Coventry City fans' group to stand at May's local elections

Coventry fans have held a number of protests to get the club back to the city

A Coventry City fans' group is planning to put up candidates for May's local council elections as part of a campaign to return the club to the city.

The Get Cov Back to the Ricoh (GCBTR) group said it had two potential candidates and was calling for more fans to put themselves forward.

It said it wanted to put pressure on the council to sell the Ricoh Arena back to the club's owners.

The group is holding a protest outside the council headquarters on 10 May.

Rob Stevens, from GCBTR, said: "We warned last October that the council ruling out an unencumbered sale of the Ricoh, and insisting that the club could only return as tenants, would leave our beloved Sky Blues playing 'home' games 35 miles away for years and years - threatening the club's future.

"While Sisu [the club's then owners] must take a good part of the responsibility for that, most people accept the football club needs to own its own stadium to obtain vital commercial revenues."

Coventry City moved to the Ricoh Arena in 2005 after leaving Highfield Road

Mr Stevens said the elections were a chance for supporters to "call councillors to account at the ballot box".

The Ricoh Arena had been the Sky Blues' base since 2005.

But the team was forced to move to Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium after a rent row with ACL, which manages the Ricoh Arena on behalf of Coventry City Council and the Alan Edward Higgs Charity.

There has also been speculation that the club is looking to build a new stadium.