Don Valley closure has Eagles fearing for their future

The South Yorkshire club held an emergency board meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the options for a playing venue in the city for 2014.

Since the announcement in April of the planned closure of Don Valley Stadium, the Eagles had been in detailed talks regarding the newly-developed Sheffield Hallam University sports complex.

However, it has recently emerged their first-team fixtures can not, after all, be played there which has proven a concerning setback in their plans.

“This has led to an emergency situation where the very future of the Eagles has been thrown into doubt,” said Swire, in a statement on behalf of the 1998 Challenge Cup winners.

“Press and media announcements by Mark Aston, the head coach and chief executive, over the weekend have led to reassuring statements from Sheffield City Council that it will ‘do everything to ensure that the club continues to play games in the city next season’.

“The only possible remaining venue within Sheffield that could potentially accommodate the Eagles is Owlerton Stadium where the Eagles started out life almost 30 years ago.

“However, there is likely to be a substantial amount of work required to bring the stadium up to RFL requirements.”

Owlerton was built back in 1929, and has a capacity of around 4,000, but is currently mainly used for greyhounds and speedway. However, the reigning Championship champions – who have hopes of returning to Super League – hope Sheffield City Council will support them in “their hour of need” if it does prove to be the last remaining viable option.

“The stadium lost its safety licence for playing rugby league games in 1989 and a feasibility study will need to be carried out to see how practicable it will be to return rugby league to the stadium,” added Swire, who is rightly worried that decades of unstinting work building the sport in the city is going to go to waste. “Sheffield City Council is providing capital sums to relocate athletics to Woodbourn Road and it is to be hoped that they can also assist rugby league to relocate to Owlerton if the feasibility study is positive.

“Without a professional rugby league club in Sheffield then all the community work that the club has been carrying out over those 30 years will cease, to the great detriment of thousands of youngsters in the city.

“Sheffield Eagles are the current rugby league champions but the sport of rugby league may be lost to the city of Sheffield unless assistance is forthcoming.

“Sheffield Eagles is a not for profit community club and has been self-sufficient throughout its existence and has brought great prestige to Sheffield without a penny of assistance from the Council. In its hour of need the club is appealing for one off assistance to allow it to survive the closure of Don Valley Stadium and ensure that it remains a thriving club for years to come, providing ongoing opportunities for the youth of Sheffield to participate in the sport.”

Aston’s side return to Don Valley for one last time on Sunday night as they strive to hold on to their title when they face Dewsbury Rams in an elimination play-off (6.30pm).