Investment pledged into Sheffield Arena with ‘significant plans' over next two years

The ice hockey club, which receives among the highest attendances in the sport in Europe, signed an extension to keep them at the Arena this week.

But the Arena’s boss Dom Stokes, also confirmed more investment would be ploughed into the building, which was first built for the 1992 World Student Games.

General manager Mr Stokes said: “There are some significant plans over the next two years for investment into the building. Obviously we’ve already made some significant off-ice investment already which has predominantly been back of house, in the systems, people will see as has been reported, significant investment into the front of house, and the hospitality and the suite areas, and a number of other areas.

"It’s just fitting it into our busy programme is the challenge at the moment.”

Mr Stokes the Arena was a commercial concern set up to make money and plough it back into the "charitable objectives of the Trust."

Tony Smith, managing director at Steelers, also confirmed investment in the venue, from the club, which will be looking to buy a new video wall above the ice, with the decision for a seven year agreement based on investment plans.

He said: "We want to invest in more infrastructure in the arena and wanted to be able to write it off over seven years, not five. It is quite an expensive piece of kit – we’re going to try to improve the videotron and we needed a seven year deal to make that happen.”

Sheffield City Trust is handing the Arena and other facilities back to the council and it is not clear who will run the east end venue in future.

But Dom Stokes, general manager at Utilita Arena, promised the deal would be honoured as the city council had approved it along every step of the negotiation.

There are "significant plans" for modernisation, Mr Stokes said.

Sheffield Council has said there will be improvements to the venue’s concourse and hospitality spaces in 2022/23.

Work will also begin immediately to address a backlog of maintenance issues, which will run to 2027/28.