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 Wycombe Wanderers below:
Good afternoon and welcome to today’s game as we face Wycombe Wanderers.
I’d like to offer a warm welcome to the players, staff and travelling officials who join us from Wycombe for today’s Sky Bet Championship fixture at St Andrew’s. Wycombe have followed us ‘blow for blow’ on our journey from League Two to the Championship and I believe as a result there is some sort of affinity between the two clubs. I certainly always relish my visits to Adams Park, where their boardroom and hospitality is without doubt one of the bests welcomes you will receive in the EFL. We hope to reciprocate with their officials today under the current restrictions and hope they enjoy our stay with us.
These are my first programme notes since the momentous announcement last week that we will be returning to the Ricoh Arena for the 2021/22 season. The news has been received with general excitement by all Sky Blues fans and hopefully with a 10-year agreement in place it will give us the opportunity to take the Club forward on a stable basis.
I would like to place on record our massive debt of gratitude and thanks to our current hosts Birmingham City for the fantastic way that they have looked after us in our ‘hour of need’. The friendship between the two clubs from both officials and at supporter level is there for all to see, and I’m sure will remain for years to come.
Reaching last week’s agreement was a long and difficult process, and it would be remiss of me not to thank those involved in making it happen. Andy Street, the West Midlands Mayor, was instrumental in getting the Club principals, Derek Richardson of Wasps and Joy Seppala of CCFC, together to start the process. Andy personally sat in on numerous Zoom/Teams calls with them and their respective offices at the beginning of the process. Andy, along with his senior aide Allan Andrews, stepped up to the plate and played an important role in keeping the talks on track whilst there were many bumps along the way.
My counterpart at Wasps Stephen Vaughan has been a driving force to make it happen and before him Stuart Cain, who left halfway through the process to take on a role at Edgbaston, both played a massive part.
Internally I would like to thank all of my senior staff who have supported me tirelessly throughout the process, and in particular would like to thank Sandra Garlick, Head of HR, Legal & Compliance, and Laura Deering, on behalf of the Owners, who with me worked immensely long hours to achieve the final licence.
Wednesday 10th March was a truly momentous day for the Football Club.
We now look forward to cautiously welcoming Sky Blues supporters back to watch their team in Coventry, and to that end on Thursday we launched our Ricoh Return Membership and Season Ticket. We are still taking the cautious approach to supporters returning and despite the Prime Minister’s published roadmap, nobody can be 100% confident when fans can return and in what number.
There is lots of work going on behind-the-scenes and a massive workload attached to our return to the Ricoh Arena – whilst we understand that supporters are excited and keen for information, we will update you with details as soon as they become available.
Thanks for your support – as always PUSB.
Dave