From the League Express about the prospect of Sheffield Eagles playing at Bramall Lane in 2016...

Sheffield Eagles are in negotiations to play their home games at Bramall Lane in 2016 whilst the planning application for their proposed new stadium is now being considered by Sheffield City Council. Sheffield United FC, who own Bramall Lane, are thought to be sympathetic to a deal to allow the Eagles to play there next year.

From the League Express about the Olympic Legacy Park, with quotes from Eagles chairman Ian Swire

The Eagles' initial wish to move into their new home in March 2016 is now unlikely to be realised, according to the club's chairman Ian Swire. "The stadium will have a capacity of 5,000, with a main stand holding 2,500 seats and with 2,500 spectators standing between the two ends. We can ultimately get the capacity to 10,000." Swire told League Express. "We have funding for the main stand. We had initially thought we could be in during the 2016 season, but that won't happen now. Our best hope will be the middle eights of next year. But 2017 is more likely."

Excellent news if true hopefully we will be playing there in the superleague next season however there is more chance of Leigh fans of being gracious in victory !!!

I don't think Aston Park was ever going to be ready for the start of the season. Sometime mid-2016 was always going to be more likely.

I was at Bramall Lane about five weeks ago - the pitch was totally removed and there were huge diggers shifting mountains of sand onto it. They're having some new technology pitch put on it which will be more hard wearing - 27G or whatever G we're up to these days.

The local press has the following written at the end of a report Meanwhile, rumours have been circulating regarding the Eagles ‘home’ for next season. Eagles are forging ahead with plans for a new stadium on their former site at Don Valley Stadium, the multi-sports Olympic Legacy Park facility, but it looks increasingly likely that they won’t be moving in until after next season.
Speculation suggests a move back to Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane is being mooted.
However it is believed that there is an option to play at their current residence at The Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster for another year.[/i

rlReportrl

While I don't know what the preference of the players might be,as far as beginning to build a fanbase,and making it a little easier for Mr Jolley to do his magic off the field,it would appear to me to be better if the club started at the earliest opportunity to be Sheffield-centric in thought and deed.

It has to be easier for a small step to be made in Sheffield than it will be for another year away and then a bigger step across south Yorkshire.

Any views?

Yes to be back in sheffield can only be a bonus I thought Keep moat would offer a full playing season but it hasn't - not sure if the middle 8 fixtures will be a problem. So will the lane be any different in terms of possible holiday elsewhere while they manicure the lawn. So it would be back to sheffield for me and then being selfish I might get to see a home match. . But roll on back to don valley and a place we can call home!

So planning permission & funding is in place and we'll be in OLP for 2016. Looks like none of those three were true then. Will believe it when I see it.

Come on - chill pills available

Minimum standards are all very pappy these days. Deliberately so, I suspect.

I'm not sure why folk think we can't play in Aston Park until the capacity's up to 10000

Show me somewhere where anyone has said we can't play there unless the capacity is 10,000?

The issue is, we were told the stadium would have a capacity of 10,000, now it's 5,000. Why has it been halved?

Because when we start playing in it, it'll be half finished.

Still big enough for us. Why wait ?

It may be nit picking, but the Stadium can have a capacity of 10,000 even though we're only building half the stands and terraces at the moment. There's room to build the other accommodation when we get into Super League, and there doesn't seem much point paying to build a stand which will remain empty until we do. On the odd occasion that we might need the space (say we draw Leeds at home in the 2017 Challenge Cup QF) we could always go to Bramall Lane, or maybe Hillsborough now they are both going to have Desso pitches.