England to play at Ricoh
The Ricoh Arena is to host another top international football match.

England will begin their European Under-21 Championship home qualifying campaign against Macedonia at the Ricoh on Friday, October 9 (7.45pm).

It will be the third qualifying game for Stuart Pearce’s men who play their opening fixture on Friday in Macedonia followed by a trip to Greece on September 8th.

Tickets for the game, which is expected to be a sell out, will go on sale through Coventry City later today and are priced at £10 for adults and £5 for juniors.

It is the second time the Ricoh has hosted the under-21 team. England beat Germany 1-0 in a qualifying play off in October 2006.

Daniel Gidney, chief executive of the Ricoh Arena, said he hoped the event would attract another bumper crowd.

He said: “There is great interest in the under-21s especially after they did so well this summer in reaching the final of the European Championships.

“The game they played here almost three years ago was a great success not only for the team but also for the Ricoh.

“We have consistently said that we want to attract top international events to the Ricoh, and this is another one.

“Our ambitions to host football games during the 2012 Olympics are well known and attracting this level of event can only help us achieve that aim.

“We hope that people come out in numbers to watch a team of players who are very highly regarded.”

Sky Blues defender Martin Cranie, who starred for Stuart Pearce’s team in the summer, is now too old to play but Jack Cork, on loan at City from Chelsea, could well figure during the campaign.

Coventry chairman Ray Ranson, who won 10 under-21 caps as a player, said: “This will give our supporters – and others from around the country – the chance to see the latest crop of players in Stuart Pearce’s squad, many of whom could well go on to play for the full national side.”

Further ticket deals, such as group booking and club discounts, will be posted on www.ricoharena.com and www.ccfc.co.uk this week.