Coventry City to groundshare with Birmingham City at St Andrews for 2019/20 season

The club were left with no choice in order to protect their English Football League status

Coventry fail to reach a deal to remain at the Ricoh Arena (Getty)

Coventry City will groundshare Birmingham City‘s St Andrew’s Stadium for the 2019/20 season after failing to reach a deal to remain at the Ricoh Arena.

Coventry issued a statement saying the groundshare was necessary for the club to fulfil their home games and prevent the club losing their place in the English Football League.

“We have said previously and continue to state publicly and clearly, the club’s willing intention to do a deal to stay at the Ricoh Arena,” the club’s statement read.

“However, in order for a deal to be agreed between landlord and tenant, the conditions for the deal need to be deliverable by the tenant. What the landlord requested of CCFC’s owners and ultimately, the Club, was simply not deliverable. It can be argued that the landlord was fully aware of this.

“As such, after much hard-work behind the scenes to avoid this by staff at the Club and friends of the Club in our community, we now find ourselves in a groundshare situation. This is beyond regrettable.

Supporters of Coventry City Football Club are now facing, for a second time, the prospect of enforced groundshare and the decision to attend matches or not – a situation and decision that no football fan should have to ever face.”