RETRO: The stars of Players Café

Yesterday The Star turned its Retro spotlight on one of the most well known nightspots of Valley Centertainment's early days in Brannigans.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Feb 2016, 12:42 BST
Updated 24th Feb 2016, 12:45 BST
Players Cafe opening Party,Pictured Sheffield cycling champ Malcolm Elliott with Fiance Claire Talbot. FOR MARTIN DAWES COLUMN!!!!!!!.Players Cafe opening Party,Pictured Sheffield cycling champ Malcolm Elliott with Fiance Claire Talbot. FOR MARTIN DAWES COLUMN!!!!!!!.
Players Cafe opening Party,Pictured Sheffield cycling champ Malcolm Elliott with Fiance Claire Talbot. FOR MARTIN DAWES COLUMN!!!!!!!.

Today, we turn to The Players Café, arguably even more popular in its heyday.

The venue was part of a push in the original days of the Attercliffe entertainment complex to lure late-night drinkers with a range of bar and club venues.

Players Cafe Ad feature,Players Cafe Ad feature,
Players Cafe Ad feature,
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The Players Café was certainly among the most popular of the lot.

And it had no problem attracting some star names through its doors, either.

That was in no small part thanks to the celebrity team which set it up.

Professional Sheffield Steelers ice hockey player Tim Cranston opened the venue along with two members of Sheffield rock band Def Leppard and former Sheffield Eagles manager Gary Heatherington.

PLAYERS CAFE,ATTERCLIFFE, PREVIEW NIGHT Left, cinema costume supervisor Simon Murray and Sheffield Wednesday's Kevin Pressman.PLAYERS CAFE,ATTERCLIFFE, PREVIEW NIGHT Left, cinema costume supervisor Simon Murray and Sheffield Wednesday's Kevin Pressman.
PLAYERS CAFE,ATTERCLIFFE, PREVIEW NIGHT Left, cinema costume supervisor Simon Murray and Sheffield Wednesday's Kevin Pressman.
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Cranston, with band members Joe Elliot and Rick Savage, were behind the club’s existence, opening the nightspot with a wave of publicity in 1997.

That probably helped attract plenty of other names.

Kevin Pressman, the former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper, visited along with several members of the cast of long-running ITV soap Coronation Street, including Simon Gregson (Kevin McDonald) and Bruce Jones (Les Battersby).

Sheffield cycling champ Malcolm Elliott was also spied in the bar.

Players Cafe opening Party,Pictured FANS WAITING FOR A GLIMPSE OF THE STARS.Players Cafe opening Party,Pictured FANS WAITING FOR A GLIMPSE OF THE STARS.
Players Cafe opening Party,Pictured FANS WAITING FOR A GLIMPSE OF THE STARS.

Such celebrity appearances prompted fans to line up outside the venue for the chance to grab a photograph - although there were no smartphones or social media back then!

By the end of 2001, the spot had closed and been sold on.

n Do you have any old photographs from nights out in Sheffield? Send them in to [email protected] and they could be featured.

Related topics:Valley Centertainment