IF YOU could map out a club’s route back to the Premier League following relegation, no one would come up with the events that unfolded at Coventry City.
Coventry’s 34-year stay in the top-flight ended on May 5, 2001 as the Sky Blues let a two-goal lead slip against Midlands rivals Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Much worse was to follow.
Coventry left their Highfield Road home of 106 years at the end of the 2004/05 season with the club to move to the then newly-built Ricoh Arena in time for the start of the following campaign.
However, Coventry were almost wound up in 2007, owing to mounting debts, only for SISU to complete a takeover of the club with less than an hour to spare.
Any renewed hope following the takeover quickly diminished as the club suffered relegation to League One at the end of the 2011/12 season.
More bad news was to come as the club entered administration on March 21, 2013.
A long-running rent dispute forced the club to leave their home city in 2013/14 as Coventry played their home games at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium for more than a season despite growing fan protests.
Coventry eventually returned to the Ricoh Arena in September 2014 while rugby union side Wasps relocated from Wycombe to play their home games at the ground from December that same year.
However, despite returning to their home stadium, Coventry suffered relegation to the bottom tier of English football on April 10, 2017.
Coventry secured promotion back to League One via the play-offs at the first attempt only for another rent dispute with landlords Wasps before the start of the 2019/20 season to force the Sky Blues out of their home city once again.
The Sky Blues groundshared with Birmingham City at St Andrew’s for two seasons, during which time Mark Robins guided the club to the League One title in the Covid affected 2019/20 campaign.
Coventry once again returned to the CBS Arena ahead of the 2021/22 season while landlords Wasps entered administration in October 2022 as Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group purchased the stadium in November later that year.
However, SISU’s 16-year ownership of the club ended on January 10, 2023 when Doug King completed an 85 per cent takeover of the Sky Blues. King later purchased the remaining 15 per cent from SISU to take full ownership of Coventry.
That same season, Coventry reached the Championship play-off final at Wembley only to lose to Luton Town on penalties in a heartbreaking defeat.
King shocked supporters on November 7, 2024 with Robins sacked as Sky Blues boss after more than seven years in charge of the club.
However, while supporters greeted the appointment of Frank Lampard on November 28, 2024 with little fanfare, the former Chelsea and England star transformed Coventry’s season.
Lampard guided the Sky Blues from 17th in the table to fifth only for City to suffer a cruel play-off semi-final defeat against Sunderland in the final minute of extra time.
However, Lampard’s free-scoring Sky Blues picked up where they left off this season while Coventry completed the purchase of the CBS Arena on August 23, 2025 to own the ground for the first time since the stadium was built.
