Fear for Sheffield’s 2018 dream as ground row continues
Sheffield’s status as a potential host city for 2018 could be in jeopardy after the fallout between Hillsborough being chosen over Bramall Lane continued.
It is feared that Sheffield could lose their host city billing if they do not begin to present a united front over their World Cup ambitions.
It is thought that United are questioning the short length of time that it took the council to grant Wednesday planning permission when their own process took nearly a month longer to resolve.
A civic leader said: “The FA has made a decision and the last thing we need would be Sheffield being seen as a difficult city. Having being chosen as a host city, we don’t want to become embroiled in a legal battle. We need to put aside our differences because the whole of Sheffield will benefit from staging the World Cup.”
With the FA due to trim it’s list of grounds from 14 to 12 in March, it is extremely possible that Sheffield could miss out altogether if their campaign isn’t completely united.
No official reason was originally given for the FA choosing Wednesday over United. However, it is believed that the availability of the neighbouring Hillsborough Park to accommodate large numbers of media, VIPs and fans helped to tip the balance in favour of Wednesday.
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I hope Sheffield and England don’t get the bid. The venue selection process was at very best mysterious and at worst crooked. Quite how Hillsborough, which although big, is one of the worst grounds in the top two divisions, was selected is beyond me. As for MIlton Keynes?!?!?!
In my opinion the decision to use Hillsborough as the football ground in Sheffield for the World Cup 2018 is disgraceful. The ground itself is not up to any sort of modern standard, the club is managed in a very unprofessional manor, and the excuse about having Hillsborough Park next door is a poor one.
Bramall Lane is in the City Centre, with all hotels, restaurants, bars and city centre sights within easy reach and public transport (Buses, Trains and Trams) are all within walking distance.
Devonshire Green, also in the City Centre, (which has been used for promotions and concerts previously) could be used to accommodate the large numbers of media, VIP’s and fans, which would be far more suitable and convenient for visitors to the city.
Therefore I urge the people who made this decision to re-think it as we should be selling the City Centre to any visitors and not encouraging them to by-pass it on their way to Hillsborough.
I question the reasoning behind the decision to award world cup football matches to a club in Sheffield that,the way things are going, may not be in existance in 2018.
To not award the matches to a well run club that promotes Sheffield around the world in a good light and to reward a poorly run club with a run down ground quite frankly stinks.
In 1966 things were completely different and everyone connected with Sheffield United had to swallow their pride and help to make the World Cup
in Sheffield a success.Now everything at Bramall Lane is geared up for events like this.
There is no question that the wrong ground has been chosen and would suggest that the decision is revisited.
It troubles me to admit it but with short sighted decisions like this Sheffield will forever be in the shadow of Leeds.
To hope that Sheffield and England do not get chosen to host the world cup because your team’s stadium wasn’t chosen is utterly reprehensible, and the three comments that precede this one are incredibly ill informed. Hillsborough is one of the best football grounds outside the Premiership – it has a greater capacity than Bramall Lane (before and after proposed development), and was previously chosen as a host ground for Euro ’96 (as a mark of respect to the club and the fans, the Danish players trained at the ground in Wednesday shirts).
If Sheffield Wednesday was a poorly run club, the Football Association (experts, that is) would not have chosen Hillsborough for the bid. To suggest that Wednesday might cease to exist before 2018 is wishful thinking from supporters of Sheffield’s perrenial second team.
Your point about proximity to Sheffield attractions is redundant (ever heard of the Supertram?). The FA chose to bypass Sheffield United, not the city of Sheffield.
Furthermore, I am inclined to believe that the shameful way United tried to blame (and extort money from) West Ham to compensate for your thoroughly deserved relegation has had a negative influence on the decision. The actions of the board made the club seem tawdry and desperate. (The fact of the matter is that David Unsworth relegated United, not Carlos Tevez and the West Ham board – none of the other relegated teams lowered themselves to the United’s level).
In summation, there is no question that the right ground has already been chosen. I suggest that ignorant bloggers without anything intelligent to write should keep their fingers away from the keyboard.
It looks like the Sheffield Bid will be scuppered by partisan rivalry and in fighting within our city! We can already see the emerging vitriol from both sets of fans and between the two Clubs. Sheffield United’s Charman is now seeking a Judicial review into Wednesday’s planning application which it is alleged, was granted prematurely and did not follow correct procedures.
The World Cup would indeed be a good thing for our city, but I would be very concerned if local public money was diverted from front line services to subsidise a multi million pound private industry which easily has the resources to cover the funding!
Someone is going to make a lot of money from the World Cup, and this should not be at the cost of the local tax payer!
I’m sorry United fans, but you’ll just have to accept that Hillsborough is a better ground than Bramall Lane. It has a better design, and the ideas for the development look stunning. As a LIVERPOOL fan, I am completely impartial. I am from Merseyside, but live and work in Sheffield, and regularly go to watch Wednesday, United and Doncaster Rovers. The idea of a court case is simply stupid – can’t United fans just be happy that Sheffield could be hosting World football?
Hillsborough has some obvious advantages:
It is bigger (before and after proposed developments)
It will have better facilities for media and fans
It is part of a club that has undoubtedly a bigger image – Wednesday have always been the bigger club.
Bramall Lane has some obvious disadvantages:
Traffic – this will be a massive problem as the whole city will come to a standstill if a game is held there.
Poor training facilities for world footballers.
Finally I would just like to ask United fans and their board to grow up, and unite under the banner!
I’m a son of Sheffield but I’ve been living outside the UK for over 20 years…
The reasons for Sheff. Utd.’s “beef” are deep lying as they are understandable
United has always been treated as unfashionable and unwanted by the English FA. Even in so far that players such as Tony Currie, Len Badger and Alan Woodward were as good as ignored for national team selection (16 caps for Currie is a joke).
The issue of the Tevez affair only goes to magnify the fact that these sentiments are still held… I’ve played at county league level where, if a non elegible player is fielded in a game the result is automaticaly gine as a victory to the opposition (UEFA Rules).
Also the City council were always “pro” Wednesday. Quite astounding when you consider that:
Sheffield United heavily supports the “smaller” Sheffield clubs such as Sheffield FC (the worlds oldest football club), Hallam FC etc. And also does an amazing amount of community work, has established one of what is the most widely recognised acadamies, especialy outside the UK. The Wednesday club, to use their original name, has always distanced itself from such activities.. Motto “us”
Wednesday the bigger club? Not if you look at the average attendances for the last ten years
Hillsborough has currently a larger capacity but would have to be allmost completely rebuilt to achieve FIFA standards, a problem Bramall Lane wouldn’t have.
It’s not about growing up… It’s about (to coin a phrase) fair play
Jon your comment that hillsborough will have to be rebuilt to meet FIFA standards is completely rubbish, The north and south stands are breathtaking stands, leppings lane will have to rebuilt and only the pillars from the kop will have to removed, as man utd hillsborough was a ground I looked forward to visit. If you were to ask anyone anywhere to name 10 football stadiums in england hillsborough would be metioned alot more than bramall lane. Sheffield utd are seen as troublemakers and will be considered an unattractive venue for consideration. And to mention attendences when Sheffield utd went down to The 3rd tier of English football you were averaging 15k a match when sheffwed were getting 23k who’s got the more loyal supporters then? All of you who made the above comments get behind your city and stop being childish. Hillsborough is world famous, bramall lane just a championship stadium
lets face facts Wendy fans you all say its the best ground with loads of history, as for its history what great history do you have there please name some of the great Historical moments that have hapned there?! The place is falling apart, it floods, the surounding area is a nightmare to acsess, the trams are allways packed on a matchday, its in a run down area with cramped side streets and is an embarsing side of Sheffield to have the world see.
The econimy would greatly benefit from a city center ground, a place that has up to date facilities, is easily acsessible, a short walk from hotels and b & b’s across the city, a place that hasnt flooded a ground that can be upgraded capacity wise (because it dosent need it facility wise unlike your ces pit of a 50’s stadium) by our clubs money not by council money wich will be paid by the taxpayers!
Also thinking of your great history and reputation, put Hillsborough in google see wich event is mentioned again,again,again and again I know it has nothing to do with the stadium itself and this great tragidy should never be used to win an argument such as this but face facts, world wide when you mention your ground thats what thaught of.
Hillsborough is world famous for the wrong reasons and is a League One Stadium!!
JonnyBlade…..a typical, bitter Utd fan who will by choice fall to the level of using the tragedy of the Hillsborough Disaster as a way of justifying his poor argument. I pity you, I really do! Sheffield, as a football city deserves to host World Cup games, Hillsborough has been chosen and I can definitely understand the reasons why. The importance of the fan parks is held as a very high priority by FIFA officials and what can be better than a fan park 20yards from the stadium? The plans for Hillsborough redevelopment are fantastic and we all should back this bid, firstly as proud Sheffielders and secondly as proud English people. Under no cicumstances should a club by club attitude be taken as this simply causes the ultimately damaging and futile arguments seen in this thread.
I have been a die hard Sheffield Wednesday fan (my grandad was a goalkeeper back in the day for them) and growing up I used to watch their matches.
I think it is a good thing that Hillsborough was chosen over Bramell Lane. Now I may be bias but I this is why I believe the Wednesday stadium has the upper hand.
1. Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea, Aston Villa have all played their in the past.
2. FA cup final, Community shield and various other tournaments have been played there
3. Historically, Wednesday fans have been better mannered opposed to United fans who seam to stir trouble
4. Better access, could any united fans actually see a world cup final being hosted in the middle of the city? it would be gridlock throughout the tournament. Motorway links are closer and their is a dual carriageway running down the side for speedy movement of fans.
At the end of the day guys, this is a local squabble that could cost us the host city and could cost the country the world cup.
To answer afew points other people have posted. The council have never been pro-wednesday they are pro-united if anything, the bbc are pro wednesday (and also sky sports) but that is because of the history. The SWFC ground can be upgraded far more economically than United’s (I mean you guys have one corner which was open with no seating and now has a hotel bolted on the side and another corner with a business centre in it, where are you going to expand to?). Hillsbourgh is not just remembered for the disaster, it is a ground where many top flight clubs of today have played and fought over shields & cups alike.
At the end of the day we need to be united and not arguing over who gets what. No matter how many law suites, campaigns and other rigmarole the FA will 9 times out of 10 reverse the decision. So what if United are doing better than Wednesday? So what if the base of the Wednesday ground was built in the 50s, I mean its not like its structurally unsafe it just needs a bit of paint and the like.
Jonny blade your debating abilities along with your facts is very substanded intact infantile, using the hillsborough tragedy as a argumentative tool shows your lack of intelligence and maturity and integrity. hillsborough not falling apart, I think the H&S would have something to say. as a man fan I used to be unbiased but as read the many other comments on other blogs I feel a disdain towards Sheffield utd. I know a few wednesday fans and they would have been happy if it come to sheffield regardless of venue.
Typical blades moaning because they cant accept there just a small club with a tiny insignificant ground, and once more its in the dirty dark side of town, can you really see bramall lane on tv’s around the world with decathlon and all the run down buildings in the background.
hillsborough is the clear choice, most of the stands are ready to go with not much work.