SHEFFIELD EAGLES are looking forward to getting back onto grass when they play their first match at the MEPS International Home Of Football Stadium against London Broncos on Sunday.
The club are moving in with non-league football’s Sheffield FC, with whom they have close links, a joint director in businessman Jeremy Levine and long-term plans to build a new shared 5,000-capacity stadium in the Meadowhead area south of the city centre.
The 2,000-plus MEPS Stadium over the Derbyshire border in Dronfield, seven miles from Sheffield, has a grass pitch as opposed to the artificial surface on which the Eagles have been playing home games at the Steel City Stadium.
And they say that along with lower costs, better revenue-generating opportunities and an “enhanced” matchday experience, it’s a major factor in their decision to make the move.
“Player welfare has been a key consideration,” explained the club.
“Following a series of injuries over the past season-and-a half, alongside a clear preference from the squad, the move to a natural grass surface is seen as a positive step forward.
“This will also assist us in the player market as Super League clubs are more amenable to loaning players to clubs with a grass pitch.”
Sheffield FC, who play in Northern Counties East League Premier Division (level nine of the pyramid) with hopes of climbing higher, are recognised as the world’s oldest team (they were formed in 1857).
And like the Eagles (founded in late 1999), they have been nomadic over their history, playing at Dronfield since 2001 after spells at Owlerton Stadium and the old Don Valley Stadium, both of which have been used by the Eagles over the years.
Sheffield FC have recently made a number of ground improvements.