After each matchday programme this season, we publish the regular column from the Coventry City board on our website. You can read Coventry City Chief Executive Dave Boddy's column our game against Brentford below:
Good afternoon and welcome to St Andrew’s for today’s game against Brentford in the Sky Bet Championship.
I would also offer a warm welcome the players, staff and officials who join us this afternoon from Brentford for this fixture, which is also live on Sky Sports.
As I mentioned in my notes for the Norwich programme, the dispatch process started for the Championship Club Membership shirts and most if not all will have been received by the time you read these notes. I was delighted to see some of the Twitter posts in midweek of fans receiving their shirts and the comments that went with that. It appears that the shirt has been received generally really well by fans and we are delighted with the response.
I have said on numerous occasions a massive thanks to all those who were able to support us at a very difficult time and today we are wearing the shirt on a one-off occasion to say a massive and public thank you to those supporters.
Next week we have our next Supporters Forum on the new norm that is a Zoom call, when I hope to give an update on the new stadium and other matters as well, and minutes from the meeting will be published on the website in due course. We have also continued this week to endeavour to re-engage with supporters groups and will continue that process over the next few weeks.
One initiative that we pride ourselves on pre-Covid was Mark Robins visiting all of the supporters groups to do live Q&A’S, along with players. This has obviously not been possible this season but we are planning to do a Zoom Q&A with Mark, with questions being submitted from the respective supporters groups. Our aim is to do this during the next international break.
Fans may have seen the interview that Jodi Jones did this week in support of the new Sky Blues in the Community project ‘Men Talk’. It was a brave and candid interview where Jodi spoke openly and honestly about his own Mental Health and how his injuries have affected that. I’ve witnessed out of my office window at Ryton first hand how at times what a lonely and difficult place it has been for Jodi to come back in on his own during his injury rehabilitations.
I would urge all supporters to watch or read the interview with Jodi, which is on our website and Youtube. I’d also encourage anyone, particularly men, with emotional health and well-being concerns to talk to someone, or to make use of the new SBitC project.
We have also been supporting the Go Parks: Active Schools Challenge across social media, which is open to all Coventry residents to enter this month. It sees schools in Coventry competing against each other to gain as many points as possible and fans just need to scan the QR code at your local park or greenspace to take part. The challenge helps Coventry residents to get active, and also supports their mental and physical health during these difficult times, which is so important.
Once again, despite the hard times we are going through and fans not being able to be here in person currently, both of these activities show the power of sport for good in our communities and in our own lives.
Thank you as always for your support – PUSB.
Dave