The EFL Board accepts that it may be asked on occasions to consider a temporary relocation as a means for securing a Club’s ongoing participation in the competition.
However, it remains firmly of the view that its Member Clubs should play in the towns and cities from which they take their name.
Despite ongoing discussions to keep Coventry City playing in the City of Coventry at the Ricoh Arena, an agreement has not been reached and as a result the EFL Board was faced with the real prospect of the Club not being able to fulfil its fixtures for 2019/20 season, which would inevitably have called into question the Club’s continued membership in the League.
This situation has placed the EFL Board in an unenviable position and as a result, it has reluctantly agreed to a ground-share option at Birmingham City’s St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium for 2019/20.
This is a decision that has not been taken lightly and it is regrettable that the parties involved have been unable to find a suitable and sensible solution. The EFL Board calls on all parties to resolve this matter at the earliest convenience for the benefit of the City of Coventry, the Club and people living in the local community.
A number of conditions have been placed on the Club to ensure progress is made in regard to finding a solution to getting the Club back playing in Coventry at the earliest opportunity including the payment of a £1m bond and a quarterly review in order for the Board to be updated on developments ahead of season 2020/21.
The EFL has also received an undertaking from the Club’s ownership that they will not put forward an application to the EFL Board to permanently relocate the Club to anywhere outside the Coventry area.