Waggott: Our Stadium Planning Is Vital

Last updated : 28 December 2014 By Covsupport News Service

Coventry City CEO Steve Waggott has said that the club's planning for a new stadium is vital.

Writing in his programme notes for City's game against Chesterfield, Mr Waggott wrote: "As everyone knows, we have to generate more revenue for the football club in order to pump more money back into the first team and that means owning a stadium where we can drive income streams 365 days a year not twenty three.

"The owner and I have paid visits to Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion in recent weeks and also had very good conversations with the CEO at Bristol City before our JPT tie there a couple of weeks ago.

"We want to create a fully integrated stadium, training ground and academy development and went to see how Swansea and Brighton have gone about their developments over recent years.

"Brighton have just unveiled a new £40m category one academy facility which is very impressive while the Swansea Chairman Huw Jenkins, talked us through how they went from almost going out of the Football League to now being an established Premier League club with plans for further expansion of their ground.

"What is clear from Brighton, Swansea and Bristol City - who are also investing in stadium improvements - is that while the investment must be made in the physical resources, it must always be done eith an eye on the 'here and now' of the first team.

"The CEO at Bristol City said the balancing act they are performing is knowing when to turn the 'tap' on to invest in the stadium and when to divert that funding stream to the first team squad.

"One thing that hasn't changed since I have been involved in football is the fact that the ninety minutes on the pitch dictate what happens in the subsequent ninety hours work off the pitch.

"So while our plans for stadium/training/academy are all vital to the future of the club in generating revenue and attracting the best players possible here, we must look to get the biggest possible budget to Steven Pressley and Neil MacFarlane for the first team squad."