Owner and Executive Chairman Doug King has written an end of season message at the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign - read it below:
As we reflect on the 2023/24 season, we can look back on another thrilling campaign for this Football Club and its supporters and partners.
Once more we have been competing for the Play-Off places in a very strong EFL Championship, only missing out on a top six position in the last two/three weeks. During the season there have been amazing victories and memories that will stay with us a long time, both at home and on the road, and we have witnessed exciting, attacking football (plenty of goals scored, a few too many conceded) that has entertained Sky Blues supporters and neutrals.
The FA Cup run was truly historic. Reaching our first Semi-Final for thirty-seven years and putting on such a heroic performance against Manchester United has showcased our Club again to both a national and international audience. I know that we all take immense pride in our team who refused to let the occasion pass them by and instigated a turbo-charged come-back for the ages that will never be forgotten…
Wembley Stadium packed once again with Sky Blues supporters was an awe-inspiring sight, rightly widely lauded, and an occasion that only football can bring and that just cannot be matched by any other sporting experience. Another incredible day in this Club’s history.
Last Summer was a significant transfer window for the Club, with a considerable number of players being brought in. We broke the Club transfer record fee, which had gone back over twenty years, and there was a significant increase in the overall quality and depth of the squad.
Under the leadership of Mark Robins and the coaching skills of Adi Viveash, alongside the support of the football staff at Ryton, the team has developed throughout the season, and we end the campaign with a strong nucleus of talented players all ready to come back and go again in July.
With the appointment of Dr Claire-Marie Roberts in February as Performance Director, we are making sure that our preparation and medical/fitness provision at Coventry City is at an elite level. The Championship is a relentless and draining league and to be successful, we need to ensure that our players are given the best of bespoke care in all aspects both physically and mentally.
Infrastructure improvements at Ryton continue. Already the exterior of the Training Ground site has been transformed, with new pitches, parking, and landscaping. Whilst the long-term plans to design and overhaul the buildings will take some time, we will be adding new facilities at the site ready for the new season that will support our focus on strength and conditioning and player wellbeing and preparation.
We will also be working on several other aspects of the Football Club to continue the positive trajectory that fans have experienced in a number of areas, including with our partners at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and will keep you all informed through the coming weeks and months as these unfold.
The summer break will bring the Euros of course, but I have no doubt that fans will also enjoy speculating about players’ ins and outs at the Club. Our Head of Recruitment Dean Austin and his dedicated team have been and will continue to work diligently to ensure that come the end of the transfer window we keep our momentum, and have the strongest squad possible as we continue to push for promotion to the top-flight where this Club belongs.
After the Awards evening on Sunday, I know that fans are very keen to purchase their Season Tickets for the 2024/25 campaign and show their commitment to our club. The wait is nearly over, and details will be announced very soon.
Your support by buying your Season Ticket and attending games is critical to the strength and future of the Football Club. Our journey cannot be achieved without it. It is as simple as that.
A record 19,500 fans bought Season Tickets for the 2023/24 campaign and our average attendance at the Coventry Building Society Arena was over 25,000 with a record attendance for the Leeds game barely a month ago…The atmosphere with a full house has to be experienced to be believed and we want to attract even more supporters to the Coventry Building Society Arena for the new campaign to make our home ground a fortress, enabling our team to reach its destiny.
I have been clear since taking over in January 2023, that our ambition is to return the Sky Blues to the top-flight, and the amazing experiences that we have had over the last eighteen months have only whetted the appetite of everyone.
Coventry City is a Football Club that is once more realising how powerful it can be when the team and community pull together and work in unison, so please make sure you do not miss out on the next stage of this journey - if the last year and a half is anything to go by, it will not be one to be missed !
I have said from the beginning of my tenure that without the support of you all, we will not succeed and reach the destination and realise the goals we have set ourselves.
As always at this time of the calendar, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the players and all of the Coventry City staff for their dedication and hard work over the last season.
And finally, I would like to thank you, our fans, our lifeblood, for your continued unflinching support. I have now been to nearly all the EFL Championship stadiums and there is absolutely no contest…
I look forward to seeing you all again alongside many others for what we hope will be an epic 2024/25 campaign.
Doug King
Owner and Executive Chairman
Coventry City Football Club
