It May Not Be The End For The Don Valley Stadium After All

At a time when the news is all about Olympic gold medalist Jessica Ennis and her sadness at the demise of the Don Valley Stadium, more upbeat news is filtering through that it may not be the end of the road for Sheffield’s iconic stadium after all.

It has been revealed that there are ambitious plans to redevelop the stadium at a total cost of £40 million would include a new sports medicine centre and college. A National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and a second University Technical College for Sheffield would be created alongside a new rugby stadium and athletics facilities if the scheme goes ahead.

Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield

The plans would also include a ‘High Performance Centre’ linking existing elite sports based in the Lower Don Valley with Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Sports Engineering Research. The centre would also be connected with the developing Medical Advanced Manufacturing Centre at Catcliffe. Now a feasibility study will be carried out to see if the scheme is a viable proposition.

£40 million is a substantial sum of money, although some funding for the project has been committed by Sheffield Council and the Government.

Former Sheffield Central MP and Sports Minister Richard Caborn, has been appointed by council leader Julie Dore to look at options after Don Valley closes, but confirms that the funding has not yet been secured.  The council has pledged £150,000 to the scheme and is bidding for up to £300,000 from Sports England and UK Athletics.  The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine is being developed as part of a £10m scheme in Sheffield, which includes a revamp of Graves Tennis and Leisure Centre in Norton, with funding coming from the Government and NHS.

Mr Caborn said: “In effect it becomes an Advanced Sports and Well Being Park, giving a comprehensive delivery of the Olympic legacy.  This is an economic wealth generation project which would take the Don Valley Stadium site from being under-utilised to becoming an economic driver. It also builds on the large critical mass of activity around medical technology. More than 200 companies in the Sheffield City Region feed into this global market worth a projected £300 billion.”

Both universities, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, the trust behind Sheffield’s first University Technical College, and Sport England are supporting the scheme.  Andrew Snelling, deputy chief executive from Sheffield International Venues which operates Don Valley Stadium and the English Institute of Sport, also in the Lower Don Valley, said: “We are delighted to support this project and continue to work closely and support Richard Caborn to deliver this vision.”