A CHAMPIONSHIP club’s former stadium looks unrecognisable after being transformed into a rugby ground with a capacity of just 2,000.
The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium is home to the Sheffield Eagles rugby league side.
Built between 2021 and 2022, it was opened two years ago following a £10million construction project.
The arena holds 2,000 people and also plays host to the Sheffield Giants American football team.
It was the previous home of Sheffield United Women too.
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But it looked very different back when Championship side Rotherham played there.
The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Stadium was built over the site of the Don Valley Stadium, which closed in 2013 and was demolished a year later.
The £29m arena, opened in 1990, was the second-largest athletics stadium in the country and could hold 25,000 spectators.
That number doubled for concerts and similar events.
But it also played host to Rotherham when the club was without a home for four years.
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Between 2008 and 2012, up to 10,000 fans were allowed in for each game before Rotherham moved into the New York stadium – where they remain to this day.
However, the Don Valley Stadium was closed by Sheffield City Council 11 years ago as part of a £50m budget cut.
The site, which had previously been renovated in 2008, was entirely demolished.
But in 2014, it was announced that an Olympic Legacy Park would be built over its remains.
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As well as the new stadium, the site now contains an indoor sports arena and several schools.
It now plays host to the Sheffield Eagles, who had also played at the Don Valley Stadium and were forced to ground-share in Doncaster, Rotherham and Wakefield until the 2022 opening of the Legacy Stadium.
Speaking ahead of its opening, captain Anthony Thackeray said: “It’s been a long time coming.
“It’s really important for the club, the fans and everyone involved.”
