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Football stadiums
Everton FC have identified a site for a new stadium. Walton Hall Park is a recreation area owned by the city council about a mile from Goodison Park. Everton hope that a new stadium could attract new investment.
The 50,000 seat stadium could be financed by Liverpool City Council as part of a regeneration process with Everton becoming tenants. A naming rights deal could subsidise the project.
A Coventry-born businessman now based in the United States has come up with a plan to get Coventry City playing at the Ricoh Arena again. His idea is to strike a deal with Arena Coventry Limited to rent the Ricoh to the club. The money would be raised by a crowd funding scheme involving fans.
Liverpool FC have unveiled their plans for the redevelopment of Anfield. The first phase will see 8,500 seats added to the Main Stand, giving an overall capacity of 54,000. The £100m cost will be paid for in part by selling the naming rights to the stand – but not the stadium as a whole. The main funding for the project will come from bank financing.
Barcelona fans have to vote today on whether they want the project to redevelop the Nou Camp to go ahead. However, its approval is at some risk after the recent bad publicity enjoyed by the club.
Tottenham Hotspur have announced a good set of financial results. Turnover was up to not far short of £150m. Profit excluding player trading and before depreciation was £23.4m. After taking account of interest and tax, profit was £1.5m which is a respectable figure when many clubs are making big losses.
AS Roma, the first foreign-owned Italian club, are planning a new glass and steel stadium inspired by Rome’s Colosseum, the world’s largest ampitheatre. The club does not currently own its ground, playing in the former national Olympic stadium which it shares with local rivals Lazio.
The following statement has been issued by Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust: ‘Recent statements from Newcastle United accompanying the release of the latest accounts, have called upon supporters to demonstrate patience with the stated intention of growing the club in a sensible and sustainable manner.
The Coventry Evening Telegraph has been trying to find out where the fabled new stadium for Coventry City might be built. The paper has been using Freedom of Information requests, but despite a good track record in investigative journalism, hasn’t got very far.
There is some uncertainty about whether or not Liverpool will satisfy Uefa’s financial fair play (FFP) rules after the publication of broadly encouraging financial results earlier this week which the club claims will usher in a new era of financial stability.
Of course, there is uncertainty about how the rules will apply to any club, given that the devil is in the detail. The decisions will be as much political as legal ones and it is likely that Uefa, with a French president, will want to make an example of at least one Premier League club.
Many years ago when Charlton were in exile in Crystal Palace and The Valley was a forlorn tip which fans were starting to clear up, I was talking to someone who lived near the ground. They said that they hoped the Addicks would not come back as it would depress the value of their house and make it more difficult to sell.