We’ve brought Rugby League back to the city as our £7m sports facility at Bawtry Road becomes the new home for the Sheffield Eagles.
The Eagles, whose first home game of the season was last week, will play all of their 2016 home fixtures at the 3,000-capacity Sheffield Hallam University Sports Park.
Fans took advantage of the newly-installed sheltered stand, which seats up to 1,000 people, as they watched their side’s 26-6 victory over Halifax on Friday.
The 22-acre sports park officially opened in 2013 and includes international-standard football and rugby pitches with floodlights, along with artificial 3G pitches, which can be used for a variety of sports such as football, rugby, American football, cricket and lacrosse.
The Graham Solley Pavilion gives a centre to the park, and houses changing rooms, physiotherapy facilities and a social space for students and visiting teams.
Eagles supporter, Katy Owen, said, ‘I thought the ground was excellent, I was really impressed with it. It was a nice, big pitch and the atmosphere was good because we were all together in the stand. I really enjoyed it and it’ll be even better in the summer.’
Sheffield Eagles chairman, Ian Swire, said: ‘The facilities are fantastic with the best pitches in the league. The players really appreciate a big, wide-open pitch and it makes for a much more exciting game of rugby. The fans were singing the praises of the facilities and it makes more exciting for them as they’re inches away from the players.’
Mark Swales, director of Facilities and Estates at Sheffield Hallam, said, ‘We are delighted to welcome the Eagles back to Sheffield and are proud to be able to host their home games this season.
‘Our Sports Park is one of the best outdoor multi-sports facilities in Yorkshire, and will benefit not only our students, but the community teams that use it as well.
‘This project demonstrates Sheffield Hallam’s world class facilities and our commitment to developing strong partnerships with top sports clubs across the region.’
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