Ricoh Arena
Fortress Ricoh
Full name	The Ricoh Arena
Location	Rowleys Green, Coventry, England
Built	2005
Opened	2005
Owner	Coventry City Council and the Alan Edward Higgs Charity
Tenants	Coventry City F.C.
Capacity	32,000[1]
Field dimensions	105 x 68. Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. Alan Edward Higgs was a successful self-made businessman who became a multimillionaire mainly from his house building business in Coventry, as well as from other businesses in Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip is an association football club based in Coventry, 6 metres

The Ricoh Arena, home to Coventry City F.C., is a complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,000 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club and a casino. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip is an association football club based in Coventry, A city is an Urban area with a large Population and a particular Administrative, Legal, or Historical status Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Conference centre redirects here For the conference facility in Salt Lake City Utah that is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging usually on a short-term basis A casino is in the modern sense of the word a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of Gambling activities The site is also home to a retail park containing one of the UK's largest Tesco Extra hypermarkets. In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated Car parking Its North American The site was previously home to the Foleshill gasworks. This is a historical article For current information see Syngas. It is named after its sponsor, Japanese company Ricoh. ( or Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established on 6 February 1936 as Riken Kankoshi Co

The arena was opened officially by Dame Kelly Holmes and Sports Minister Richard Caborn on 24 February 2007. Dame Kelly Holmes, DBE (born April 19 1970 is a retired English middle-distance athlete. Richard George Caborn (born 6 October 1943) is a British Politician. Events 303 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Location

The stadium is situated on the northern side of Coventry, less than 1 mile south of junction 3 of the M6 motorway, on the A444 road from Coventry to Nuneaton. Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. This article concerns the M6 motorway in England There are also M6 motorways in Russia (see Caspian Highway) Hungary (see M6 motorway List of A roads beginning with 4 in Great Britain starting north of the A4 and south/west of the A5. Nuneaton is the largest town in the English county of Warwickshire, and the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth. Although officially designated as being situated in the Foleshill district, it is in fact located in the small suburb of Rowleys Green, between two larger suburbs, namely Holbrooks to the west, and Longford to the east. Foleshill is a Suburb in the north of Coventry in the West Midlands of England. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. Holbrooks is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands, England. However, the stadium was constructed on the former site of the 'Foleshill' gasworks complex, although the Foleshill district itself begins more than a mile to the southeast.

Inaugural events

The arena became the venue for Coventry City FC's home games at the start of the 2005-06 season, following 106 years at the Highfield Road stadium. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip is an association football club based in Coventry, The first competitive football match played at the Ricoh Arena was against Queens Park Rangers on 20 August 2005, in front of a reduced (for safety reasons) 23,000 capacity crowd. Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English football club, based in Shepherds Bush in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The game ended 3-0 to Coventry, with Claus Bech Jørgensen becoming the first player to score at the arena. Claus Bech Jørgensen (born 27 April 1976 in Holstebro) is a Danish -born footballer who played internationally for the Faroe Hull City became the first away team to win at the Ricoh, snatching a 2-0 win on 24 September 2005, with both goals coming from John Welsh. Hull City Association Football Club are an English football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. John Welsh (born January 10, 1984 in Liverpool) is an English football player who plays for Hull City.

The Ricoh Arena in September 2007, shortly before a Coventry City match against Bristol City

The first concert held at the arena was Bryan Adams on 23 September 2005. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip is an association football club based in Coventry, Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol England, (the other being arch rivals Bristol Rovers) {Otherpeople|Brian Adams}} Bryan Adams OC, OBC, (born Bryan Guy Adams on November 5, 1959) is a Canadian rock Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The bar in the Eon Lounge, overlooking the pitch, was named 'The Bryan Adams Bar' after the Canadian rocker. Bon Jovi played there live on June 7, 2006 (35,000 attendance), as did Red Hot Chili Peppers on July 2, 2006 (40,000). Bon Jovi is an American Hard rock band from Sayreville New Jersey. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Red Hot Chili Peppers are Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. For both the Bon Jovi and Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts, the fans were able to stand on the pitch. However, after both events, many of those who attended complained that the road system was flawed, with some claiming to have waited over an hour to leave the relatively small car park. This is also hastened by the fact that an application for a train station very close to the stadium was rejected, which the complex genuinely needed. The venue played host to the Heineken Cup semifinal match between Northampton Saints and London Wasps on Sunday 22 April 2007. The European Rugby Cup (known as the Heineken Cup because of the tournament's sponsorship by Heineken) is an annual Rugby union competition involving leading Northampton Saints are a professional English Rugby union club from Northampton, England. London Wasps is an English professional Rugby union team The men's first team which forms London Wasps was derived from Wasps Football Club who Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. London Wasps (who went on to win the cup) also played at the Ricoh Arena in the Heineken Cup again against Munster on 10 November 2007 narrowly winning 24-23. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Saracens have announced that they will play their semi final against Munster at the arena. The stadium hosted its first ever American football game on 6 May 2007, when the Coventry Cassidy Jets beat then British national champions London Olympians 27-20. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. History Coventry and American Football The first American Football club in Coventry was formed as the Warwickshire Bears in February 1984 by two local men with a lot of ^[2] The Jets had hoped to play their inaugural EFAF Cup game against Madrid Bears on 29 April but they were forced to change venue. The European Federation of American Football is the governing body of American football in Europe. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. The Heineken Cup the previous week to the Madrid game had led to CCFC objecting in case of damage to the pitch. ^[3]

Bon Jovi have announced they will be returning to the Ricoh on 24 June 2008. Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

History and background

Permission for the ground's construction was given in the spring of 1999, with a targeted completion date of August 2001. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. This deadline was not met by almost four years.

The original design for the arena was for a state-of-the-art 45,000 capacity stadium with a retractable roof, and a pitch that could slide out to reveal a hard floor for concerts. After Coventry City's relegation, a number of contractor/financier withdrawals and England's bid to host the 2006 World Cup finals ended in failure, the plans were significantly downsized to reflect new realities.

On Friday 6 October 2006, the Arena hosted its first international football game when the England U-21 team played the German U-21 team in the first leg of a European U21 Championship qualifying play-off. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21(s is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team The Germany national under-21 football team represents the under-21s of Germany in the UEFA U-21 Championship, and is controlled by the German Football Association The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body UEFA England won the game 1-0, with the winning goal scored by Leighton Baines. Leighton John Baines (born 11 December 1984 in Liverpool, Merseyside) is an English footballer, who plays left-back

The name comes from a sponsorship deal, rumoured to be worth £10 million over 10 years, with camera and photocopier manufacturer Ricoh, though during construction the stadium was variously referred to as the Jaguar Arena, Arena Coventry and Arena 2000. ( or Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established on 6 February 1936 as Riken Kankoshi Co The sponsorship deal with Ricoh came about after the stadium's initial sponsor, the motor firm Jaguar, was forced to pull-out due to the same financial difficulties that had caused the controversial closure of the large Jaguar assembly plant at the city's Brown's Lane, previously a major source of employment in Coventry. Jaguar Cars Limited is a luxury car manufacturer based in Coventry, England, now operated as part of the Jaguar Land Rover business Browns Lane in Coventry England was originally built as a World War II "shadow factory" run by the Daimler Motor Company.

The Arena is run by Arena Coventry Limited (ACL) and is separate from the running of Coventry City Football Club who are the Arenas first tenants. It was funded largely by Coventry City council & the Higgs Charity, a charity (of which CCFC and ACL director Sir Derek Higgs is a trustee), and includes shopping facilities, a casino, exhibition halls and a concert venue. Sir Derek Alan Higgs ( 3 April 1944 – 28 April 2008) was an English businessman and merchant banker

At the end of the 2006-2007 Championship season in May 2007, the stadium had still not achieved a capacity 32,600 crowd. In fact, the stadium's highest attendance for a home game had been some 4,000 short of full capacity back in February 2008 during an FA Cup match against West Bromwich Albion. West Bromwich Albion Football Club (also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or WBA) are

Highfield Road stadium had a 23,600 capacity and was often sold-out in Premiership times, but not Championship era. However, the Ricoh's attendances are low due to the club languishing in the Championship for longer than expected, mainly in mid-table. Most match days see the stadium around 60% full. However, the stadium's capacity was based on Coventry's rapid promotion back to the Premiership (and therefore bigger attendances), which has not yet transpired. The stadium's immediate surroundings have also been criticised for not being well-landscaped, with much of the adjacent land looking highly unkempt and tatty.

In July-August 2007, the stadium was to host pre-season friendly games against Spanish La Liga side (and 2007 UEFA Cup finalists) Espanyol and Italian Serie A side Udinese in a major coup for the club. The matches ended in a 1-1 draw with Espanyol and a 2-0 loss against the latter.

On 16 February 2008 Coventry suffered their worst defeat at the Ricoh Arena losing 5-0 to West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common West Bromwich Albion Football Club (also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or WBA) are The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after This came at a difficult time for Coventry, just after the dismissal of manager Iain Dowie and the threat of club administration. Iain Dowie (born January 9 1965 in Hatfield Hertfordshire, England) is a football manager, currently managing Queens Park Rangers

On 5 April 2008, local band The Enemy played at the stadium. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006 signed to Warner Music Group (UK After all 8,000 ticket allocations to the Jaguar Suite were sold instantly the Coventry band added a second date - 6 April 2008. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Highest attendances

• 30,919 England U21 1 - 0 Germany U21 (Qualifier)
• 30,325 Saracens 16 - 18 Munster (Heineken Cup) ^[4]
• 28,163 Coventry 0 - 5 West Bromwich Albion (FA Cup)
• 27,992 Coventry 1 - 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (league)

Arena Shopping Centre

Main tenants:

• Tesco Extra
• Marks & Spencer
• Borders
• Next
• Boots

Other tenants:

• Shoe Express
• Thomson Holidays Travel Agency
• Clinton Cards Cards
• Travel Money
• Dr China
• Johnsons Cleaners UK Dry Cleaning
• Coventry Building Society Mortgages & Savings
• The Carphone Warehouse Mobile phones
• Phones 4U Mobile phones
• Elliot Reeve (Hairdressers)
• West World Mobility
• Antigo
• Arena Park Library
• GAME (retailer)

References

External links

• WorldStadiums.com entry
• recent photos at www.geograph.co.uk