Wasps Group and Coventry City Football Club have agreed a new deal for the Sky Blues to return to Coventry to play their home games at the Ricoh Arena.
The two parties have signed a 10-year license for the Sky Blues to play their home matches at the Arena until 2031, from the start of the 2021/22 season.
Coventry City will continue to play matches at St Andrew’s Stadium in Birmingham for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign.
Coventry City Chief Executive Dave Boddy said:
“We are thrilled to announce that the agreement for Coventry City to return to the city of Coventry and to the Ricoh Arena was signed in the last 24 hours. This is fantastic news for the club, our community and most importantly the supporters.
“I would like to pay tribute to the hard work of our owners, Joy Seppala and the club’s senior management and to the owners of Wasps Group, Derek Richardson and Wasps senior management to agree this deal.
“We look forward to building a positive and co-operative relationship with Wasps Group over the term of this agreement, the length of which allows us stability as a club as we look to continue our progress on and off the field. The deal is also the best that the Club has had at the Ricoh Arena in terms of access to commercial revenues, which will further aid the development of the Football Club.
“We can’t wait for fans to return to the Ricoh Arena. There is much work to do and planning has already started, but we ask that fans bear with us as we put in place what we need to for our return before we communicate further information.
“We know that the day that our fans are able to come back and watch their team in Coventry is one that they will be already looking forward to.”
Both parties thanked West Midlands Mayor Andy Street for the role he played in bringing the parties together to allow the deal to happen.
Stephen Vaughan, Wasps Group Chief Executive, said:
“We are delighted that Coventry City are returning to the Ricoh Arena – it is great news for the city.
“It is time to put the past firmly behind us. There has been a massive amount of work going on behind the scenes to get us to this point as both organisations felt it was very important that we agreed a long-term deal to bring certainty and continuity, which would in turn allow us to build even stronger futures.
“August will now mark the start of a new era for both Wasps Group and Coventry City. This year will see the arena host events for the City of Culture celebrations and the Rugby League World Cup, as well as start preparations for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
“The news that we will be welcoming Coventry City back is yet another positive piece of news for the area and a real boost to everybody as we come out of what has been an extremely difficult time for many people.”
