Ricoh Arena announced as 2012 football venue
The Ricoh Arena, the home of Coventry City Football Club has been selected as the new Midlands venue to host Olympic Football matches in 2012. This follows a selection procedure by the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and means that all venues are now in place for the London Games.
"Sitting at the heart of the Midlands, the City of Coventry Stadium is ideally located for thousands of people to come and watch the London 2012 football competition."
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics
The venue will be temporarily re-named the City of Coventry Stadium for the London 2012 Olympic Games and all other branding will be removed at Games time. The Stadium replaces Villa Park which was ruled out because of planned building development work.
Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: ‘The City of Coventry Stadium is a great venue, and will be an excellent host for Football matches for the London 2012 Olympic Games. It is ideally located in the centre of England and the city already has strong links with London 2012’
Hugh Robertson, Minister for Sport and the Olympics, said: ‘Sitting at the heart of the Midlands, the City of Coventry Stadium is ideally located for thousands of people to come and watch the London 2012 football competition and be inspired to get involved in sport.’
Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive of the Ricoh Arena, said: ‘We are looking forward enormously to staging Olympic football in Coventry. This is a great honour and we are proud to be involved with the Games. We have worked hard over the last few months to prepare our bid and I would like to thank all our partners and organisations involved for their support.’
David Moorcroft, Chair of the West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 Games said: “It is fantastic news that the City of Coventry Stadium will host the Football tournament taking place as part of London 2012. It is a real boost for the region and for Coventry as it will bring real economic benefit as the Olympic teams and their fans visit the city. Personally, as I am Coventry born and bred, I am delighted to see my home city identified as a venue and look forward to experiencing part of the 2012 Games as it takes place on my doorstep.’
Enhanced conference and exhibition facilities
The Ricoh Arena has recently undergone a £3 million pound redevelopment.
• Three new exhibition halls with retractable walls, boosting capacity from 8,000 to 10,000 and event space from 6,000 sqm to 8,500 sqm.
• An ultra-flexible 650-seat indoor auditorium featuring state-of-the-art sound proofing technology and audio visual capabilities.
• A remodelled arrival area for the exhibition halls, with a new entrance, stairway and balcony, improving accessibility for the southern side of the RICOH Arena.
• Work to be completed in June 2010 on a new entrance to the on-site 71 Rooms and Silk Suites Hotel, with added convenience for guests moving between accommodation and conference areas.
For more information on this venue click here
Back to article index