Coventry City say charity's actions over Alan Higgs Centre have put Academy's future at risk

The club has also claimed offers of help from Wasps and Coventry Sports Foundation were misleading



Coventry City has hit out at the Alan Edward Higgs Charity after it emerged the organisation had acted to prevent the Sky Blues establishing a long-term presence at the home of its Academy.

A club statement said the charity’s actions had put the future of the CCFC Academy under threat and also accused Wasps and centre operators Coventry Sports Foundation of misleading the public when it offered to explore options to help CCFC remain at the Allard Way venue.

The comments came after the Telegraph revealed today that the charity has inserted a legal clause which prevents any of the land being sold or leased long term to the football club when it sold the centre in March. It does not prevent a short-term deal.

Documents filed with Companies House show that the charity can block any attempt to sell or grant a lease for more than seven years to any organisation or individual connected to any group of companies that has taken or threatened legal action against the charity since March 2011.

That would prevent Alan Higgs Centre operators Coventry Sports Foundation from allowing CCFC to move to the centre long term, develop or lease any part of the site long term without the consent of the charity.

The football club had previously stated it wanted to leave the site and create a new facility to house for both the Academy and first team. But managing director Chris Anderson has said the club doesn’t want to leave when its agreement runs out in June 2017. The club this week said it was prepared to move its first team to join the Academy at the Higgs Centre.

A statement from CCFC read: “Coventry City FC are disappointed to learn of the actions of the Alan Higgs Trust, in a recent Coventry Telegraph story.

“The club was not aware that a clause which would block Coventry City FC from long-term residency past 2017 at the Alan Higgs Centre existed - a clause which puts the Academy’s future under threat.

“As previously stated, the club have been residents at the Alan Higgs Centre for over a decade where we have paid high-value rent to produce football players from the Coventry and Warwickshire area.

“As is well known, we have repeatedly attempted to engage with Coventry Sports Foundation over a long-term deal at the Alan Higgs Centre, and this clause was never made known to us.

“In fact, Coventry Sports Foundation publicly stated on May 19, 2016 that ‘the door is still open’ for the club at the centre.

“Similarly, Wasps said only yesterday that they are ‘willing to have talks about keeping both football and rugby at the Higgs Centre site.’

“In light of recent developments, it now appears obvious that the door was never open to a long-term agreement and keeping both football and rugby at the centre not a sincere offer. Both statements appear to have been designed to mislead the public about the true plans that have been made for the Higgs Centre for some time.

“We can only question why this clause was kept from us when it appears that everyone else involved has known about it. Had we known about it, it would have put the club in a better position to plan for a potential departure from the Alan Higgs Centre; but once again, we feel deliberately misled.

“Whilst there is hostility towards the club’s owners from the trust, it is deeply regrettable that they feel the need to take it out on the football club’s youth and put the Academy’s future under threat.”

£7m plans for Wasps training base at Alan Higgs Centre recommended for approval



Wasps have moved a step closer to building a £7million training base at the Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry.

Coventry council planners have recommended that the Aviva Premiership rugby club’s proposal is approved when the planning committee meets next Thursday.

Wasps have a temporary training ground at Broadstreet Rugby Club, Binley Woods,

The move has been opposed by Coventry City FC, whose agreement to base its Academy at the centre, in Allard Way, is due to expire in June next year.

It is unclear where they will train after that or if the Academy can retain its prized category two status.

The Wasps application is to extend the current facilities, creating an indoor training centre and a kicking barn on the south side of the current building.

It means building on the match pitch currently used by the CCFC Accdemy but a planning document released ahead of next week’s meeting says the Sky Blues have already agreed to move to another pitch, part funded by Wasps.

The document adds that while the situation between the football club, their owners, Wasps and the city council is a “cause for concern” the issue “is not a planning matter and can have no bearing on the determination of this planning application”.

Coventry City submit objection to Wasps RFC's £7m training ground plans



In a letter from chairman Tim Fisher, managing director Chris Anderson and director Mark Venus, published on the club’s website, they say they have not been consulted on any aspect of the application.

The letter states: “Given the obvious potential impact of the proposed facility on a long-standing community institution and sports club, we request that we be included in the deliberations in order to safeguard the public interest and provide representation for young athletes (children) and their families.”

The club’s objection letter claims CSF have been “unwilling or unable” to provide them with answers as to the agreed facilities.

The letter states: “Unfortunately, despite several requests for the necessary information for well over a month, Coventry Sports Foundation have been unwilling or unable to provide us with answers about the availability of any of the facilities beyond 2017.”

But now the club have called for a meeting with Sport England, CSF and the city council.

“We would like to place on record the club’s intention to remain at the Higgs Centre beyond 2017.

“We would emphasise that CCFC are willing to discuss the significant concerns we have with the applicants, but we suggest this would require the involvement of Sport England, Coventry Sports Foundation, and the City Council.

“We are also willing to work with all parties toward an agreement that will ensure the club’s future at the Higgs Centre and an agreement that meets all parties’ needs.

“As such, we trust you will wish to facilitate such a meeting before coming to any conclusion on the submitted application.”

Coventry City invited to speak at planning meeting on Wasps' £7m plans for club's Academy base

Coventry City have been invited to speak at the meeting where it will be decided if plans to redevelop their Academy base are approved.

The move comes after the club asked the council if they would be able to voice their concerns during the public planning committee meeting on Thursday when Wasps’ plans for the Alan Higgs Centre will be heard and voted on by councillors.

Traditionally, the council only allows oral representations at planning meetings from objectors who registered their opposition during the statuary public consultation period.

CCFC filed their objection to the Higgs Centre plans over a month after the deadline had passed, but the authority has decided to relax the rules to ensure football club officials are given the opportunity to raise concerns directly.

A club representative has been offered the opportunity to address the planning committee for three minutes, in line with official guidance.

A council spokesman said: “Planning committee guidelines are clear that while late objections to planning applications can be taken into consideration, it’s not usually possible for late objectors to register to speak at planning committee.

“However, in special circumstances the chair of planning can use their discretion to permit late speakers at planning committee.

“In this case, because of the widespread interest in this application, the chair has decided to allow a representative from CCFC to speak for three minutes at the meeting as they’ve requested.”

CCFC have not yet confirmed whether the club will send a representative to the meeting.

Coventry City Academy talks will take place tomorrow

Talks over the future of Coventry City’s Academy will take place tomorrow.

The discussions come as doubt lingers over whether the Sky Blues youth set up can remain at the Alan Higgs Centre with CCFC’s short-term arrangement to use the Allard Way base due to expire in June 2017.

Further concerns about the Academy’s future were raised after Wasps were given permission to develop a £7million training centre at the Higgs Centre.

Coventry City Council has also announced plans for a 50-metre swimming pool which would replace an indoor football pitch at the venue currently used by CCFC and others.

Wasps say they have offered the football club use of the planned kicking area on commercial terms in a bid to help mitigate the loss of the indoor pitch to the academy - but the football club dispute this.

Representatives from the Sky Blues, Higgs Centre operators Coventry Sports Foundation (CSF) and Wasps will meet on Wednesday to explore options for the Academy at the site, if the club can stay there and if it can also retain its current category two standard.

Talks between the three organisations previously broke down after the football club didn’t attend a planned meeting and insisted negotiations should take place in writing. They later backed down over that demand.

The football club has previously said it would like Sport England and Football League representatives to join the discussions.

Who will lead the talks for CCFC is unclear in the wake of managing director Chris Anderson’s departure - but it is understood he is still planning to work for the Sky Blues over the next couple of weeks before leaving.

Coventry City Council has told the Telegraph it will not be taking part in the talks despite receiving an invitation.

Wasps’ plans will see three of the four football pitches at the site converted to use for rugby and an indoor kicking area constructed on the match-quality pitch formerly used by CCFC’s Academy.

However a match quality pitch has already been built on another part of the site - partly funded by Wasps.

Football League sources have indicated it could be possible to locate the Academy over more than one site and for the club to retain the Academy and its category two standard. The Telegraph recently revealed that the club had made a tentative early approach to Warwick University about using their facilities.

Coventry City says it has budgeted £1.3million to run the Academy this season - £575,000 of which is grant money. In the past decade, since the Academy moved to the Higgs Centre, the club has invested £4.5million above any grant money it has received.

But in those 10 years it is estimated more than £10.85million has been generated through the sale of Academy players.

The Academy has also been a valuable source of talent over the years with the likes of Callum Wilson and James Maddison rising through the Sky Blues’ ranks.