The Sheffield stadium where Jessica Ennis trains and home to the Sheffield Eagles could be demolished in a bid to save money, according to a document seen by the BBC.
The document shows Sheffield City Council could save £500,000 per year if the Don Valley Stadium was to close. The council said no decisions had been made and this was just one of a list of money-saving options. Ennis’s coach, Toni Minichiello, said the Olympian would remain in the city even if she had to train elsewhere.
The document, seen by BBC Radio Sheffield, raises the possibility of reopening the city’s smaller Woodburn Road Athletics Stadium which was closed 18 months ago to save money.
Sheffield Council needs to slice £50m from its budget this year, and the documents we have seen are a menu of options to see where that money can be found. Council leader Julie Dore has already said that nothing apart from Children’s Services is off the table. The mention of demolishing Don Valley shows how seriously they are looking.
No decisions have been made and the stadium may not be closed, but anything saved in this round of budget cuts will be on that same list of options next year.
Sheffield Eagles rugby league club still play some games at the Don Valley Stadium, but Rotherham United’s short tenancy there ended after the club moved in to its own stadium in July last year.