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Football stadiums
Everton have announced plans to build a new stadium at Walton Hall Park, not far from Goodison. Of all the stadiums in the Premier League, Goodison Park is one of those most in need of redevelopment or replacement.
However, dog walkers who use the park are not happy. There would also be need for development around the stadium to support it. A capacity of 50,000 is planned.
There is no doubt that ENIC International, the investment company owned by billionaire Joe Lewis, would sell Tottenham Hotspur if the price was right. The original plan when he took control in 2001 was to sell within three years. Whether he can get the near £1 billion he wants is another matter.
An American investment group is in the ‘preliminary stages’ of considering a bid for Tottenham Hotspur. The club’s potential is tied up with the redevelopment of White Hart Lane and it is thought that a bid is unlikely until progress is made on the stadium plans.
It is also questionable whether Cain Hoy would meet the near £1bn valuation of Spurs by owner Joe Lewis, a currency trader who has been Tottenham’s majority shareholder since 2001.
Tottenham Hotspur have denied newspaper reports that the club would be put up for sale for £1bn. This followed the news that the club would have to relocate away from White Hart Lane for one season while the stadium was rebuilt.
Queens Park Rangers have ambitious plans to leave behind the rather cramped (if somewhat intimidating for the opposition) conditions of Loftus Road with its 18,000 capacity for a 40,000-seater stadium on a site at Old Oak Common. Their master plan is being drawn up by Farrells and Antony Spencer, who was instrumental in identifying land for Arsenal’s new stadium at the Emirates.
Sky Blues can celebrate the return of their team to Coventry with a match against Gillingham at the Ricoh Arena. Top football journalist David Conn reviews the sorry history of this saga. He also suggests that the fight isn’t over as owners Sisu still want to build their own ground in the city.
This interesting blog post rebuts suggestions made by a journalist that Watford have lost their identity under the ownership of the Pozzo family, given the recent resignation of the manager. It makes the contrast between the current owners and their flawed predecessors and points out that the Pozzo family have built the long awaited East Stand.
Max Griggs merged Irthlingborough Diamonds and Rushden Town to form Rushden and Diamonds. He built a new football stadium by the River Nene in Irthlingborough called Nene Park. Rushden and Diamonds made their way from the non-league system to one season in League 1. I saw them play Queens Park Rangers at Nene Park which was good enough for that level of football.
The Dean of Coventry Cathedral, the Very Reverend John Witcombe, played a crucial role in the talks that led to Coventry City returning to the Ricoh Arena. This was consistent with Coventry Cathedrals’s tradition of activism in reconciliation which started with work with Germany after the Second World War.
The Coventry Evening Telegraph has done a great job in covering the exile of the Sky Blues from the city. They have provided extensive, in depth coverage today and it can be found here.
As a Charlton fan I know what it’s like to be exiled from your own ground as the result of the machinations of owners. I am very pleased to see the Sky Blues back where they belong. I enjoyed the Olympic matches at the Ricoh and I will try to get to a game some time.