Troubled Sheffield athletics track set for partial re-opening - but competitions still off-limits
Boost for athletes as coaching set to go ahead at troubled stadium
Sheffield’s athletes are to get to return to the city’s troubled Woodbourn Road athletics track, bosses have announced.
But it will only be for specific training sessions for qualified coaches, and the venue will still be out of bounds for competitions.
The track has been out of use since April, leaving Sheffield’s next generation of athletes with a real lack of facilities to train and compete in the sport
City leaders have been urged to take action over the Woodbourn Road athletics stadium if they want to avoid losing the next generation of local athletes.
The track in Attercliffe was closed by Sheffield Hallam University, which operates the site, on April 6, because they deemed it to be unsuitable for competitive athletics due to the track’s problems with shock absorption - which is essentially how much force travels back into an athlete's body during high-impact activities like running, jumping and falling.
But Hallam has now announced it will be available for coaching sessions.
A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said:“Following detailed discussions with UK Athletics and England Athletics, we can confirm that Woodbourn Road Athletics Track will reopen for supervised sessions with a licensed coach from Tuesday 23 June.
“While the track does not currently meet the standard required for licensed competition and cannot be used for competitive events, school sports days or independent training, this arrangement will enable some athletes to return to training and allow the athletics community to continue making use of the facility.
“We recognise the disruption and frustration caused by the track's closure and would like to thank coaches, athletes and clubs for their patience while we worked through the findings of the recent inspection and sought guidance from UK Athletics and England Athletics.
“We remain committed to working with Sheffield City Council and other partners to explore a long-term solution for the facility, whilst recognising that the future of athletics provision in Sheffield is a broader issue that will require input and collaboration from a range of stakeholders.”
Initially, to ensure supervision of new arrangements are understood and adhered to, they plan to reactivate track sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm until 9pm, and Sundays from 9am until 1pm.
Since taking over operation of the track in 2013, the University says it has absorbed around £400,000 in operating losses to keep the facility open and available to the Sheffield community.
Replacing the track is currently estimated to cost in excess of £1 million, depending on the scope of works required.
While the University continues to support the facility, it says the significant financial pressures facing the higher education sector means it is not in a position to fund that level of investment.