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London, ENG, July 2022: Close-up of the Premier League flag waving in the wind. Premier League is the top level of the English football league system. Fabric textured background. Illustrative editorial

Phoenix Finances: How Coventry City gambled on the Premier League

At the dawn of the Premier League, Coventry City gambled on being part of the new division. As it turned out, it would be a financial risk that would come to...

08.07.26, 21:08 Updated 18.07.26, 21:07 4 Minute Read

Rich Chamberlain

Rich Chamberlain

In 1992, Coventry City's revenues were down, expenditure was up and wages were eating up turnover. Yet the club simply could not afford to cut back.

The Premier League was coming and Coventry knew they had to be part of it. Not just Coventry, but many football clubs in the 1990s chased the Premier League dream. The lure of the Sky TV lucre caused them to take gambles which, upon relegation, became unsustainable millstones around their necks.

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Rich Chamberlain

Rich Chamberlain Rich is a lifelong Coventry supporter and the author of several books about the club, including When The Sky Was Blue, Benno: My Life in Football and Sky Blue Fall.

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