Statement - Board of Directors of Sheffield Eagles RLFC (Merged threads)

[League Express]

Following recent unexpected events the board of directors of Sheffield Eagles held an emergency board meeting last night to discuss the options for a playing venue in the city of Sheffield for 2014.

For several months since the announcement of the closure of Don Valley Stadium the club has been in detailed discussions regarding the newly developed Sheffield Hallam University sports complex on Bawtry Road.

Following a meeting last Wednesday it now appears that option is no longer available for first team fixtures. This has led to an emergency situation where the very future of the Eagles has been thrown into doubt.

Click here to view the article

[roughyedspud]

can't they play at brammall lane??

[StixRooster]

Every football club locally has been approached and given a negative response. There is nowhere else suitable in the city, or in Rotherham etc.

 

Owlerton is a run down (aside from the great corporate facilities designed for the dogs) stadium that even provides a pretty poor viewing platform for it's other uses, Stock Cars and Speedway. The back straight terrace was condemned several years ago. The only seating is in the restaurant or bars that are on the bends. There is good terracing, undercover at either end, but the view is obscured by the greyhound track/speedway track lighting and in that it's shallow and low down. On the home straight, where the restaurant is, there is no terracing and you're virtually on ground level with the pitch and looking through the barriers across both tracks.

 

It would also need, I reckon, a complete new playing surface as it's been cut up by cars running off.

[Manx RL]

Merge with Huddersfield.

[buford t justice]

Sounds like Owlerton and a drop into Championship 1 is the only viable option unless the millionaire sheikh at Sheffield United will take them in for free.

The uncertainty for the players has been apparent in the recent poor form theyve had, so at least now we know why.

Might have a few quid on Dewsbury on Sunday depending on what start they have.

[Wolford6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millmoor

 

A goer?

[West Country Eagle]

Sounds like Owlerton and a drop into Championship 1 is the only viable option unless the millionaire sheikh at Sheffield United will take them in for free.

The uncertainty for the players has been apparent in the recent poor form theyve had, so at least now we know why.

Might have a few quid on Dewsbury on Sunday depending on what start they have.

Why would they have to drop into Championship 1? The capacity at Owlerton is around 4,000. The Eagles already own a temporary stand (was secured for use with the proposed move to Bawtry Road), which would be put under the "Panorama Room" to make a main stand.

Owlerton has some issues - as STix Rooster says, the terracing on the far side needs sorting, the pitch, changing rooms etc - but these are things that could be sorted without hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment.

The players form has nothing to do with uncertainty over the ground - they're just knackered. They've played a lot of games and the Eagles squad is quite small. It was always going to be a big ask to expect them to maintain the level we saw earlier in the season.

This statement from the Eagles is obviously designed to put pressure on the council to help out by finding a small amount of money to help with renovations to Owlerton. The council have already stated that they will "do all they can to keep the Eagles in Sheffield". Now they've been given a chance to follow through on their promise.

[Ponterover]

What a kick in the nuts for the club.

 

There must be somewhere they can play, what happened to Bramall Lane?  Did United kick them out or was it too expensive?

[West Country Eagle]

What a kick in the nuts for the club.

 

There must be somewhere they can play, what happened to Bramall Lane?  Did United kick them out or was it too expensive?

The original plan for next year was to play some games (I.E the matches against Fev, Fax, Leigh etc) at Brammall Lane, and the rest at Bawtry Road (new Sheffield Hallam sports facility). For some reason the University changed their mind and that's what's caused the current situation.

It's not great, to be honest, but the club needs to make the best out of a bad situation. Knowing Mark Aston, Ian Swire and the rest of the directors, they'll be working 24/7 on this to sort out a solution that helps them stay in Sheffield.

[binosh]

oh dear!

[StixRooster]

Didn't know that bit about the temporary stand, sounds a very good idea. What Owlerton does have is superb corporate facilities and certainly compared to many clubs in the Championship and below

[buford t justice]

Why would they have to drop into Championship 1? The capacity at Owlerton is around 4,000. The Eagles already own a temporary stand (was secured for use with the proposed move to Bawtry Road), which would be put under the "Panorama Room" to make a main stand.

Owlerton has some issues - as STix Rooster says, the terracing on the far side needs sorting, the pitch, changing rooms etc - but these are things that could be sorted without hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment.

The players form has nothing to do with uncertainty over the ground - they're just knackered. They've played a lot of games and the Eagles squad is quite small. It was always going to be a big ask to expect them to maintain the level we saw earlier in the season.

This statement from the Eagles is obviously designed to put pressure on the council to help out by finding a small amount of money to help with renovations to Owlerton. The council have already stated that they will "do all they can to keep the Eagles in Sheffield". Now they've been given a chance to follow through on their promise.

Alls rosey in the garden then, makes you wonder why the BOD bothered putting out a statement, they should have just asked you.

[jt]

They will be playing in Sheffield next year

[Gav Wilson]

Alls rosey in the garden then, makes you wonder why the BOD bothered putting out a statement...

 

A bit of posturing to get some help out of the council probably.

[Blackbeard]

Merge with Huddersfield.

:laugh:

[West Country Eagle]

A bit of posturing to get some help out of the council probably.

That's pretty much it as far as I can see. Many in the council are supportive as far as I can tell, it's just that the Eagles need them to actually do something rather than just say they will "try".

Full page in the Sheffield Star today. Local papers love a good campaign and this one ticks all the boxes (opportunity for them to get comments in from readers, doesn't cost the paper anything, a convenient stick to beat the local council with).

They'll stay in Sheffield. One way or another they'll sort something out, probably at Owlerton. Not ideal but it's a start.

[PhilCarrington]

given that oldham are talking about playing at Leigh Sporting Village, maybe they could move there and we could have 4 sides playing there.

[Lobbygobbler]

I recall it being a good stadium because it had a covered terrace behind the sticks and decent corporate facillities

[Griff]

given that oldham are talking about playing at Leigh Sporting Village, maybe they could move there and we could have 4 sides playing there.

 

Jeez - why don't we all move to the LSV - seven games a week - that's one every day.

 

Simpuls !!

[Griff]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millmoor

 

A goer?

 

No - see previous threads on the subject.

[superten]

Its a sad state of affairs.I wouldnt want to see them leave sheffield,but if needs must on a temp basis then so be it. Could The Dorothy Hyman stadium in cudworth be an option as a temp home ?

[Marauder]

Its a sad state of affairs.I wouldnt want to see them leave sheffield,but if needs must on a temp basis then so be it. Could The Dorothy Hyman stadium in cudworth be an option as a temp home ?

Goole Town

[Netherton Ram]

Lets be honest here, they could surely see it coming. For many years there has been problems with playing at Don Valley for them. Whether this be because of athletic meets or other events. The ball should have been set into motion many years before the announcement of the closure of Don Valley. It was never a good option for a ground in terms of it feeling like a 'home' and also for spectators and fans.

[Steve Slater]

Play the big games at Bramall Lane, and play out of town for the smaller games. If, for example, they played the smaller games at Fev, and let their season ticket holders in for half price, the money they got off Fev fans would pay for free busses for Eagles fans to travel from Sheffield. Might even get more away fans, cos Fev is nearer to most. Wakefield is also another option if you want to slum it.At least it would give the Eagles time to get another stadium ready!

[Methven Hornet]

What was the supposed deal with Bawtry Road (Sheffield Hallam University's sports complex)? I've looked at the redevelopment plans and it didn't look anywhere good enough for the Championship, let alone the proposed second tier of Super League