Hundreds of City fans usher in the brand new CCFC Superstore at grand opening
Hundreds of Coventry City fans turned out to see the opening of the club’s new superstore at Gallagher Retail Park.
Manager Steven Pressley and top scorer Callum Wilson cut the sky blue ribbon to declare the store open – to the delight of around 800 singing supporters.
Inside the store, which will serve as a retail, ticketing and community hub for all things Coventry City, fans also got the chance to mingle with the club’s stars.
Six of City’s homegrown talents, Wilson, Jordan Clarke, Jordan Willis, Aaron Phillips, Conor Thomas and Cyrus Christie, as well as first-team coaches Neil MacFarlane and Steve Ogrizovic, were on hand to chat to fans, have their pictures taken and sign autographs.
Wilson said: “It was really nice to see so many fans come out.
“There were lots of young fans coming up to us and wanting to have their pictures taken with us, it was great.
“These are the sorts of things that, when you are a kid, you think you might be doing if you grow up to be a footballer.”
Fellow City star and academy graduate Willis was overwhelmed by the backing too.
He said: “The support for us, from the fans, has always been great.
“Here you could see that when the club is out in the community it brings everybody together.
“It’s great that we have so many homegrown players representing the club too. It’s great for the team and the city.”
Caption - Holly, 12, Gail and Graham Jones
Graham Jones, 54, from Wyken, is a Sky Blues regular, having missed just seven home games since 1967.
He attended the superstore launch and felt it really helped to capture the club’s current mood.
Jones said: “It’s really nice to see the players and the manager getting out and meeting the fans.
“There is a real feel-good factor about the club at the moment with the fantastic football they are playing, and things like this show more people what is going on.”
Tynan Scope is the corporate sales manager at Coventry City and was delighted with the success of the event.
He said: “Everybody at the club worked tremendously hard to get the superstore ready in time for the launch event and to see such a magnificent number of fans come out and be part of it was so rewarding.
“The fans I spoke to really appreciated the opportunity to speak with the players and staff from the club and I know those feelings were reciprocated.
“The players were taken aback by the support they received and this just goes to show how important the club is to the city.
“The new kit was obviously a big draw among fans too but the superstore will also be a key community hub for the club, as demonstrated by the Community Wall which is adorned with photos of all the club’s recent work in the community.”
Caption - City boss Steven Pressley is the first to sign the club wall along with assistant manager Neil MacFarlane, coach Steve Ogrizovic and players Callum Wilson, Cyrus Christie, Jordan Clarke, Jordan Willis and Aaron Phillips