Watching the British Athletics GP at the Don Valley Stadium today, and the British swimming championships the other week got me thinking.....could sheffield host the commonwealth games if it were to start tommorrow. It seems to me that for all the venues used at manchester 2002, there is an equivalent in Sheffield. I'm a sad bastard like that.

http://www.zumtobel.com/download/thorn_eis_sheffield.jpg

http://www.eis-sheffield.co.uk/images/badminton1.JPG

http://www.eis-sheffield.co.uk/images/sports_hall.JPG

http://www.cityofsheffieldswimsquad.co.uk/graphics/ponds%20forge.jpg

http://www.ponds-forge.co.uk/images/300%20gallery%20boxing1.gif

http://www.ponds-forge.co.uk/images/240%20gallery%20vball.gif

http://www.europeanroofing.co.uk/images/projects/ice_centre_3.jpg

http://www.hockeyarenas.com/sheffield2.jpg

http://www.groundtastic.ukgateway.net/images/Postcards%20Pics/Sheffield.jpg

http://www.sivltd.com/donvalley/images/ath_3.jpg

http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/ng/sp/empics/694778

impressive,

Sheffield is nearly there for the Commonwealths but doesnt have a velodrome. Not sure if it has enough large indoor venues either but, as I said, its getting there. Maybe a bid for 2022?? Think Glasgow would be stronger candidate so Sheffield may have to wait until 8 years after that.

Easily enough indoor venues.
I have posted pics of the EIS indoor athletics area/netball halls/basketball hall (also has judo and boxing halls), Sheffield international hall, Crucible theatre, Sheffield Hallam arena and Ice sheffield (2 large halls). Velodrome is a good point though

Glasgow and Sheffield are not in the same Commonwealth 'Countries' so you can't compare them as choices for bidding.

Manc Sheff Newc - Yes

Glas Card Belf - No

Doesnt matter if they are different commonwealth countries, we should be gunning for Glasgow, not Sheffield!

Funnily enough, Sheffield DID bid for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

However, they pulled out right at the last minute - on the day the decision was due to be made if I remember correctly - due to some concern/panic over finances.

Doesnt matter if they are different commonwealth countries, we should be gunning for Glasgow, not Sheffield!


Why?

because its still part of the UK afterall! :bash:

But why glasgow over sheffield. The Commonwealth games prides itself over not having to construct white elephants and to host a sustainable games. Sheffield is the only city (at least provincial city) that has the facitlities in place. Not to mention the fact that Scotland is a seperate entity when it comes to commonwealth games and doesn't command the backing of other commonwealth nations just because it is within the UK.

Point of note;

Canada (pop. 40million) 4 times hosts
Australia (pop. 20million) 4 times hosts inc. Melbourne next year
New Zealand (pop. 4 million) 3 times hosts
Scotland (pop. 5 million) 2 times hosts
England (pop. 50 million) 2 times hosts


That said, it isn't likely to come back to england for a while

Glasgow is only spending $200 million on facilities because the rest are in place:

stadium - yes
swimming pool - yes, being upgraded
transport - yes, however there are upgrading project taking place at a cost of one billion, these are not a consequence of the CWG though they are happening anyway
media facilities - yes, new digital media campus will be finished in two years
hotel infrastructure - yes, Glasgow has more than doubled its hotel bed space in the past two years, is the second most visited British city break city and is Europe's fastest growing conference destination
golf - yes (Loch Lomond, Turnbury and Troon all within an hour of the city centre)
gymnastics, badminton, indoor stuff - yes national indoor arena and events arena at secc are being built whether the games are coming or not
SkyScrapers (after all that is what this forum is about) They are a comin baby they are on their way!!

Tell you what is you support Glasgie for CWG I will support blighty south for WC 2018!

What does the glasgow athletics stadium look like. Is it new or existing?

What does the glasgow athletics stadium look like. Is it new or existing?

Glasgow is Home to Hampden Park, the Scottish National Stadium

http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk/Hampden_100/Hampden(g).jpg

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/tartanday/images/gallery/scotland/Hampden%20Park,%20Glasgow.jpg

Impressive isn't it, it has 5 Star Uefa Grading, one of three stadia in Glasgow that have that rating, There will be a platform built in the stadium to cater for Athletics, the capacity will be reduced to 48000. Which is about what the Manchester stadium had for its Commonwealth Games

I'm sure Manchester had a lot less than that for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, in fact in football mode with proper end stand et al it only has a capacity of 48k.

How many things like velodromes can this country keep going long term?

There is the one in Manc, one being built in London, another in Glasgow?

Suddenly we'll have 3 when 5 years ago we had none!!!

here's a good link

http://www.runtrackdir.com/

interesting link, but loads missing, e.g. the outside one next to the CoM stadium - where some UK trials are held.

I suspect there are others missing to.

Glasgow is Home to Hampden Park, the Scottish National Stadium

http://www.queensparkfc.co.uk/Hampden_100/Hampden(g).jpg

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/tartanday/images/gallery/scotland/Hampden%20Park,%20Glasgow.jpg

Yes, but where will the athletics stadium be?

Hampden is being converted for athletics!

I personally think Sheffield should bid for the games. It has nearly all the sports facillities, good transport links and would really compensate all the re-geneartion work. Plus Sheffield is planning to re-generate the Lower Don Valley with large scale sports facillitie's and a casino resort by 2015, if we got the games I am sure these would be speeded up.

He is right however Sheffield does have the faciltities in place to host the CW Games.

Don Valley Stadium

Capacity - 25,000 (seated) total 52,000

Currently the largest athletics stadium in the UK and plenty of room for expansion. Has all the facilities you'd expect of an athletics stadium.

http://www.imsy.demon.co.uk/vbt/59%20don%20valley%20stadium.jpg

http://www.sheffnet.net/donvally.jpg

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/armes/graphics/DonValleySportsStadium.jpg

http://www.ukathletics.net/vsite/vimagesite/images/jpg/0,11410,4854-0-65204-0-custom79905,00.jpg
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Ponds Forge

http://www.tilthammer.com/gallery/set3/big/3007.jpg

Main Hall - Swimming Arena

Capacity - 2,600

http://www.cityofsheffieldswimsquad.co.uk/graphics/ponds%20forge.jpg

International Hall

Capacity 1,300

Can host a variety of sports including Boxing, Basketball (Hosted the Sheffield Sharks on numerous occasions), Volleyball and Badminton

http://www.ponds-forge.co.uk/images/300%20gallery%20boxing1.gif

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English Institute of Sport

Sports include Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Gymnastics, Badminton and many more.

Not too sure about capacity but i'd say both main arenas are 1000+

http://www.eis-sheffield.co.uk/images/front_night.JPG

http://www.zumtobel.com/download/thorn_eis_sheffield.jpg

http://www.eis-sheffield.co.uk/images/badminton_seats.JPG

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Ice Sheffield

Two olympic sized rinks

Not too sure about capacity but i'd guess that that the smaller is around 500 and the larger between 2000 and 3000

http://i.pbase.com/u26/sheena77/large/44076265.DSC_2487copy.jpg

http://www.europeanroofing.co.uk/images/projects/ice_centre_3.jpg

http://www.icesheffield.com/icecentre/tour/11.jpg

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Sheffield Arena

Capacity 12,500

Currently the second largest arena in the UK and home to the Sheffield Sharks and Sheffield Steelers.

http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200410/10/12/b0028912_220875.jpg

http://www.sheffield.nhs.uk/images/donvalleybowllarge.jpg

http://www.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/f/f7/250px-PICT0005.JPG

I must say i am really impressed with the current facilities esp the athletics stadium and swimming centre, and would love to some day get involved in a sheffield commonwealth games bid, i believe there is potential and with good finances and a creative structured plan this bid could do well...

Aswell as the 'olympic' venues there are plenty other venues / facilities that could be used within a bid.

Hillsborough

Capacity - 40,000 (39,859)

The largest stadium in Sheffield and second largest in Yorkshire (11th in Britain). Host venue for the 1996 European Football Championships and the last british club stadium to host a major cup final (League Cup 1997).

http://www.anzowls.com/gallery/misc/hillsborough.jpg

http://www.dafc.net/pictures/pictures/Sheffield_WednesdayMainStand.jpg

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Bramall Lane

Capacity - 30,413

http://www.globalstadia.com/campo_sheffieldunited.jpg

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City Hall / Memorial Hall

Capacity - 2,300 / 500

Currently undergoing a major facelift / clean-up, could be used in sports such as Weight Lifting

http://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/upload/Refurb%20Images/Oval%20Hall.jpg

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Crucible / Billiardome

Crucible

Capacity 900

Famously home to the World Snooker Championships each year since 1977 and also stages the lesser known British Squash Championships.

http://www.colleges.org/~drama/EngRegTheatre/images/YH/CrucShef1.jpg

http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/ng/sp/empics/694778

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Billiardome

Capacity 3,500

Set to be built in the next three years as an alternative venue to the Crucible for the World Snooker Championships. This could also stage other sports such as boxing and table tennis.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/images/2005/01/17/axial_view_470_470x352.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/images/2005/01/17/top_view_470_470x352.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/images/2005/01/17/poster2_470_470x352.jpg

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Sheffield Ski Village

The largest artifical skiing resort in europe with three slopes and a tobogan run. Due to be expanded even more in the future with the inclusion of an indoor slope with real snow.

http://www.sheffnet.net/skislope.jpg

The proposed 'Snow Mountain'

http://www.natives.co.uk/news/2005/02/images/sheffield2.jpg

http://www.natives.co.uk/news/2005/02/images/sheffield.jpg

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Proposed £400m YES! project

Largest Theatre outside Londons West End

Extreme Sports Park

A Golf Course

http://www.rido.org.uk/image.php?imageid=160

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Other Venues / Major Training Facilities

Lyceum
Capacity - 1500
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Octagon
Capacity - 1500
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Owlerton Stadium
Capacity - 4,000 (approx)
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Woodburn Road Athlectics Stadium
Capacity - 400 (seated) room for 20,000
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Concord Sports and Leisure Centre
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Hillsborough Sports and Leisure
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Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United Training Facilities
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Studio Theatre
Capacity 200 (approx)
--

Rother Valley Country Park
Water Ski and other water sport facilities
--

Re: Hampden - That's a great prospect! I still can't believe the lack of facilities in the UK (athletics stadii) and the notion that we can't watch our football matches when there's a running track around the pitch! Apart from Brighton and Hove Albion.
I think Hampden should bid for the World Athletics too, when the chance for the UK comes around again. If Finland can, we definitely can.
Sheff should def go for the English bid for CofM and even the World / Euro Champs too - perhaps the LDN 2012 stadium will be a bidder but it would be nice for the competition.

Is there really room for Hampden Park be converted into an athletics stadium?!?!?

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/tartanday/images/gallery/scotland/Hampden%20Park,%20Glasgow.jpg

There might just about be space for an eight-lane running track between the pitch and stands by the half-way line, judging by the size of the officials standing there, but you'd have to slice off the corners of the pitch - I know this happens in other stadia, but we're talking a significant amount here, so would the track still manage to be 400 metres long, or would it be non-official as far as world records etc. are concerned? Is there room for a 110-metre hurdles straight (which needs about 130-140 metres in total), or will part of the seating area have to be removed? Where do you put the long jumps?

I'm highly sceptical, especially when you compare the picture above with athletics stadia round the world (see below), though I'm happy to be proved wrong if anybody can post any plans...

http://www.iaaf.org/MultimediaFiles/Photo/Competitions/WorldChampionships/23106_W600XH400.jpg
http://www.sportsvenue-technology.com/projects/berlin/images/Olympic-Stadium-Berlin1.jpg http://49gym-athin.att.sch.gr/students/images/olympic_stadium.jpg
http://www.suedfussball.de/stadien/wuerttemberg/gottlieb-daimler-stadion/stuttgart02.jpg

It explains on page 4 of this PDF under the heading Athletics, how Hampden will be transformed.

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/EAD4BDE4-35BB-4967-9401-A7C86B0AF48F/0/CWGBRO.PDF

Edinburgh also has a major international stadium at Marrayfield

http://www.schalke-fotos.de/mediac/400_0/media/DIR_162924/DSCN6868~Kopie.jpg

Glasgow will also have new National Indoor Arena

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Environment/Rivers/RiverClyde/Projects/ClydeGateway/NatSportsArena/

I personally think Sheffield should bid for the games. It has nearly all the sports facillities, good transport links and would really compensate all the re-geneartion work. Plus Sheffield is planning to re-generate the Lower Don Valley with large scale sports facillitie's and a casino resort by 2015, if we got the games I am sure these would be speeded up.

100% agree

sheffield actually is the only city with close to olympic quality venues in the country

Apart from Manchester obviously.....

Apart from most cities.....
No Gavin, I'm sure you'll agree that Sheffield does have the most amenities that could be upgraded quite easily. It's a shame Manchester got rid of it's athletics stadium so rapidly to keep a heavily indebted Prem Footie club happy. The UK needs a big ath stadium.

gavin, manchesters pool is not olympic standard because the lanes are too narrow.

...and it's only a short pool, but seriously Manchester does have a few venues, I'm just saying that Sheffield is better-placed to improve and complete the lot.

Rock on Sheffield! :)

Incidentally - is the Yes! thing going ahed in Rotherham? Can anyone give me any info on this please?

Ta

Actually Manchesters pool is olympic length but can be shortened. It wouldnt be used for the main olympic pool anyway as the capacity is too small but as a secondary pool for waterpolo and synchro. Sheffield would be the same as Ponds Forge is too small seating wise.
If Sheffield has the best facilities then where is its Velodrome? Its Arena is 12,000 capacity compared to the MEN arena at 22,000, the GMEX at 11,000 and Bolton Arena at 6,000. So that gives manchester three arenas for olympic events against sheffields one. For weightlifting you could use Manchesters Bridgewater Hall and Triathlon Manchester already has the Salford World Cup event with ideal facilites. Rowing on the Ship Canal, footy at Old Trafford, Archery at Old Trafford (Cricket), Hockey at the commonwealth games pitches, where does it end???
If you think Sheffield is closer to the olympics than Manchester then you live in dream world. Also, if anyone is thinking of asking, I lived in Sheffield for three years and live in Manchester now so have seen all of the venues first hand.

Anyway, back to sheffield..... I would like them to go for the commonwealths but i'm not sure if they could secure the incestment or have the population base and hotel capacity to support an event of that size.

Its true about Manchester pool, it has only 8 lanes not 10 so isnt olympic standard. Arent we hosting the World Swimming Champs soon though at the MEN?

IBEH, yes we are. 2008 world short course champs if i remember rightly. Only stadium in the country with the capacity to hold it at the moment.

The only downer on the Sheffield front would be 'lack of city centre facilities'. Remember, the city was well and tuly snubbed when it offered to take on the World Championships after the Pickett's Lock debacle.

Yorkshire has a proud history of snubs.

Though I'm sure Sheffield is more than cabable of staging the games, I'd rather opt for Glasgow. Sheffield is a little too close to the last British holder, Manchester, merely 35miles.

thats why we say sheffield can do it. id agree glasgow has more of a case though.

As a Glasweigan I'll obviously be supporting Glasgow's bid but bloody hell by the looks of all that Sheffield should have got the 2002 games not Manchester - you guys must be gutted.

i really don't understand why Sheffield doesn't bid for more events, although last year we did stage the 'World Firefighter Games', laugh you might but this appartentely has a bigger audience than the commenwealth lol.

still i'll never understand how

Glasgow and Sheffield are not in the same Commonwealth 'Countries' so you can't compare them as choices for bidding.

Manc Sheff Newc - Yes

Glas Card Belf - No
Does this mean that there could be four simultaneous bids from the UK? Can you have for example Cardiff as Wales bid, Glasgow as Scotland's, Belfast as N.I.'s and Sheffield as England's or can you only have one UK bid at a time?

As a sheffielder i am bound to be biased but sheff could host a fantastic games with a few upgrades to certain venues. And i would also like to make it known that i love glasgow so i would never piss on its prospects just for the sake of pointless bickering(like some nobhead from manchester was doing to sheffield on the previous page-get a fuckin life you sad cunt). Both Glasgow and sheff have great potential but the only thing holding us back in sheff is the current shortage of hotel rooms relative to a city of its size, Glasgow does not have this problem. Having said that, with sheffield's hotel offer rapidly expanding, it would most likely be in a good position by the time the commonwealth games were to take place.

I say they should both go for it- a bit of friendly competition never did any harm!

k so post pics of all sheffieds venues if they sooo amazing...

I say they should both go for it- a bit of friendly competition never did any harm!

And Sheffield - don't pull out on the day the decision's going to be made this time, OK? :)

k so post pics of all sheffieds venues if they sooo amazing...

There are pictures on page one and two of this thread if you take the time to look. If you do so, you will notice that you have already seen the pictures since the second post on this thread is from your good self saying 'impressive'. Later on in the thread you also state that you would someday like to be involved in a sheffield commonwealth games bid. Quite strange that you don't remember since you previously seemed so positive. Maybe your long term memory doesn't serve you well, in which case you have my deepest sympathies, life must be hard.

I must say i am really impressed with the current facilities esp the athletics stadium and swimming centre, and would love to some day get involved in a sheffield commonwealth games bid, i believe there is potential and with good finances and a creative structured plan this bid could do well...

k so post pics of all sheffieds venues if they sooo amazing...

..

There are pictures on page one and two of this thread if you take the time to look. If you do so, you will notice that you have already seen the pictures since the second post on this thread is from your good self saying 'impressive'. Later on in the thread you also state that you would someday like to be involved in a sheffield commonwealth games bid. Quite strange that you don't remember since you previously seemed so positive. Maybe your long term memory doesn't serve you well, in which case you have my deepest sympathies, life must be hard.

yes i know all that...just wanting some more...certainly those arent the only ones?? whats with the attitude?? since when have i ever bashed sheffield or glasgow or any uk event? life must be hard? what are u on?

whoa dudes perhaps my initial post seemed a bit offish but whats with all the attitude? i think i meant post "more" pics...one word missing and everyone is down my throat...

whoa dudes perhaps my initial post seemed a bit offish but whats with all the attitude? i think i meant post "more" pics...one word missing and everyone is down my throat...

Sorry, lol, just seemed like you were having a dig at our city, i'll do a detailed post when i can be arsed.

Although i doubt it will be any different to the previous, as they are all the venues

According to Wikipedia (The great source of all knowledge),

Sheffield is Pending Bids in the 2014 games or the 2018 games

Abuja, Glasgow and Halifax are the 3 candidate cities for the 2014 games, deadline for submission was February this year.

Oh. Lol. Ah well.

http://www.sivltd.com/
http://www.gravestennisleisure.co.uk/
http://www.sheffieldskivillage.co.uk/ssv.htm
http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/index.cfm?hometype=flash


Links for some of the facilities.

The good thing about alot of Sheffield's venues are next to each other,
Don Valley Stadium,Ice Sheffield,EIS,Arena and Don Valley Bowl are side by side and all linked to tram network(www.supertram.com) and 2 mins from motorway network.

^^Yeah, all Sheffield's facilities are concentrated in one area (apart from a few in the city centre). They also have brilliant transport to the city centre via the Supertram.

I think Sheffield would be able to hold a brilliant Commonwealth games. Improvements would obviosuly need to be made but that owuld come later and I'm sure many of the exsisting venues could have say temporary capcity increases so we aren't left with overlarge arenas which are never used.

The main problem will of course be that the council will remember the World Student games, the reason we have a lot of these facilties, and the fact that it cost loads more than anyone evr thought it would.

Aside from building a velodrome and expanding spectator facilities at existing venues, I don't see that a lot of work needs to be done!

IF it happened, it'd be a major boost to the economy of the Greater Sheffield region, and would probably facilitate transport infrastructure (including supertram and urban rail links) improvements.