England
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena, home of Coventry City FC, is a 32 000 capacity football stadium. It is named after its sponsor, the Japanese company Ricoh. Permission for the ground's construction was given in the spring of 1999, with a targeted completion date of August 2001. This deadline was not met by almost four years. The original design for the arena was for a state-of-the-art 45 000 capacity stadium with a retractable roof, and a pitch that could slide out to reveal a hard floor for concerts. After Coventry City FC's relegation, a number of contractor and financier withdrawals and England's bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup ended in failure, the plans were significantly downsized to reflect new realities. In October 2006, the Ricoh Arena hosted its first international football game when the England U-21 team played the German U-21 team in the first leg of a qualifying play-off. England won the game 1-0, with the winning goal scored by Leighton Baines.
