The ice hockey club - which has had frosty relations with their Sheffield Arena home since 1991 over dates and rent prices - hope to move into Rotherham borough in around 2010.

Their rink is envisaged as part of the £350m Yes! (Yorkshire Entertainment Sensation) project - blueprinted as the "biggest undercover leisure and entertainment destination" in Europe.

Oak Holdings Plc, the developers, says Steelers will be an anchor tenant which will help the profile and drive new business to the centre, which has received outline planning permission for 327 acres of former coalfield in the north west corner of the Country Park.

Oak are confident that major names such as Eon and BT will have research centres at the American styled site, which will also house a convention centre, hotel, leisure, entertainment and spa facilities, bars, shops and restaurants.

Venture Extreme, the extreme sports company is to have a centre there - there are plans for an artificial rock face with a waterfall. High-tech golf driving range specialist Baydrive Group have also signed up. In all, around 3,000 jobs will be on offer, say the investors.

Oak and Steelers made public their plans today after Rotherham Council approved legal and financial "Heads of Terms" agreements.

This week Steelers officials visited the site of the proposed rink between Swallownest and Beighton.

They hope to sign a 25-year lease with Oak. Their club name will probably shortened to "The Steelers" - to avoid geographic confusion.

General manager Mike O'Connor "It is a fantastic opportunity for us.

"We'll have a business that operates 365 days a year and can engage with the community and schools a lot closer than we do now. It's all very exciting.

"We enjoyed playing at Broughton Lane, we have great memories of playing there and will continue to play there for a number of years.

"But as a business and as a sport we cannot stand still and we want to control our own destiny and play in a home we can call our own."

O'Connor hopes the switch from Sheffield won't upset fans who face having to travel further from suburbs in north and west of the city.

He said Rother Valley was "not that far from the present site and I think our fans will be excited by the prospect of playing on more suitable (weekend) dates.

"We will be able to control the dates we play. And I think that's the most important thing. I'm sure our fans will embrace it."

Speaking in an audio interview with The Star - which can be heard by clicking the green button above - he also implied lower ticket prices may be a sweetener for supporters.

He said Oak was "aware of what our financial commitment is now at Sheffield Arena" and negotiate a rent from that standpoint. He stressed: "What it does is let us operate a business 365 days a year.

Should the Steelers move to Rotherham? Post your comments below or email our sportsdesk by clicking here.

"Instead of just staging 32 shows (games) a year. We will have two ice pads and be an anchor tenant alongside some reputable, blue chip companies.

"We have always wanted our own home, a place where we can have complete control of our business and financial stability.

"We have looked at a number of options around the region and stumbled across the Yes! project. We made inquiries of Oak Holdings and the discussions have been swift and fruitful."

Click here to read and hear more about the Steelers move to Rother Valley.

READ MORE

Football headlines.
More Blades.
More Owls.
More Spireites.
More Rovers.
More Reds.
More Millers.
More rugby.
More boxing.
Sports columnists.
All sport categories