Coventry Building Society Arena - Coventry City Stadium

An away day at the Coventry Building Society Arena is relatively unusual in that the stadium is situated directly off Junction 3 on the M6 motorway rather than in the middle or near a city/town centre.

The stadium itself is relatively modern, having opened in 2005. This has its plus points, most notably for pitch views from the away end, which is situated on the left-hand side of the South Stand towards the West Stand.

A standard allocation for Coventry away is around 3,000, but more can be allocated for cup matches. When this happens, the entire South Stand is given to away supporters.

The South Stand is one of the three stands at the stadium that is one tier in size, but that doesn’t mean it’s small. It stretches up relatively high, so the views from the away section vary greatly depending on how high or low you sit.

One major plus point for the away section is that there are no supporting pillars inside the stand, which means nobody will have a restricted view. This isn’t always the case at Championship stadiums, so perhaps it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The acoustics are decent, but the atmosphere often depends on how many tickets Coventry can sell. It’s a large stadium relative to its fanbase, which can often result in thousands of empty seats.

New record attendance set at the CBS Arena

On Saturday, 3 May, Coventry City fans set a new attendance record at the CBS Arena for the club’s final Championship match of the season against Middlesbrough.

The match was billed as a playoff decider, with both clubs vying for a position inside the top six, and it was the home side who came out on top with a 2-0 victory on a memorable day for the Sky Blues.

In total, 31,452 fans attended the match at the CBS Arena, but this record may not last for long as even more fans are expected to come through the gates for their playoff semi-final first leg against Sunderland.

Two years ago, the club made it through the playoff semi-finals before losing out in the final against Luton Town on penalties. Two years later, Coventry are back in the playoffs while Luton have been relegated to League One.

CBS Arena enters partnership with EON

In February 2025, the Coventry Building Society Arena entered into a sustainability partnership with EON to drive forward the city’s commitment to decarbonisation. It is aligned with Coventry City Council’s 15-year strategic energy partnership with EON, which commits to transforming the city’s approach to carbon reduction.

Coventry City have their fair share of celebrity fans, with the following faces all being spotted at the CBS Arena in recent years.

Tom Grennan

Music artist, Tom Grennan, is a huge Coventry City fan and is often interviewed about his beloved club. He even once called upon his fellow supporters to try and help him get to Christmas number one in the charts.

The skills on @Tom_Grennan yesterday!! @Coventry_City we need to sign him up 🩵 pic.twitter.com/WkRj3s2zKU

— 𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚢 𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 (@Lucyysummerr) June 12, 2023

Christian Horner

Christian Horner is famous for being the Team Principle of Red Bull Racing, but in his spare time, he enjoys following Coventry City. He was recently snapped at a game cheering his team on while the F1 season is in its off-season.

Richard Keys

Richard Keys now lives in Qatar, but when he worked for SKY, he would often go to Coventry matches when he wasn’t working. Keys still monitors their results and has spoken about them on occasion in his blog.

Coventry City don’t have the largest fanbase in the world but they do have some good chants. Expect to hear the following on your next trip to the CBS Arena:

• The Sky Blue Song
• In Our Coventry Homes
• You Are My City
• Na Na Na Na Sky Blues
• City Til I Die
• We’ll Live and Die in These Towns

Check out a video compilation of some of the most famous Coventry City chants below.

Coventry City fans aren’t known for their pre-match displays but they have been known to unfurl one giant tifo before certain matches. The tifo in question reads ‘We’ll live and die in these towns’ in reference to the song by Coventy-born band, The Enemy. 

As a modern stadium, the CBS Arena was designed in such a way that there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Supporting pillars in the middle of the stands are a non-issue here and there are no obstructed views.

In terms of the ‘best’ views, fans should look to either get a ticket in the East Stand or the West Stand.

The West Stand is the only stand in the stadium with two tiers, with the upper tier reserved for hospitality and directors. If you have deep pockets, you will find the best view of the action here, but failing that, the lower tier of the same stand is also good, as is the single-tiered East Stand opposite.

For the most central seats, fans should look to get tickets in blocks B-E in the West Stand and blocks 19-21 in the East Stand.

If atmosphere is your priority, fans should target the southeast corner of the stadium. This is near the away end, so there is usually plenty of back-and-forth between both sets of supporters. Blocks 11-14 in this corner are fitted with safe standing rails, so if you want to sit down, avoid this area.

Seating plan

The following pubs are all within walking distance of the stadium and will allow away fans in before kick-off:

• The Longford Engine – 270 Bedworth Rd, Longford, Coventry CV6 6BP
• Bull & Anchor – 233 Wheelwright Lane, CV7 9HN
• The Old Crown – 466 Aldermans Green Rd, Alderman’s Green, Coventry CV2 1NP

At the stadium, there are two bars (The Anecdote and The Mill) that both serve hot food including burgers, chips and chicken. On the concourses inside the stadium, the food on offer isn’t quite as good but fans can still purchase hot items such as loaded fries and hot dogs. 

In terms of drinks, fans can buy soft and hot drinks on the concourse. As far as beer is concerned, fans have the option of Budweiser, Stella Artois, Camden Hells, Camden Pale Ale, Camden Stout and Mahou. 

Loaded fries and loaded hot dogs at Coventry City (@Coventry_City)

? £6 and £8 pic.twitter.com/tv6QcHNWOC

As the stadium is essentially in the middle of nowhere just off a motorway junction, there isn’t too much on offer in terms of food offsite. If you can’t get into the Mill or the Anecedote before kick-off to eat then your best bet is to look at some of the following places:

• Hollybush – 270 Holbrook Ln, Coventry CV6 4DD
• Khushi Grill – 88 Wheelwright Ln, Coventry CV6 4HH
• Nandos – Unit 1 & 2, Mall Unit 1 & 2, Arena Shopping Park, Classic Drive Mall, Coventry CV6 6AS

There is also the option of heading into Coventry city centre before the match to get something to eat but you will either need to use public transport, drive or get a taxi as the centre is around five miles away from the stadium. 

By car

If you are planning on driving into the stadium then you’ll be pleased to know that the Coventry ground is well serviced for car parking with several thousand dedicated parking spaces.

Another reason Coventry becomes a great away day for so many is its central location in England; most of the population is within easy travelling distance.

Like many newly developed stadiums, its out-of-town positioning also means access is straightforward. In this instance, the M1 and M40 are nearby with the M6 junction 3 just a mere 800m away.

By public transport

There is a train station aptly named ‘Coventry Arena’ located towards the southeast corner of the ground; this is serviced by West Midlands railway with London’s Euston station under an hour’s ride away.

The Coventry Building Society Arena’s capacity is 32,753 and can be expanded to 40,000 for concerts. Coventry’s home stadium has only one two-tiered stand—the West Stand. The second tier is used for hospitality spaces and VIP boxes.

Opposite is the East Stand, where the stadium cameras are located.

Away supporters are typically located in the west corner of the South Stand, with an allocation of around 3,000. In the southeast section of the South Stand, Coventry supporters, in blocks 14 to 16, are nicknamed the “singers’ corner”.

The North Stand has a complicated history due to various sponsorship deals and a closure in the 2010s. It was closed in the 2014/15 season, as fans were protesting against the club’s ownership. This meant there was a lack of demand in that part of the ground, and the operating costs were too high. This was the case until the 2021/22 campaign when Coventry reopened this part of the stadium.

As already mentioned, the stadium’s capacity can increase to 40,000 for concerts as fan segregation is not required. This was the case in July 2009, when just under 40,000 people attended an Oasis concert at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Coventry City do put on stadium tours for guests but only on selected dates throughout the year. They don’t run regularly like at other clubs so fans will need to check the club’s official tour website to see when they are taking place. 

Tours follow a similar pattern to most where fans are given a behind-the-scenes look at the stadium including the press room, dressing rooms, dugouts and pitch. Special guests often join the tour too, including former players, and fans are given an opportunity to ask questions and get photos.

Tour prices

• Adults – £12
• Children aged 2-17 – £8
• Under 2’s – Free
• 65+ – £8

There isn’t an awful lot to see near the CBS Arena due to its location, unless of course you like gambling then there is a casino on your doorstep. If you are prepared to make the journey into Coventry city centre then there are a few things worth doing, including:

• Visit the Coventry Cathedral.
• Check out the Herbert Art Gallery.
• Take a trip to the FarGo Village.
• Watch a show at the Belgrade Theatre.
• Have fun at The Wave.

The CBS Arena is an award-winning stadium in its own right so it’s no surprise that it has proven a popular concert venue for some of the world’s biggest music artists. The following stars have all played at the stadium in recent years.

Harry Styles

Harry Styles kicked off the UK leg of his Love on Tour in the summer of 2023 with back-to-back sold-out shows at the CBS Arena. The former One Direction member thrilled those in attendance with some of his biggest hits including Adore You and Watermelon Sugar.

harrystyles: Love On Tour. Coventry II. May, 2023. pic.twitter.com/KDqFaD1CSj

— Harry Styles Updates. (@TheHarryNews) May 24, 2023

Rhianna

Rhianna sold out the CBS Arena in the summer of 2016 as part of her world tour. The ‘Umbrella’ hitmaker played for two hours, putting on a night to remember for the capacity crowd with her stunning vocals.

Coventry, you looked amazing last night as @Rihanna mesmerised from start to finish! #ANTIWorldTour pic.twitter.com/YJV2VZGg4j

— Coventry Building Society Arena (@CBSArena) June 26, 2016

Coldplay

Coldplay played at the CBS Arena back in 2012 as part of their Mylo Xyloto Tour. Back then, the stadium was still known as the Ricoh Arena but was still more than equipped to deal with the demands of such a high-profile gig.

The Building Society Arena was obviously recently renamed and revamped from an already modern base, the Ricoh Arena, but for many generations, it’s not the ground that is synonymous with Coventry. Prior to the Ricoh Arena, the Coventry stadium was Highfield Road; the Sky Blues played their games here for 106 years between 1899 and April 2005.

The year 2005 saw the birth of the new Coventry stadium, the Ricoh Arena. Coventry played its home games here until the 2019/20 season. At this point, there were legal issues between Coventry and the landlord, Wasps, which resulted in Coventry playing its games as Birmingham’s St Andrew’s stadium for two seasons.

The most recent work undertaken at the Coventry Building Society Arena happened in the summer of 2024 when significant investment was pumped in to create new lounges, refurbish the suites and improve the matchday experience.

The work was largely cosmetic and no structural changes were made to the stadium. As it stands, there are no plans for an expansion.

Aston Villa rivalry – Although Aston Villa have a much bigger rivalry with Birmingham City, they also have a rivalry with Coventry as they are two clubs based in the West Midlands. With the two clubs currently in separate divisions, there isn’t too much to shout about.

Leicester City rivalry – Leicester vs Coventry is known as the M69 Derby and has been known to get a little heated when the two clubs play in the same division. In modern times, Coventry would perhaps consider Leicester their biggest rivals and do sometimes sing about their dislike for them.

Record attendance at the CBS Arena

32,128 – England W vs Italy W, Arnold Clark Cup, 19 February 2023

Coventry City record attendance at the CBS Arena

31,452 vs Middelsbrough, 3 May 2025

Average attendance

• 2024-2025: 27,647 (Championship)
• 2023-2024: 24,785 (Championship)
• 2022-2023: 19,718 (Championship)
• 2021-2022: 19,325 (Championship)
• 2020-2021: 0 (Covid) (Championship)
• 2019-2020: 6,677 (League One)

Adult: £24-£37
Concession: £19-£32
U18: £15-£25
Junior Sky Blue: £10-£15

For any disabled supporters wishing to attend a match at the CBS Arena, please visit the official Coventry City website for all of the relevant information.