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 from our game against Birmingham City below:
Good evening and welcome to the Coventry Building Society Arena for tonight’s game against Birmingham City.
I would also like to welcome the players, staff, supporters and officials from Birmingham too. We are forever grateful to Birmingham City for their support when we groundshared at St Andrew’s, and the welcome they gave to us and our supporters.
Earlier in the week, we announced my decision to leave the Club at the end of January and to call time on my part in the incredible journey that we have been on together over the last 7 years. I am leaving the Club on excellent terms, which is my decision, and am taking a break to recharge my batteries.
Doug King has a vision of the way he wants to take the Club forward towards the Premier League, and I sincerely hope that he can deliver it. I decided back in the summer to leave, but agreed to stay on while Doug undertook his restructuring process, which he has now nearly completed.
Under extremely difficult circumstances, our achievements have been quite incredible, and I am really proud of the part that I have played in that success. Through the brilliance of Mark Robins, who I have a wonderful relationship with, and Adi Viveash we have restored the Club from the depths of League Two to Championship play-off finalists.
We have achieved all of this against the odds, with many challenges and obstacles along the way.
Being forced out of the Arena by Wasps in 2019 and having to groundshare with Birmingham City at St Andrew’s, closely followed by the pandemic, was very difficult. In March 2021 we managed to achieve an excellent ten-year agreement with Wasps to return to the Arena, only for them to go bankrupt and fold in November 2022.
2022 was a particularly difficult year, considering the issues that we had with the pitch at the Arena due to the Commonwealth Games rugby being played, closely followed by the demise of Wasps and nearly of the Arena itself. This makes the achievement of reaching the Championship Play-Off Final even more of a miracle, with all our playing successes at every stage coming with below average budgets.
We have also seen rises in attendances, supported by record Season Ticket sales for the last two seasons, plus an excellent partnership with Hummel, allowing us to create some of the best shirts in many years. At the same time, despite challenges outside of the Club, we have improved the relationship with supporters, through supporters clubs and our work in the community. When I joined relationships were toxic, but that is no longer the case and those bonds have been re-established over time.
The success we have achieved has been testament to the togetherness and spirit that we have built at Ryton, and the excellent staff that have been at the Club have played a massive part in bringing us that success.
Finally, I would like to thank the Sky Blue Army for their support of me personally along the way. Your support of me has been a driving force for me, particularly during the darker periods.
Wherever my future takes me, I will remain forever Sky Blue.
Enjoy the game, PUSB.
Dave Boddy
Chief Executive, Coventry City