“Tannoy system is terrible” – How Coventry City stadium the CBS Arena is rated on Tripadvisor.
Coventry City have been the primary users of the Coventry Building Society Arena since it was opened in 2005, but the site has also been used for numerous other sports and events over recent years.
The Sky Blues made the decision to move from Highfield Road to a new stadium in 1997, with the club in the Premier League, and it was anticipated that it would be ready for the 2000/01 season, yet they first moved into what was then known as the ‘Ricoh Arena’ four years behind schedule, with the club in the Championship by that point.
Camera and photocopier manufacturer Ricoh were the initial stadium sponsors, and remained so until 2021, when the venue was renamed the Coventry Building Society (CBS) Arena as a part of a 10-year naming rights deal with the local banking service.
The Jimmy Hill Way site not only boasts a 32,753-seater stadium, but also has facilities connected to the arena, which include a 6,000 square metre exhibition hall, a hotel and a casino.
Coventry may have been the main team based at the CBS since it was first opened, but the stadium was also home to Wasps RUFC from 2014 to 2022, with legal disputes between the two clubs that led to the Sky Blues playing football games in Northampton in 2013, and then in Birmingham between 2019 and 2021.
It has also played host to numerous events away from the world of sport, with music artists such as Coldplay, Rihanna and the Arctic Monkeys among many to take to the stage on the pitch and perform on their respective tours over the years.
How Coventry City’s CBS Arena is rated on Tripadvisor
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Tripadvisor is used by paying customers to rate their experience at a certain venue after they have visited, and it is not limited to only restaurants or hotels, with football stadiums also included, and the CBS Arena has an average score of three and a half out of five on the website’s review system.
It has garnered 560 reviews on Tripadvisor as it stands, and is rated as the 28th best thing to do in Coventry out of 87 listed venues in the city on the website.
One recent reviewer brutally described their experience as “lawless,” and went on to explain that the “tannoy system is terrible, prices are ridiculous, and the staff are clueless,” so it is safe to say that they will not be quick to return.
The site has been consistently praised on the website too, though, as a reviewer was very complimentary after they watched some Commonwealth Games action that was hosted there in 2022.
They said: “Came here for the Commonwealth Games rugby sevens. Very well organised, left my house caught a bus to the station and got straight on a shuttle bus to the arena.
“Queues were minimal and bag searches and security flowed very smoothly. Very easy to get into the arena and the views of the pitch are great from almost everywhere.
“Shame about the damaged pitch which has messed up the football season, but event was brilliant.”
In football terms, the CBS Arena is a modern ground, despite being nearly 20 years old, and so it has also come in for some criticism on Tripadvisor for being too similar to other all-seater stadiums that have also been built this side of the millenium.
One user said: “Generic ground. This is one of a number of ‘new grounds’ that look and feel broadly the same. Nothing wrong with that per say but it lacks the home ground feel.
“Perfectly adequate and following all the problems the club has had, it’s just nice that they have home. It is very much out of town though.”
Coventry City fans will be pleased with their home after years of issues.cbs arena
It is fair to say that opinions on the CBS Arena can differ, and visitors are bound to have contrasting experiences based on the event that they attend at the stadium, but little outside views will matter to fans of the Sky Blues after so many years of issues regarding their modern home.
The issue that Coventry have faced since their move from Highfield Road is that the club have never actually owned the arena, and so have been forced to play elsewhere in years gone by due to rent disputes between previous club owners SISU Capital and stadium owners Arena Coventry Limited (ACL).
Those issues were settled in 2021, and the Sky Blues have played at their home ever since, with a five-year license agreed last year for the club to continue to play at the Arena, as well as an agreement that no other sports team were to play home games there, after issues with the condition of the pitch under previous owners rugby union club Wasps.
All that is now left for the foreseeable future is for success to follow on the pitch, and while they came mightily close in the play-off final last year but were just beaten on penalties, it does feel like a matter of time until the CBS Arena is soon playing host to Premier League action with the Sky Blues.
