Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park Community Stadium – stadium description

How did the Olympic Heritage Park in Sheffield develop?

Don Valley Stadium, one of England's premier athletics venues, was demolished in Sheffield in late 2013 and early 2014 due to high maintenance costs. In its place, the Olympic Legacy Park (the name refers to the 2012 London Olympics) was created.

A new football and rugby pitch, fitted with third generation artificial turf, became part of the park. The ground, commissioned in April 2017, was built on the exact site of the former Don Valley Stadium, although it is rotated 90 degrees from the previous one.

Who does the new pitch at Sheffield Olympic Heritage Park serve?

In March 2018, rugby league club Sheffield Eagles moved into the facility, having been forced to play their matches at various stadiums outside the city following the closure of Don Valley Stadium. A modest, although covered, temporary stand was also built adjacent to the pitch.

It was assumed that the ground would also be used on a permanent basis by Sheffield United WFC women's football team. The squad moved into the facility at the end of 2018, but decided to move to Technique Stadium in Chesterfield after a year. However, the facility is open to partnerships with other clubs and is also available for hire to ordinary residents.

When was the new stand at the pitch in Sheffield's Olympic Heritage Park built?

In 2018, renderings of the new permanent stand were unveiled, along with extensive facilities. A modest groundbreaking ceremony was held in January 2020, but work did not start until early 2021. The design of the new stand was carried out by Whittam Cox Architects in collaboration with Arup Sheffield. GMI Construction Group became the main contractor.

Fans had the opportunity to enter the new stand for the first time on May 15, 2022, on the occasion of a charity football match (Sheffield Legends - Hallam FC Veterans 5:0). The first Sheffield Eagles match after the new stand was made available to fans was on May 23, 2022, with the completion of the construction work announced at the end of June 2022.

What does the stadium currently look like at Sheffield's Olympic Heritage Park?

On the west side of the venue, known as the Community Stadium, is the new stand, which opened in 2022. It has 758 covered spectator seats. The three-story building also offers 23,000 square feet of usable space (facilities, offices, meeting rooms, etc.). There are plans to extend the stands to accommodate 3,900 spectators (the stadium's capacity has so far been set at 1,320, including the space around the pitch).