Championship side Sheffield Eagles have confirmed that they have submitted planning applications for a new community stadium, something that will boost them immensely in the IMG era of grading.
Sheffield Eagles currently play at the Olympic Legacy Park but their proposed new home will be based at Meadowhead and see the beginning of a partnership with football club Sheffield FC.
FC are actually the oldest football club in the world so the transition to a brand-new stadium will be a major shift, as it will be too for the Eagles who will share the proposed ground.
Sheffield Eagles confirmed their submission today and claimed that the proposed stadium will adhere to both “Football League and Super League criteria”, suggesting huge ambitions for both football and rugby league clubs.
The initial announcement part of the statement read: “Sheffield FC, The World’s First football club and Sheffield Eagles, the city’s professional rugby league club, have submitted a full planning application to Sheffield City Council outlining plans for a highly anticipated 5,000-capacity inclusive community stadium.
“The new stadium, which will be based at the former Sheffield Transport Sports Club site at Meadowhead, will see a partnership forged between Sheffield Eagles and Sheffield FC.
“The ambitious community stadium will encompass professional football and rugby league facilities as well as a cricket pavilion, multi-use artificial sports pitches, a football museum and an indoor community sports hall.
“It is planned that the stadium development scheme will be a fully inclusive community destination for sport and physical activity. Long-term commercial viability will be achieved by maximising public access and community use through health and well-being activities, educational programmes, social and other community events. In addition, park-and-ride facilities will be available within the development.
“The proposed 5,000-capacity stadium will meet the highest standards for both Football and Rugby League, adhering to both Football League and Super League criteria.
“The destination will enable Sheffield Eagles and Sheffield FC to consolidate their full range of sporting, educational, community and cultural activities on the purpose-built site. In addition to both club’s men’s and women’s teams, Sheffield Eagles Wheelchair, Learning Disability and Physical Disability teams will all be based at the complex, which will allow the club to further develop homegrown talent and provide a base for both clubs’ extensive community programmes.
“The development will also generate highway improvements and cycleways in the local area.”
Sheffield Eagles set for potentially massive IMG boost
Credit: Imago Images
The Eagles upgrading their stadium is big news anyway but under the grading era of rugby league, it’s even more important.
Stadium is one of the five pillars of grading and is worth as much as three points, those three points representing 15% of a club’s overall grade hence its significance.
Clubs such as Wakefield Trinity and Castleford Tigers have already set about improving their own stadiums and it seems that Sheffield are the next to take heed and make efforts to rack up the points.
When the provisional gradings were released late in 2023, Sheffield Eagles ranked 22nd of the 35 clubs with a Grade B score of 8.36, less than one point above the Grade C/B threshold.
Investing in a stadium which will have multiple uses could be a massive boost for the club and that’s reflected by what the Eagles’ Director of Rugby Mark Aston said in the statement.
Astong explained: “We’re very excited to have reached the milestone of submitting our planning permission application for the development of the Meadowhead site which will give us the facilities we need to not only achieve our ambitions to return to Super League, but also to give us a base from which to grow our already extensive community programme.
“The feedback from both sets of fans and networks of sponsors has been overwhelmingly positive and everyone sees the potential of both clubs being unlocked with the facilities which are being planned for, which will be world-class.
“We have also had very positive feedback from our governing body, the Rugby Football League, who are supportive of our plans and see how the development can benefit both the Rugby League in Sheffield and on a national basis.
“It’s a great piece of news to kick off our 40th Anniversary Year with and we look forward to continuing our work with Sheffield FC on the next stage of the project.”
