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Harry Styles concerts to offer huge cash boost to Coventry schools and clubs
A new deal has been signed that will see schools and sports clubs pocket more cash from punters attending major events at the CBS Arena. Bosses at Coventry Building Society Arena are working with organisations in the area to utilise their car parks and provide off-site spaces for concert-goers and people attending large functions at the stadium.
The news comes as the venue prepares to host two sold out Harry Styles concerts and a headline performance from Arctic Monkeys over the next two weeks. Around 100,000 people are expected to attend the trio of concerts.
Former One Direction member Harry Styles will perform on May 22 and 23 with Sheffield indie-rockers Arctic Monkeys taking to the stage on May 31. Off-site car parking arrangements at the arena have been brought back in-house under new owners Frasers Group which has proposed a new deal allowing organisations that free up their sites for parking to claim a larger share of the profits.
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The new arrangement, which offers a financial shot in the arm when times are especially hard for sports clubs, community centres and schools across the UK, applies to large-scale events, but not Coventry City matches at this stage. A 10-minute walk from the stadium, Coventry Welsh Rugby Club, in Exhall, says funding from the previous parking arrangement has been crucial in recent years.
Chairman Paul Neal says the improved offer, which will continue to make use of CWRC’s space for 500 cars, will bring significant benefits to the club and its members. “The revenue from customers parking at our club has been really important to us over the years and has helped us to make crucial upgrades to the club,” he said.
“We’re all volunteers and operationally we wouldn’t be able to keep going without income from events at the Arena. The new deal with the stadium will bring further benefits, with the increased percentage in profits being put towards further work at the club.
“From the concerts this summer we hope to be able to renovate and refresh the ladies’ toilets on site and make further improvements for visitors to the club.” Chris Owen, head of venue operations at the Arena, said he was proud of the new deal, ‘ensuring that schools and sports clubs get an even bigger cut of the revenue’.
“The arrangement will bring major benefits to the local community as clubs and schools can reinvest the funds into facilities to benefit their students, staff or members,” he said. “Budgets are increasingly tight for schools and clubs.
“We hope this arrangement will help provide support against those challenges and support organisations to stay operational and continue providing their vital community services. This is one of many initiatives we are expanding to bring widespread benefits to people living in the city.”
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