Dave Boddy, the chief executive of Coventry City, will depart from the Sky Blues at the end of January.
Boddy joined the team in February 2017, the same month that the Sky Blues won the Checkatrade Trophy at Wembley and were promoted from League Two to the Championship.
Along with great efforts on a daily and operational basis, as well as in communicating with Sky Blues supporters throughout his tenure as Chief Executive, Boddy has given the Club constant stability, experience, knowledge, and leadership. Off the field, the Club faced challenges like a groundshare, a pandemic, and administration of the stadium it rents. However, those challenges were overcome during that time.
Boddy stated:
“After the amazing trip we have been on together for the past seven years, I have chosen to call it quits. I have made the decision to leave the Club on good terms and to take some time off to refuel.
I genuinely hope that Doug King can deliver on his goal for leading the Club towards the Premier League. I made the decision to quit back in the summer, but I consented to stay on while Doug started the process of restructuring, which he has almost finished.
Our accomplishments have been amazing despite incredibly challenging circumstances, and I am incredibly proud of my role in that success. We have brought the Club back from the brink of League Two to the Championship play-off finalists thanks to the genius of Mark Robins, with whom I have a tremendous connection, and Adi Viveash.
“We overcame numerous difficulties and roadblocks to accomplish all of this despite the odds.
It was really challenging to groundshare with Birmingham City at St Andrew’s after being ejected from the Arena by the Wasps in 2019 and to deal with the pandemic shortly after. We succeeded in getting a great ten-year deal with Wasps to bring them back to the Arena in March 2021, but in November 2022 they declared bankruptcy and folded.
“2022 proved to be an especially challenging year, given the problems we encountered with the Arena’s surface during the Commonwealth Games rugby matches, which were shortly followed by the Wasps’ and the Arena’s near-collapse. This adds to the miracle of our reaching the Championship Play-Off Final, since all of our playing accomplishments at every level have been made possible by budgets that are below average.
Along with record-breaking season ticket sales for the past two seasons, we have also experienced increases in attendance. Thanks to our fantastic cooperation with Hummel, we have been able to produce some of the best jerseys in a long time. In the meantime, via our work in the community and supporters clubs, we have strengthened our relationship with supporters in spite of obstacles beyond the Club. Relationships were toxic when I joined, but things have changed since then, and those ties have been restored.
“The success we have attained is evidence of the unity and spirit we have fostered at Ryton, and the outstanding employees who have worked there have been instrumental in our success.
Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to the Sky Blue Army for their unwavering support of me. I have found great motivation in your support, especially at the darkest times.
“No matter where the future leads me, I will always be Sky Blue.”
Mark Robins, manager of Coventry City, stated: I want to thank Dave for all of his assistance and encouragement for the previous seven years. During my tenure, he has assisted in making all of the choices and taking all of the actions.
I look forward to catching up and seeing what he decides to pursue in the future, but I will miss all of our daily interactions.”
Owner of Coventry City, Doug King, stated:
“Dave departs Coventry City Football Club in a significantly better situation than what he inherited, having served the Club with great dedication over a lengthy period of time.
He has been very supportive of the direction I plan to take the Club over the last year, so this seems like a good time to part ways and wish him well. He is always welcome back to the Coventry Building Society Arena.” In due course, the Club will release more information about the new appointments.
