Rugby league: Sheffield Eagles to return the site of the old Don Valley in 2016

Sheffield Eagles will return to the site of the old Don Valley Stadium in 2016 as part of an Olympic Legacy Park.

The Park's centrepiece will be an Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC) based in a state of-the-art facility with indoor and outdoor facilities which organisers say will bring long-term benefits for the country in terms of health and sport, as well as a 10,000-capacity community stadium.

The announcement was made by former Sports Minister Richard Caborn and Sheffield City Council leader Julie Dore at a media briefing at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.

The new stadium will be like no other in this country, in that it will be designed and managed to have multiple uses that reflect the needs of the broader community as well as being a top-class facility for performance rugby of both codes.

"We are taking the city's heritage into a modern setting," said project leader Caborn. "This project has three clear objectives. We will deliver a multi-sports community stadium which can accommodate professional sports and will wash its face financially.

"Through the AWRC, we will bring academia, the medical profession and the full spread of physical activity across the city, from sedentary lifestyles to elite and professional athletes.

"Finally, we will deliver knowledge, intellectual property and practical development of products and services to the wealth-creating sectors of health, wellbeing and sports sectors within the Sheffield City region."

Don Valley Stadium, which helped produce Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill, was closed a year ago as part of the council's cost-cutting measures and demolished last November.

The Eagles, who were left homeless by the closure, have secured a £6million investment to help fund the building of a new stadium, which will feature a synthetic pitch, a 2,500-seat main stand, a 50-bedroom hotel, hospitality areas and facilities developed in partnership with Sheffield's second University Technical College (UTC).

Re-location consideration

The rugby league club returned to the Owlerton greyhound stadium, which was their first home in 1984, for the 2014 season but are now considering re-locating outside the city in 2015 before moving into their new home.

The new ground gives us the impetus to challenge for and achieve Super League status, something we have never given up on.

Eagles director Ian Anniss said: "The new stadium will be like no other in this country, in that it will be designed and managed to have multiple uses that reflect the needs of the broader community as well as being a top-class facility for performance rugby of both codes."

Sheffield chief executive and head coach Mark Aston, who was man of the match in the Eagles' famous Challenge Cup win over Wigan at Wembley in 1998, said: "The new ground gives us the impetus to challenge for and achieve Super League status, something we have never given up on."

The Park will also provide a home for the Sheffield Sharks basketball club in an indoor arena featuring three full-size courts and seating for 3,000.

Organisers say the Park - a joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield City Council and the private sector - has already attracted nearly £40m of investment and a further £10m is being sought from the Regional Growth Fund.

The first phase of re-development is under way with the building of a school catering for children from two to 16 years.

The school will open in September 2015, with the secondary phase opening a year later, when UTC is due to open, specialising in human sciences and digital technologies.