopartridge]

Cheers both.

 

[James Smith]

SISU will be quite happy to have as little operational costs as possible as it increases the time they can spend trying to bust ACL. I wouldn't anticipate any return to the Higgs Centre with them in charge as just winging it somewhere else is cheaper.

They do not care about the footballing ramifications as their eyes are solely fixed on the Ricoh and nothing else.

Sad but probably true.

 

[dplzll]

Apologies if this has been asked before , but why was Greg rioch's offer to pay for the repair's not accepted ?
And is the indoor pitch which needs replacing used only by the academy ?

 

[PWKH]

Apologies if this has been asked before , but why was Greg rioch's offer to pay for the repair's not accepted ?
And is the indoor pitch which needs replacing used only by the academy ?

The repairs represent only part of the monies owed.
The indoor pitch is kept maintained and all repairs made when needed. It is fine for normal use but the owners of CCFC had said that they required it to be of a higher standard.

 

[James Smith]

Apologies if this has been asked before , but why was Greg rioch's offer to pay for the repair's not accepted ?
And is the indoor pitch which needs replacing used only by the academy ?

I think that it was down to insurance and which company was insured, SISU said after Administration had started that it was Holdings paying and playing there. However othe contract was with Ltd and that's who the insurance was covering. Someone else will remember more than me.

 

[dplzll]

Surely any monies recouped by a charitable trust from money owed to them, should be accepted whether it was all or part of the debt , how can they afford not to ?

 

[theferret]

The repairs represent only part of the monies owed.
The indoor pitch is kept maintained and all repairs made when needed. It is fine for normal use but the owners of CCFC had said that they required it to be of a higher standard.

OK, so the pitch renovation doesn't represent monies owed, it is something CCFC would like, so it would be their choice to pay for the upgrade if it was something they deemed essential - but that would only happen if they were to return.

The monies for the repairs have been offered, so that just leaves the monies owed for January to March. I appreciate fully that you would want that money, but as a supporter I find it so frustrating because I don't imagine we're talking all that much in the scheme of things. Has any attempt been made to ask if the club if they might consider paying those arrears and discussing new terms? I fully appreciate that SISU/OTIUM could quite easily make that call themselves and open up dialogue, but as we have established, they are a bunch of stubborn shits.

I have not been personally involved, and perhaps I am naive. I just like to think that if it were me, I'd be on the phone to TF telling him to pull his finger out, settle the arrears, and at the very least secure the future of the academy because everyone knows it's the right thing to do. It's just another layer of uncertainty that we could do without, but like I say, perhaps I'm unduly optimistic and a tad naive.

 

[chiefdave]

Doesn't sound like they just kicked them out the day after the money became due. Rioch can't really be left to pay the bills, nice enough gesture but not really practical. What do Higgs then do the next time something needs paying for, go back to him again?

www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/sky-blues-leave-alan-higgs-4870037

 

[James Smith]

If we don't have an academy then it looks even more likely that we'll be playing fourth division football in the not too distant future. Given buying big money players is out, the squad needs to be grown organically by youngsters from the Academy supported and coached by experienced older players on and off the pitch. If the academy goes we might get a few season in League 2 at Sixfields before playing our first match at the White Elephant Stadium if it's ever built.

 

[Noggin]

Have to admit I read it as just neutral too!

Unfortunately we're at the stage now where uf either side informed us the sky was blue, itd be analysed to death.

The sky isn't blue, it just appears that way

 

[Hobo]

Joy Seppala said "the only thing I care about is my family and my investors".
I don't think family includes: Coventry City FC, it's fans or the Academy!

You would think the Academy would be essential to a club at this level. However SISU seem to have their own logic...which to most of us seems un fathomable?

But I can't see them going back to Higgs...no way. CCC, ACL, Higgs Trust all no go zones for SISU now.

 

[skybluefred]

Seeing as most of our squad will seemingly come from the academy, it would be a HUGE mistake for SISU to ruin our academy

But they have ruined everything else.

 

[James Smith]

Joy Seppala said "the only thing I care about is my family and my investors".
I don't think family includes: Coventry City FC, it's fans or the Academy!

You would think the Academy would be essential to a club at this level. However SISU seem to have their own logic...which to most of us seems un fathomable?

But I can't see them going back to Higgs...no way. CCC, ACL, Higgs Trust all no go zones for SISU now.

Which is just great as Warwick Uni don't have the facilities as I understand it (and happy to be corrected on this) to gain us Category 2 status at the next assessment. Quite why the Higgs Centre would want CCFC back under SISU, after the way they've been treated by our owners I can't imagine.