There’s no WAY City will play at Boro home
NUNEATON FOOTBALL GROUND OWNER RULES OUT RUMOURS AND PREDICTS AN 11TH-HOUR DEAL WILL BE STRUCK FOR SKY BLUES TO REMAIN AT THE RICOH NEXT SEASON
THE owner of Nuneaton Borough’s ground has dismissed the possibility of Coventry City playing their games at Liberty Way next season. Coventry-born Sky Blues fan Norman Smurthwaite, who is the owner of League Two side Port Vale, bought Nuneaton’s Liberty Way Stadium last June from former owner Lee Thorn – a deal which had to be approved by the FA, the EFL and the National League because of rules which limit the involvement one person can have in two clubs.
Rumours have been rife among supporters that Coventry City’s owners, Sisu, will turn to Boro as a Plan B if they fail to secure a new deal to continue playing at the Ricoh Arena.
But Smurthwaite said: “I have never spoken to anyone at Coventry about it.
“The only time I spoke to Coventry was when they arranged a pre-season game against Derby County in the summer and I have not spoken to anyone since that game.
“I can assure you I’ve not had dialogue with Dave Boddy (City’s chief executive) other than over that game, so there’s no truth in it whatsoever.”
The Sky Blues’ hedge fund owners are in dispute with landlords Wasps who have repeatedly made it clear they won’t talk about a new rent deal while legal action continues.
The Premiership rugby club and City fans are waiting to hear if the Supreme Court will hear an appeal over the sale of the stadium to Wasps in 2014, brought by companies controlled by Sky Blues bosses Sisu.
City, who have just six home games left this season, could be homeless come May, meaning their place in the league is under threat.
Smurthwaite insists a move to Nuneaton wouldn’t be allowed by the football authorities and believes an 11th-hour deal will be struck by Sisu and Wasps to allow the club to stay at the Ricoh.
“I know the Football League wouldn’t agree to coming to Liberty Way because when I bought the ground they made it quite clear at that point that if that was the plan then they wouldn’t allow it,” he said. “But that wasn’t my plan.
“The plan was to help Nuneaton Borough but it doesn’t seem to have done any good at all.”
The non-league football club are in the midst of a financial crisis that threatens to push it into administration, or even liquidation.
Smurthwaite added: “It’s not big enough, although it would be if Coventry wanted to put a 25,000 seater stadium there.
“It has the space to do that. “But it’s outside the city limits so I don’t think it would be allowed,” he added.
Asked what he thinks will happen, Smurthwaite is confident the Sky Blues will still be at the Ricoh next season.
“They will resolve it,” said the 58-year-old Cov Kid, who watches the Sky Blues when fixtures don’t clash with Port Vale games.
“I can’t believe that they won’t find a compromise.
“I think they’ll leave it to the last minute and strike a deal to stay at the Ricoh.”
Asked who he thinks will give in to the current impasse, he said: “I think both will give in a bit.
“Americans seem to love pursuing things through the courts. It seems to be a cultural thing that we don’t get, the obvious reason being the cost. “If I was Wasps any agreement would be conditional.
“But they will be at the Ricoh. “I can’t see them going to Northampton again because it was too disruptive.” Smurthwaite offered to mediate back in 2013 during the club’s bitter rent row that led to the club leaving the stadium and moving to Northampton Town to play for a season.
The self-made multi-millionaire says there is one viable option for the club’s owners to recoup some of the money they’ve lost on City, saying: “What I think Coventry should consider doing is selling Ryton and using Nuneaton as a training facility. “That would work.
“It’s got the space and it wouldn’t take much to put something in place, building structure wise.
He went on: “Ryton has a reasonable property value and it would enable the owners to bring back some of the money they are owed from their
I can’t believe that they won’t find a compromise. I think they’ll leave it to the last minute and strike a deal to stay. Norman Smurthwaite
mis-management in the past or their decision to buy a football club in the first place.”
City have looked into developing their Ryton training ground for housing and create a new facility elsewhere – a proposal that took a step closer after Rugby Borough Council decided to consult the public on a revised local plan last August.
The club is putting forward proposals to build houses on the eight-acre site with the sale of the land funding a new facility elsewhere.
It has already been included in the local plan but changes being consulted on include satisfying Sport England that a replacement training facility will be created elsewhere. The club said in a statement last year: “CCFC have secured an option to purchase land to develop a new state of the art training ground, on a site which is significantly larger than the current eight-acre one at Ryton.
“Training facilities for the first team and under 23s will be significantly improved, providing an elite environment for players and staff for many years to come – including changing rooms, gym, kitchens, dining room, laundry, offices and other facilities.”
The location has been kept firmly under wraps due to what the club described as “commercial and legal sensitivities”.