Coventry City F.C.


Coventry City Football Club is a professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands that plays its home games in Birmingham. They play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system following promotion in the 19-20 season.
Coventry City formed as Singers F.C. in 1883 following a general meeting of the Singer Factory Gentleman's club. They adopted their current name in 1898, joining the Football League in 1919. They won their only major trophy in 1987 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur 3–2 to win the FA Cup. They are one of only five clubs to have won both the FA Cup and the FA Youth Cup in the same season. They have also reached two Football League Cup semi-finals; in 1981 and 1990. They returned to Wembley in April 2017, defeating Oxford United 2–1 to win the Football League Trophy, and again in May 2018, beating Exeter City 3–1 to gain promotion to EFL League One via the play-offs.
The club, nicknamed the Sky Blues because of the colour of their strip, was an inaugural member of the Premier League in 1992 and spent 34 consecutive seasons in the English top-flight until relegation in 2001. Following eleven seasons in the second-tier Football League Championship, Coventry were relegated to League One in 2012, the first time they had been in the third tier since 1964. In 2017, there was a further relegation, with the club dropping to the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1959. They gained promotion back to League One the very next season. Following two seasons in League One, Coventry were promoted back to the EFL Championship in 2020, winning their first league championship in 53 years.
Coventry has qualified for European competitions twice. In the 1970–71 season, the team competed in the European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, reaching the second round. Despite beating Bayern Munich 2–1 in the home leg, they had lost 1–6 in the first leg in Germany, and thus were eliminated. The team was unable to compete in the 1987–88 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, due to the ban on English clubs at that time, following the Heysel disaster.
From 1899 to 2005, Coventry City played at Highfield Road, which in 1981 became the first all-seater stadium in English football. In the late 1990s, the club's directors decided that a larger stadium was necessary, and so chose a site in the Rowley's Green area of the city. The 32,609-capacity Ricoh Arena was opened in August 2005 to replace Highfield Road. However, the club have left the Ricoh on two occasions and currently do not have an agreement to return.

History in brief

at Highfield Road on 13 February 1982

Colours

Coventry's home shirts are either completely or predominately sky blue. However, in past seasons, different 'home colours' were worn. For example, in 1889, the then Singers FC wore pink and blue halved shirts. Furthermore, in the 1890s, black and red were the club's colours. In the early 1920s, the club wore red and green. Sky blue was first used by Coventry in 1898 and the theme was used until 1922. Variations of blue and white were then used until the 1960s and the beginning of the 'sky blue revolution'. The colour made its return in 1962 thanks to the then manager, Jimmy Hill. To mark the 125th year of the club, Coventry wore a special brown shirt in the last home game of the 2008–09 season against Watford, having first worn a chocolate brown away kit in 1978. This kit has been cited by some as the worst in English football history, but also has an iconic status with some fans.
In 2012, in the Third round FA Cup tie versus Southampton, the team wore a commemorative blue and white striped kit, marking the 25th anniversary of the club winning the FA Cup in 1987. The strip was worn again in January 2013 for Coventry's 3rd round FA Cup fixture with Tottenham Hotspur, whom they beat in the 1987 final. In 2019, Coventry City announced a new third kit in black and white honouring the city's connection with 2 Tone Records on the 40th anniversary of the record label.

Kit maker and sponsorship

Since the 2019–20 season, the kit is made by Hummel. The home, away and third kit is sponsored by Allsopp & Allsopp.
The first official kit manufacture deal came in 1974 when Umbro signed a deal with the club. Coventry also had the first kit sponsorship deal in the football league, when Jimmy Hill, then Chairman of the club, negotiated a deal with Talbot, who manufactured cars in the city.
PeriodKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
1974–75UmbroNone
1975–80Admiral SportswearNone
1980–81Admiral SportswearTalbot
1981–83Talbot SportsTalbot
1983–84UmbroTallon
1984–85UmbroGlazepta
1985–86UmbroElliots
1986–87Triple S SportGranada Bingo
1987–88HummelGranada Bingo
1988–89HummelNone
1989–92AsicsPeugeot
1992–94RiberoPeugeot
1994–96Pony InternationalPeugeot
1996–97Le Coq SportifPeugeot
1997–99Le Coq SportifSubaru
1999–2004no official manufacturerSubaru
2004–05Kit@Subaru
2005–06Kit@Cassidy Group
2006–10PumaCassidy Group
2010–13PumaCity Link
2013–14PumaGrace Medical Fund
2014–15PumaAllsopp & Allsopp
2015–18NikeAllsopp & Allsopp
2018–19NikeMidrepro
2019-HummelAllsopp & Allsopp

Stadium

Grounds

Coventry City began playing at the Highfield Road stadium in 1899 within the Hillfields district of the city, although the club did not buy the freehold to the site until 1937. The ground had an interesting history. In 1940 the main stand which backed onto terraced houses in Mowbray Street was bombed by the Luftwaffe, heavy turnstiles from the ground and gas meters from houses in Mowbray Street were discovered in Gosford Park, some 500 metres away.
The record crowd at the ground was on 29 April 1967 when 51,455 watched the Second Division title decider against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This was over 6,000 more than the previous record set against Aston Villa in 1938. Many people who were at that game suggest the attendance was a lot higher, possibly over 60,000. Supporters climbed onto the roofs of the stands and up the floodlights.
In 1968, the main stand burnt down and its replacement was built within four months.
In 1981, Highfield Road was converted into England's first-ever all-seater stadium with a capacity of around 24,500, which many criticised as killing the atmosphere of the ground. Some seats were removed a few years later. It had been gradually upgraded since then, with the final phase of work being completed in the mid-1990s, including two fully enclosed corners, providing some much-needed modernity. On 30 April 2005, the final game played at the stadium was against Midlands rivals Derby County; Coventry won with a scintillating 6–2 scoreline. The stadium was subsequently demolished and replaced by a housing development.

Relocating to the Ricoh Arena

For the 2005–06 season, Coventry City moved to the new 32,609-capacity Ricoh Arena after 106 years at Highfield Road. In 1998, the club had decided that it was time to relocate to a new stadium in the Rowleys Green area of the city, north of the city centre and close to junction 3 of the M6 motorway. The original plan was for a state-of-the-art, 45,000-seater multipurpose stadium with removable pitch and retractable roof. It was due to be ready for the 2001–02 season and was touted to be one of the finest and most advanced stadiums in Europe. However, the club's subsequent relegation, financial problems, financier/contractor withdrawals, and England's failure to secure the 2006 World Cup competition, led to a radical redesign. The resulting stadium was built to a standard bowl design with steep stands in line with several other new stadia built during that period. It has excellent acoustics and has been used to host several major rock concerts.
Despite initiating the project and being the principal attraction there, Coventry City's financial situation means that it no longer owned the stadium and must pay rent to use it; this appeared to raise concerns over the managing of the club's finances by previous club officials, because in 2001 the club was the fourth-longest serving club in the top flight of English football. The stadium naming rights were originally sold to Jaguar Cars, which has strong links with Coventry. Jaguar pulled out of the project on 16 December 2004 and a new major sponsor was needed. A £10 million deal, which included naming rights, was signed and electronics manufacturer Ricoh became the new chief sponsor for the stadium. The project was funded largely by Coventry City Council and the Higgs Charity, and includes shopping facilities, a casino, exhibition halls and a concert venue.
At the beginning of the 2005–06 season, construction delays at the ground forced Coventry City to play their first three games of the season away and postpone their home games. On Saturday 20 August 2005, City hosted Queens Park Rangers in the first-ever game at the Ricoh Arena; Coventry won the game 3–0. On 28 July 2011, a statue of Jimmy Hill was installed at the main entrance to the Ricoh Arena, with Hill appearing in person to unveil it.

2013 rent row and ground relocation

On 3 May 2013, Coventry City put a contingency plan in place to play elsewhere for the 2013–14 season. It was argued by the club that this was due to ACL, which managed the stadium, being unwilling to negotiate with the club to agree to a new lease. However, that led to the local newspaper, the Coventry Telegraph, starting a petition to stop Coventry City from playing outside of Coventry. It was sent to all 72 clubs in the Football League and Football League chairman Greg Clarke. In May 2013, managing director Tim Fisher set a plan of building a new stadium within the city over the next three years, and ground-sharing whilst the new ground was being built. In June 2013, ACL made an offer that Coventry City F.C. could play at the Ricoh Arena rent free while the club was in administration.
It was believed that Coventry City might ground-share with Walsall at the Bescot Stadium or attempt to stay at the Ricoh Arena, following the appointment of new owners. However, by July 2013, the Walsall rumours were denied and the club ground-shared at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium – a venue that had less than a quarter the capacity of the Ricoh Arena, and involved a round-trip of. That arrangement was due to continue until at least 2016. Plans for the club to play its home matches outside of the city were met with strong opposition, and led to protests by Coventry fans. Member of parliament for Coventry South, Jim Cunningham, described the move as "a disgrace".

Ricoh return

On 21 August 2014 it was announced that an agreement had been reached allowing the club to return to the Ricoh Arena for the next two years with the option of another two years. Coventry City's first home game at the Ricoh Arena was played against Gillingham on 5 September 2014. Steve Waggott, who led the negotiations for the club, said: "We are delighted to get this deal done and I am sure every supporter of Coventry City will be thrilled with the news." City won their first match back at the Ricoh Arena 1–0 with Frank Nouble scoring the only goal of the match in front of 27,306 supporters.
The return followed a social media campaign entitled #bringCityhome by the Coventry Telegraph and a protest march by the Sky Blue Trust supporters' group. The campaign drew praise from national media and figures within the football world. It was short-listed at the 2014 British Press Awards in the "Campaign of the Year" category.
Because the tenancy agreement with Ricoh Arena was to expire in August 2018, it was reported in November 2015 that there would be a relocation to another site within the city. However it was later confirmed that Coventry City would remain at the Ricoh for another year.
In May 2016 the Coventry Telegraph broke the news that the club had drawn up plans with Coventry Rugby Club for a ground-share arrangement at a redeveloped Butts Park Arena. That was eventually denied by Rugby Club chairman Jon Sharp, who said there could be no deal with the football club while it was still owned by SISU.

St Andrew's

On 7 June 2019 it was reported that talks between SISU and Wasps had again broken down meaning that Coventry would have to play their 2019–20 "home" matches at Birmingham City's St Andrew's ground.
The club have the option to spend a further two seasons away from Coventry and will remain at St Andrew's for the 2020–21 season.

New Stadium at the University of Warwick

In July 2020, the club confirmed that they had commenced a partnership with the University of Warwick which would see land provided for a new stadium.

Supporters

Former Players' Association

In February 2007 a Former Players' Association was launched. Set up by club historian and statistician Jim Brown, former 1980s player Kirk Stephens and a committee of volunteers, its aim was to bring former players of the club together and cherish their memories. To qualify for membership players have to have made at least one first-team competitive appearance for the club or been a manager.
Around 50 former stars of the club attended the launch including Coventry City legends George Hudson, Cyrille Regis, Charlie Timmins and Bill Glazier. The association's first newsletter was published in autumn 2007 and a website launched. The launch of 2007 was followed by subsequent Legends' Days. The 2009 event, held at the home game against Doncaster Rovers was attended by 43 former players including the first visit to Coventry for many years of Roy Barry and Dave Clements. In March 2012 the membership had increased past the 200 mark with former captain Terry Yorath inducted as the 200th member at the 2012 Legends' Day.

Sky Blue Trust

The Sky Blue Trust is a supporters' trust for Coventry City F.C.; it was founded in 2003 as part of a national initiative under the auspices of the umbrella group, Supporters Direct. The Sky Blue Trust, like trusts at other clubs, is a legally based, independent, democratic supporters' group with membership open to all. One of the Sky Blue Trust's greatest achievements was raising funds to save the football club's Youth Academy which was threatened with closure. By 2009/2010, however, the trust had become moribund. Given the ongoing financial uncertainty at Coventry City, the trust was re-launched in the summer of 2012. A new board for the trust was elected and from having less than 20 members, the trust grew to over 700 within three months, including TV pundit John McCririck. The key aim of the Sky Blue Trust is to obtain a financial stake in Coventry City F.C. and have at least one democratically elected trust member on the club's board, meaning that supporters have a direct say in the running of the club.

'SISU Out' protesters

In August 2011, after Coventry City fans became tired of cost-cutting by SISU, Coventry fans started to protest for the removal of SISU. Protests took place at the Jimmy Hill Statue at the Ricoh Arena before games but limited numbers turned out. However, after these games, the number of protesters grew and so did the number of banners. After protesting near the rear entrance, the fans moved into the lobby and start chanting "SISU OUT" at which point a large number of "security response guards" moved in to remove the protesters.
Another protest was staged on 15 October 2016 as Coventry and Charlton Athletic fans threw hundreds of plastic toy pigs onto the pitch during a 3–0 loss for Coventry. Play was stopped for around 5 minutes. This protest was a joint effort between Coventry and Charlton fans against their respective owners.
On 15 December 2016, the televised match between Coventry and Sheffield United was temporarily halted after 86 minutes due to on-field protests, once again against owners SISU. The atmosphere of the match was dominated by Coventry supporters whistling loudly and chanting anti-SISU protests in the stands throughout the entire 90 minutes.
There were protests when Coventry played Northampton Town away on 28 January 2017, when flares were thrown onto the pitch as well as pitch invasions. The play was stopped several times and the players were removed from the field of play twice.
There were further protests against Millwall, as many tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch to halt play, on 4 February 2017 at the Ricoh Arena.

Sky Blue anthem

The words to the club's song were written in 1962 by Team Manager Jimmy Hill and Director John Camkin; The words being set to the tune of the Eton Boating Song. It was launched at the home game with Colchester on 22 December 1962 with the words printed in the programme. It quickly became popular with supporters during the epic FA Cup run in 1963 when the then Third Division team reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup before losing to eventual winners Manchester United:

Rivalries

and Leicester City are considered the club's biggest traditional rivals. A lesser rivalry also exists with landlords Birmingham City. In the 1960s and 1970s Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion and Northampton Town were considered the biggest local rivalries, and the teams had some classic games during that era, including the 1967 game against Wolves at Highfield Road when 51,455 watched a 3–1 Coventry win, which ultimately meant the Sky Blues pipped Wolves to the Second Division title.

Current players

First team squad

Out on loan

Under-23 squad

Under-18 squad

Backroom staff and club officials

Seasons, awards and honours

Season Review
& Statistics		Player of the YearClub CaptainTop GoalscorerMost AppearancesOther
1958–1959 season42nd George Curtis Ray Straw 30 Roy Kirk 48Football League Fourth Division Runners-up
1959–1960 season35th George Curtis Ray Straw 21 Arthur Lightening 48Southern Professional Floodlit Cup Winners
1960–1961 season315th George Curtis Ray Straw 20 George Curtis 51
1961–1962 season314th George Curtis Mike Dixon 12 George Curtis 49
1962–1963 season34th George Curtis Terry Bly 29 George Curtis 56
1963–1964 season31st George Curtis George Hudson 28 George Curtis 50
Ronnie Rees 50		Football League Third Division Champions
1964–1965 season210th George Curtis George Hudson 24 George Curtis 46
Ronnie Rees 46
1965–1966 season23rd George Curtis George Hudson 17 George Curtis 50
1966–1967 season21st George Curtis Bobby Gould 25 George Curtis 46Football League Second Division Champions
1967–1968 season120th Ernie Machin George Curtis Ronnie Rees 9 Ernie Machin 44FA Youth Cup Runners-up
1968–1969 season120th Bill Glazier George Curtis Ernie Hunt 13 Bill Glazier 49
1969–1970 season16th Neil Martin Roy Barry Neil Martin 15 Mick Coop 44FA Youth Cup Runners-up
1970–1971 season110th Willie Carr Neil Martin Ernie Hunt 13
Neil Martin 13		 Jeff Blockley 52Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Second round;
BBC Goal of the Season: Ernie Hunt
1971–1972 season118th Ernie Hunt Roy Barry Ernie Hunt 12 Willie Carr 45
Wilf Smith 45		Texaco Cup Second round
1972–1973 season119th Willie Carr Roy Barry Brian Alderson 17 Mick Coop 48Texaco Cup First round
1973–1974 season116th Bill Glazier John Craven Brian Alderson 15 Jimmy Holmes 53
Tommy Hutchison 53		Texaco Cup First round
1974–1975 season114th Graham Oakey John Craven Brian Alderson 8
David Cross 8		 Tommy Hutchison 46
1975–1976 season114th Tommy Hutchison John Craven David Cross 16 Mick Coop 47
Tommy Hutchison 47
1976–1977 season119th Jim Blyth Terry Yorath Mick Ferguson 15 John Beck 45
1977–1978 season17th Ian Wallace Terry Yorath Ian Wallace 23 Bobby McDonald 47
Barry Powell 47
1978–1979 season110th Bobby McDonald Terry Yorath Ian Wallace 15 Tommy Hutchison 45
Bobby McDonald 45
1979–1980 season115th Gary Gillespie Tommy Hutchison Ian Wallace 13 Tommy Hutchison 45
1980–1981 season116th Danny Thomas Mick Coop Garry Thompson 15 Paul Dyson 54
Harry Roberts 54		Football League Cup Semi-finalists
1981–1982 season114th Danny Thomas Gerry Daly Mark Hateley 18 Gary Gillespie 46PFA Merit Award: Joe Mercer
1982–1983 season119th Gary Gillespie Gerry Francis Steve Whitton 14 Gary Gillespie 48PFA Team OTY: Danny Thomas
1983–1984 season119th Nick Platnauer Harry Roberts Terry Gibson 19 Dave Bennett 40
Terry Gibson 40
Trevor Peake 40
Nick Platnauer 40
1984–1985 season118th Terry Gibson Trevor Peake Terry Gibson 19 Steve Ogrizovic 46
1985–1986 season117th Trevor Peake Brian Kilcline Terry Gibson 13 Steve Ogrizovic 47
1986–1987 season110th Steve Ogrizovic Brian Kilcline Cyrille Regis 16 Steve Ogrizovic 53FA Cup Winners: 1987 FA Cup Final;
FA Youth Cup Winners: ;
BBC Goal of the Season: Keith Houchen
1987–1988 season110th David Speedie Brian Kilcline Cyrille Regis 12 Steve Ogrizovic 45FA Charity Shield Runners-up: 1987 FA Charity Shield;
Full Members Cup Semi-finalists
1988–1989 season17th David Speedie Brian Kilcline David Speedie 15 Brian Borrows 42
Steve Ogrizovic 42
1989–1990 season112th Brian Borrows Brian Kilcline David Speedie 9 Brian Borrows 46
David Smith 46		Football League Cup Semi-finalists
1990–1991 season116th Kevin Gallacher Brian Kilcline Kevin Gallacher 16 Brian Borrows 47PFA Merit Award: Tommy Hutchison
1991–1992 season119th Stewart Robson Stewart Robson Kevin Gallacher 10 Lloyd McGrath 46
1992–1993 season115th Peter Atherton Brian Borrows Micky Quinn 17 John Williams 44
1993–1994 season111th Phil Babb Brian Borrows Peter Ndlovu 11 Phil Babb 44
Steve Morgan 44
1994–1995 season116th Brian Borrows Brian Borrows Dion Dublin 16 Brian Borrows 40
Paul Cook 40
Steve Ogrizovic 40		PFA Merit Award: Gordon Strachan
1995–1996 season116th Paul Williams Dion Dublin Dion Dublin 16 John Salako 43
1996–1997 season117th Dion Dublin Gary McAllister Dion Dublin 13 Gary McAllister 46
Steve Ogrizovic 46
1997–1998 season111th Dion Dublin Gary McAllister Dion Dublin 23 Dion Dublin 43Premier League Golden Boot: Dion Dublin;
PFA Merit Award: Steve Ogrizovic
1998–1999 season115th Richard Shaw Gary McAllister Noel Whelan 13 Magnus Hedman 42
Richard Shaw 42		FA Youth Cup Runners-up
1999–2000 season114th Gary McAllister Gary McAllister Gary McAllister 13 Gary McAllister 43FA Youth Cup Runners-up;
FAI Young Int'l Player OTY: Robbie Keane
2000–2001 season119th Gary Breen Mustapha Hadji Craig Bellamy 8 Craig Bellamy 39PFA Merit Award: Jimmy Hill
Welsh Footballer OTY: John Hartson
2001–2002 season211th David Thompson John Eustace Lee Hughes 14 Muhamed Konjić 41
2002–2003 season220th Muhamed Konjić Muhamed Konjić Jay Bothroyd 11 Muhamed Konjić 48
2003–2004 season212th Stephen Warnock Muhamed Konjić Gary McSheffrey 12 Stephen Warnock 49FWA Tribute Award: Jimmy Hill
2004–2005 season219th Michael Doyle Stephen Hughes Gary McSheffrey 14 Michael Doyle 49First CONCACAF 50-goal scorer: Stern John
Last goal at Highfield Road: Andy Whing
2005–2006 season28th Gary McSheffrey Michael Doyle Gary McSheffrey 17 Michael Doyle 49
Gary McSheffrey 49		First goal at Ricoh Arena: Claus Bech Jørgensen
2006–2007 season217th Andy Marshall Rob Page Dele Adebola 9 Dele Adebola 42
Michael Doyle 42
Marcus Hall 42
Andy Marshall 42		Birmingham Senior Cup Winners
2007–2008 season221st Jay Tabb Stephen Hughes Michael Mifsud 17 Michael Doyle 49
Isaac Osbourne 49
Jay Tabb 49
2008–2009 season217th Aron Gunnarsson Scott Dann Clinton Morrison 12 Keiren Westwood 49PFA Team OTY: Danny Fox, Keiren Westwood
2009–2010 season219th Keiren Westwood Stephen Wright Clinton Morrison 11 Keiren Westwood 46
2010–2011 season218th Marlon King Lee Carsley Marlon King 13 Richard Keogh 48FL Fan OTY: Kevin Monks
2011–2012 season223rd Richard Keogh Sammy Clingan Lukas Jutkiewicz 9
Gary McSheffrey 9		 Richard Keogh 47
Joe Murphy 47		Championship Apprentice Award: Gaël Bigirimana
2012–2013 season315th Carl Baker Carl Baker David McGoldrick 18 Joe Murphy 56FLT Northern area finalists;
PFA Team OTY: Leon Clarke;
FL Fan OTY: Pat Raybould
2013–2014 season318th Callum Wilson Carl Baker Callum Wilson 22 Joe Murphy 53FL Goal OTY: Franck Moussa;
PFA Team OTY: Callum Wilson
2014–2015 season317th Jim O'Brien Réda Johnson Frank Nouble 7 John Fleck 48
Jim O'Brien 48
2015–2016 season38th John Fleck Sam Ricketts Adam Armstrong 20 Sam Ricketts 46
Romain Vincelot 46		PFA Team OTY: Adam Armstrong
2016–2017 season323rd George Thomas Jordan Willis George Thomas 9 Jordan Turnbull 46
Jordan Willis 46		EFL Trophy Winners: 2017 EFL Trophy Final
2017–2018 season46th Marc McNulty Michael Doyle Marc McNulty 28 Jack Grimmer 53EFL League Two play-offs Winners: 2018 play-off Final;
EFL Team OTY: Lee Burge, Jordan Willis;
PFA Team OTY: Jack Grimmer
2018–2019 season38th Dominic Hyam Liam Kelly Jordy Hiwula 13 Luke Thomas 44
2019–2020 season31st Fankaty Dabo Liam Kelly Matt Godden 15 Jordan Shipley 42EFL League One Champions;
LMA Awards Manager OTY: Mark Robins
2020–2021 season2

Coventry City deducted 10 points by the Football League for going into administration.
Coventry City deducted 10 points by the Football League.
Bury were expelled from the EFL on 27 August 2019 due to financial issues at the club. The season was postponed on 13 March 2020 and later concluded prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with league positions and promotions decided on a points-per-game basis.

Club honours

Notable players

Official Hall of Fame

Notable Academy graduates

Player records

Managers

Chairmen