From the League Express about the prospect of Sheffield Eagles playing at Bramall Lane in 2016...

Sheffield Eagles are in negotiations to play their home games at Bramall Lane in 2016 whilst the planning application for their proposed new stadium is now being considered by Sheffield City Council. Sheffield United FC, who own Bramall Lane, are thought to be sympathetic to a deal to allow the Eagles to play there next year.

From the League Express about the Olympic Legacy Park, with quotes from Eagles chairman Ian Swire

The Eagles' initial wish to move into their new home in March 2016 is now unlikely to be realised, according to the club's chairman Ian Swire. "The stadium will have a capacity of 5,000, with a main stand holding 2,500 seats and with 2,500 spectators standing between the two ends. We can ultimately get the capacity to 10,000." Swire told League Express. "We have funding for the main stand. We had initially thought we could be in during the 2016 season, but that won't happen now. Our best hope will be the middle eights of next year. But 2017 is more likely."

Excellent news if true hopefully we will be playing there in the superleague next season however there is more chance of Leigh fans of being gracious in victory !!!

I don't think Aston Park was ever going to be ready for the start of the season. Sometime mid-2016 was always going to be more likely.

I was at Bramall Lane about five weeks ago - the pitch was totally removed and there were huge diggers shifting mountains of sand onto it. They're having some new technology pitch put on it which will be more hard wearing - 27G or whatever G we're up to these days.

The local press has the following written at the end of a report :- [i Meanwhile, rumours have been circulating regarding the Eagles ‘home’ for next season. Eagles are forging ahead with plans for a new stadium on their former site at Don Valley Stadium, the multi-sports Olympic Legacy Park facility, but it looks increasingly likely that they won’t be moving in until after next season.
Speculation suggests a move back to Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane is being mooted.
However it is believed that there is an option to play at their current residence at The Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster for another year.[/i

[url=http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/sport/other-sport/sheffield-eagles-must-strike-back-after-big-loss-1-7324697Report[/url

While I don't know what the preference of the players might be,as far as beginning to build a fanbase,and making it a little easier for Mr Jolley to do his magic off the field,it would appear to me to be better if the club started at the earliest opportunity to be Sheffield-centric in thought and deed.

It has to be easier for a small step to be made in Sheffield than it will be for another year away and then a bigger step across south Yorkshire.

Any views?

Yes to be back in sheffield can only be a bonus I thought Keep moat would offer a full playing season but it hasn't - not sure if the middle 8 fixtures will be a problem. So will the lane be any different in terms of possible holiday elsewhere while they manicure the lawn. So it would be back to sheffield for me and then being selfish I might get to see a home match.

. But roll on back to don valley and a place we can call home!

So planning permission & funding is in place and we'll be in OLP for 2016. Looks like none of those three were true then. Will believe it when I see it.

Come on - chill pills available



I think it is all coming together - and I don't think moving in mid-season,if it is all complete by April time,is the best policy as the club should have a nice long exciting build up and lots of ideas as they approach a new season.

The funding seems to be coming together with a million and a half pounds recently from Toshiba to add to the previous millions.

[url=http://www.utc2sheffield.org.uk/news/advanced-wellbeing-research-centre-awrc-announces-1-5m-toshiba-deal-4806Bit Of An Update From Last Month[/url

We were told we had the funding for the ground last year. I'm not remotely interested in funding for schools, technical colleges, advanced manufacturing parks, universities, wellbeing parks and whatever else makes up the entire complex. I keep seeing various press releases that 'planning permission has been submitted' and it's all in council and building jargon. I have no idea if we have received planning permission for the new ground, if we've actually bought any bricks yet, and if building work has commenced. Due to the lack of news I can only assume that the last two are a no. No idea on the first.

We were also told the ground was going to hold 10,000, now it's dropped to 5,000. What's the minimum capacity for a ground to be eligible for Super League again?

This is the only thing I can find. It's taken from the RFL website when the licensing system was still in place, it's under the sub-heading 'Will a club from the Championship definitely be awarded a license?'

"a. Club has reached a Championship Final or won the Northern Rail Cup in 2009 or 2010.
b. Club has a stadium with an operational capacity of 10,000.
c. Club has turnover of at least £1,000,000 in financial year ending 2009 or 2010 (turnover of charitable Foundation can be included in this figure).
d. Club has an average attendance of at least 2500 in 2009 or 2010"

I doubt point B, which relates to your question, has been changed.

Griff will probably know for sure.

I think it changed when Licensing ended.
London Broncos,while in Super League last year,went to The Hive,which,I believe,has 3k seats and 5k capacity.

The one to be constructed for us will start at 4/5k with the potential to be able to account for 10k.

Salford has the capacity of 12k and able to be enlarged to 18/20k just as the HJ Stadium at Warrington has been able to increase capacity recently.

The one at Leigh is 12k capacity,all seated and I believe it cannot increase capacity but is large enough to hold international games.

The Minimum Standards I can find - not very helpful - but fairly up to date - [url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/rules/interactive_operational_rules?section=A2ARE HERE[/url

Keep The Faith - as they say

Minimum standards are all very pappy these days. Deliberately so, I suspect.

I'm not sure why folk think we can't play in Aston Park until the capacity's up to 10000

Show me somewhere where anyone has said we can't play there unless the capacity is 10,000?

The issue is, we were told the stadium would have a capacity of 10,000, now it's 5,000. Why has it been halved?

Because when we start playing in it, it'll be half finished.

Still big enough for us. Why wait ?

It may be nit picking, but the Stadium can have a capacity of 10,000 even though we're only building half the stands and terraces at the moment. There's room to build the other accommodation when we get into Super League, and there doesn't seem much point paying to build a stand which will remain empty until we do. On the odd occasion that we might need the space (say we draw Leeds at home in the 2017 Challenge Cup QF) we could always go to Bramall Lane, or maybe Hillsborough now they are both going to have Desso pitches.

I do understand that, but in a hypothetical situation, we get promoted and the capacity of the new stadium is 5,000. By the time we have added an extra 5,000 capacity, we could have been relegated again!

Yeah, but we could get promoted again.

In fact, that sort of cycle is quite likely.

Where will Sheffield Eagles nest next season? - www.thestar.co.uk/sport/other-sp ... -1-7335930

Where will Sheffield Eagles nest next season? - www.thestar.co.uk/sport/other-sp ... -1-7335930

Work on the new stadium site scheduled to start next month - para 7

Sheffield Eagles mentioned - para 9

[url=http://olympiclegacypark.co.uk/news/2015/09/city-planners-give-green-light-to-sheffields-second-utcOf This Little Lot[/url