Coventry new stadium

**drummerboy** · 27/04/2005, 8:23 AM

How the F**K can a small championship club like Coventry built a superb stadium in 18 months and Ireland, the best performing economy in the EU, will take years to get even planning permission. The cost of the Coventry stadium, you can be sure will be a hell of a lot cheaper than the Irish one. Why is this?

**drinkfeckarse** · 27/04/2005, 8:36 AM

As far as I know, Coventry first had agreement to build the new stadium while they were in the Premiership. After they got relegated they were up the creek because they were left with an agreement to build it but no finance to do it.

I'm not sure where they've managed to get the finance but I would imagine it's not all that rosy. They now have a 30,000 all seater stadium while their average attendance this season has been about 14,000. Repayments costs alone could see them struggle badly unless they get back into the Premiership very quickly which looks unlikely at the moment.

**drummerboy** · 27/04/2005, 8:41 AM

I know they got a �10 million sterling sponsorship from some Japanese company.

**roboyle** · 27/04/2005, 8:52 AM

Originally Posted by drummerboy

I know they got a �10 million sterling sponsorship from some Japanese company.

I hear the Eircom Park project had got some E14 million from some dodgy Irish company...

**eirebhoy** · 27/04/2005, 10:17 AM

McManus was putting �65m towards the Abbotstown project. He also put a few million towards something in Limerick. Can't remember exactly what that was. Anyway, the government are hundreds of million in surplus already this year so the money isn't a problem.

/edit - �880m to be precise (compared to �272m in the same period last year):
http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusin...10001191.shtml

**Kingdom** · 27/04/2005, 10:27 AM

I'm a lazy git , so has any1 got pics of the coventry stadium.

**Donal81** · 27/04/2005, 10:33 AM

http://www.stadiumguide.com/coventryarena.htm

**Macy** · 27/04/2005, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by Tuff Paddy

I just can't believe that there isn't some sports-mad Irish multi-millionaire with an ego who wouldn't like to have A) a stadium named after him and B) the gratitude of a nation.
Reading FC did it with Madejski, so why can't we? (Or do they prefer buying horses with their money . . . ?)

Isn't Supermacs bloke planning a stadium in the midlands. To be used by all sports?

**noby** · 27/04/2005, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by Tuff Paddy

I just can't believe that there isn't some sports-mad Irish multi-millionaire with an ego who wouldn't like to have A) a stadium named after him and B) the gratitude of a nation.

Uhm...Bertie Ahern. [SIZE=1]ok, so the money isn't technically his, but...[/SIZE]

**drummerboy** · 27/04/2005, 11:02 AM

Mary won't let him spend it

**Macy** · 27/04/2005, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by drummerboy

Mary won't let him spend it

I'm sure her friends from GAMA could do them a good deal....

**Stuttgart88** · 27/04/2005, 1:00 PM

Derby Co., Middelsbrough, Leicester and a few others have put together good sized modern arenas at relatively little cost. I read that something like the Riverside only cost about �30 million. But instead Bertie decides on some grandiose ego-project, the type of which nearly bankrupted countries like Malaysia in the late 90s.

Although flawed, Eircom Park was the best idea IMO. As far as I know the debt burden on the FAI would have been manageable, as Deutsche Bank was to have arranged a financing package funded by selling the future revenues generated by the project to banks & pension funds etc..

**Schumi** · 27/04/2005, 1:20 PM

Originally Posted by Donal81

http://www.stadiumguide.com/coventryarena.htm

I wouldn't fancy a seat over on the right end.

**monutdfc** · 27/04/2005, 1:49 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Derby Co., Middelsbrough, Leicester and a few others have put together good sized modern arenas at relatively little cost. I read that something like the Riverside only cost about �30 million. But instead Bertie decides on some grandiose ego-project, the type of which nearly bankrupted countries like Malaysia in the late 90s.

Those stadiums all use a standard design which costs �1000 stg per seat. Maximum capacity using this design is around 40,000.

**drummerboy** · 27/04/2005, 2:08 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

I'm sure her friends from GAMA could do them a good deal....

Brilliant Macy

**Peadar** · 27/04/2005, 2:19 PM

You know the way we consider that we have some of the best supporters in the world, and we'll all agree that we have some of the worst facilities in the world. Are they inversely linked in a way that would mean a new stadium destroying the soul of Irish football support???

Tickets for the FA Cup final in England are available at the following prices.
�90.00
�65.00
�50.00
�25.00

Are we looking at the average family person or low income person being excluded from what has traditionally been a working class sport?

**fosterdollar** · 27/04/2005, 2:21 PM

If a lot of the people who complain about ticket prices to events such as that took a couple of weekends off the booze they could get the tickets no bother. Even a pint less every time the go out would do it.

**Stuttgart88** · 27/04/2005, 2:30 PM

Originally Posted by monutdfc

Those stadiums all use a standard design which costs �1000 stg per seat. Maximum capacity using this design is around 40,000.

Originally Posted by Peadar

Are they inversely linked in a way that would mean a new stadium destroying the soul of Irish football support???

I think a lot of its soul has already been lost. It's hard to pinpoint the resaons but I'd say the "class" of person attending is less of an issue. I just think half (or more) people think they're a mini version of English football fans (singing Thierry Henry, yer 'aving a larf & booing Christiano Ronaldo) these days anyway.

I've maintained all along that we have no need for a mega stadium holding 70k+, hence the attractiveness in my mind of the Eircom Park design. It'd only ever sell out on a handful of occasions and would be dead on others. The new stadium is planned to hold what - 50k? This is a fair compromise.

**OwlsFan** · 27/04/2005, 2:53 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I think a lot of its soul has already been lost. It's hard to pinpoint the resaons but I'd say the "class" of person attending is less of an issue. I just think half (or more) people think they're a mini version of English football fans (singing Thierry Henry, yer 'aving a larf & booing Christiano Ronaldo) these days anyway.

The answer is easy. It's the Sky generation who expect entertainment, hype and not to have to get off their fat behinds to achieve it. They also now expect success from the Irish team when prior to 1986 we only dreamed of what we have now.

As for clubs building their own stadia, they have around 25 games a year to finance such grounds. The FAI have about 5/6.

**Macy** · 27/04/2005, 3:04 PM

Originally Posted by Peadar

Are we looking at the average family person or low income person being excluded from what has traditionally been a working class sport?

What only now Peader? It's been happening since the early 90's, when clubs using The Taylor Report requirement for all seaters to bump up prices compared to terraces (despite Taylor expressly saying this shouldn't happen). I remember my ticket more than doubled when I had to get a seat after the Stretty was knocked....