Coventry City FC has been awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City in recognition of its promotion back to the Premier League and outstanding contribution to the life of the city.
The honour was granted unanimously at an Extraordinary General Meeting of Coventry City Council today (23 June), and follows an historic season in which the Sky Blues were crowned EFL Championship champions and returned to the Premier League after 25 years.
It covers the club in its entirety, recognising the players, management, staff, owner and the supporters and communities who have stood behind the team.
Councillor George Duggins, Leader of Coventry City Council, who nominated the club for the prestigious honour, said: “Coventry is immensely proud of its football club, and the return to the Premier League is a moment of huge significance for our city.
“This is an extraordinary achievement which deserves an extraordinary honour. Awarding the Honorary Freedom of the City is our way, on behalf of the whole city, of saying thank you and recognising everything the club has given to Coventry.
“This achievement belongs not only to the team and everyone at the club, but to the generations of supporters and communities who have always stood behind them.”
The Honorary Freedom of the City is the most prestigious civic honour the Council can award, and is given to people or organisations who have ‘rendered eminent services to the city’. It was most recently awarded in 2022, when the staff of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust was recognised for service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sky Blues owner, Doug King, said: "‘On behalf of Coventry City Football Club, it's a great honour that you've given us.
"I feel we had the freedom of the city on that incredible parade culminating in Memorial Park on May 4, and I thank you for supporting that parade with the football club to make it an event that I think was 25 years in the making.
‘It was momentous and one of the proudest days of my life.’
Beyond the sporting achievement, Premier League status represents a significant opportunity for Coventry. The wider benefit to the city and region is expected to be felt across hospitality, retail, tourism and the visitor economy, with Premier League fixtures placing Coventry on a global stage every week.
The club’s championship and return to the top flight was celebrated by the whole city on Bank Holiday Monday 4 May, when an open-top bus parade wound through Coventry's communities – watched by an estimated 200,000 people along the route – culminating in the "We Are Back: Live" festival in War Memorial Park, attended by almost 50,000 fans.
The celebrations were delivered by the club in partnership with Coventry City Council.