Wasps will confirm next week that they have taken a majority share in the company that owns the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, the Telegraph has reported. The deal will see the team play their home games at the ground that is currently home to Coventry City football club.
The deal will allegedly cost Wasps in the region of £30 million, but will see the club, who at the beginning of the season dropped the prefix ‘London’ and currently play their home games at Adams Park in High Wycombe, take a 90 per cent stake in Arena Coventry Limited, the current stadium owners.
Worcester, Leicester and Northampton are thought to be less than impressed at the prospect of a Premiership rival (in the case of the latter two) moving so close to their heartlands and competing for both fans and player recruitment.
Wasps, however, expect to bypass any obstacles by keeping their training base in West London. This would mean they stay within Premiership regulations that govern things like academies, just as London Welsh did when they moved their home games to the Kassam Stadium in Oxford but maintained their training base at Old Deer Park in Richmond.
There are plenty of examples of teams relocating in sport’s history. Wasps themselves were founded in North London in 1867 before moving to Loftus Road over a hundred years later, and eventually out to High Wycombe in 2002.
The most famous, and recent, example came in the NFL in 1996 when the owner of the Cleveland Browns, Art Modell, tried to relocate the team to Baltimore. The move was a disaster, and left the bizarre situation of the players who had previously been at the Cleveland Browns uniting under a new name, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Cleveland Browns being reformed from completely new players.
What do you make of Wasps moving to Coventry? Is it a good thing for the club, and will it step on the toes of the other Premiership sides in the region?
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It’s ridiculous. What about the loyal fans they have that have stuck with them through their recent poor seasons, constantly going to Adams Park:? Time to forget them? I cant imagine too many will want to make the trip up to Coventry.
Want about Coventry RFC?
I imagine it would be a phased shift, a couple of games initially, like Northampton do with Milton Keynes before moving anywhere. It may end up being a move too far.
Can’t believe it. So disappointed. Any fans of theirs from the south now have an almighty journey to watch them. To the questions asked in this article – I couldn’t care less about stepping on other teams toes, I do however care a lot that (coming from the south) an extra 3 hours all in is added to the journey.
Personally I’m ok with this as Coventry is my hometown. Although currently in Northampton so could end up being torn!
I live in Coventry, and this seems utterly barking to me.
Having played for them in the 1960s at Sudbury I thought Adams Park was a move too far. Coventry would stretch my allegiance beyond the limit. Come on Sarries
I’d argue the most recent example is Wimbledon becoming MK Dons, also a disaster for the fans. But it’s the long-term financial sustainability of the club that will always win out sadly. I think they’ll try and build a new fan-base up in the Midlands – but it’s not like the area is short of Premiership teams! Coventry itself has a decent enough League 1 side with a small but loyal following so not sure how their rugby club will feel about it either.
I wonder whether with the train links from London and if they put on a bus service from high wycombe whether historic London and the more recent bucks fans might find getting to and from the stadium quicker than getting to Adams Park!
It is only an hour from Euston to be fair! And some of the fast trains even stop at HW! Although the Ricoh’s probably around 20 minutes at least from Coventry station by bus.
Would add more weight to a Ricoh train station…….
London is London boys …