By NEIL JEFFRIES
SHEFFIELD ladies did what the men couldn’t and won, following respective debuts at their new home.
Despite a strong wind, the Eagles women beat Salford 40-6 in the first-ever rugby league game at The MEPS International Home of Football Stadium in Dronfield, making it three wins from four in the Championship. Jess Panayiotou with two of their six tries.
Women’s head coach, Andrea Dobson, MBE, said: “Attacking-wise, that’s the best we’ve been this season,” her side clearly benefitting from the surroundings.
The round 14 men’s Championship clash, played in glorious 25-degree sunshine that did wonders for bucket hat sales, saw the men go down 72-10 to runaway leaders London Broncos.
For a couple of months before the games, on consecutive weekends in late May, work had already been carried out at The MEPS to help prepare for the Eagles’ move.
A new seated stand was erected along the side of the pitch, the dressing rooms and offices fully refurbished, and a new covered filming gantry positioned on the halfway line above the dugouts, alongside the development of a new and modern hospitality lounge above the Coach and Horses pub.
That is located just outside the stadium, featuring a beer garden where home and away supporters have the ideal opportunity to kick off their pre-game at the venue, which opens at midday, then able to join the teams afterwards there for a post-match drink.
The stadium has a capacity of just over 2,000 and getting there is pretty straightforward.
Driving from Sheffield City Centre, it’s south on the A61 for about 20 minutes or, from the M1, come off at junction 33 and take the A630 before linking up with the A61.
Parking is available on-site on a first-come, first-served basis and payment is by card only.
Coming by bus, the route from the city centre is simple and direct: head to bus stop AG12 on Arundel Gate where you can catch number 43 to Chesterfield that runs through Dronfield and stops right outside the venue.
It takes about 30 minutes passing through Heeley, Woodseats and Meadowhead. On Sundays, services run hourly.
Using the train is just as straightforward and one of the most convenient ways to get to the MEPS.
Northern trains regularly travel from Sheffield central to Dronfield, as part of regular services running between Leeds and Nottingham, and the journey time is about 10 minutes and usually departing from platform 5A.
Once you arrive, it’s a short walk to the stadium, left onto Chesterfield Road which then becomes Sheffield Road. In all it’s about three-quarters of a mile and should take just over 15 minutes.
A range of hot food is available from the food and drink concessions inside the stadium just to the side of the tunnel, including pies, pasties and sausage rolls.
Drinks on offer include beers, cans of pop and tea or coffee plus there is a range of confectionery on sale, including Pringles and various chocolate bars.
Turnstiles found in the corner of the stadium are accessible from the car park or the pub with the food and drink areas just as you come through and another bar behind the stand at the back of one of the goals.
There are seating and standing areas and, unlike the Olympic Legacy Stadium, the Eagles’ former home, the relayed grass pitch looked fantastic and had a nice stripe cut into it.
Ahead of the men’s game, Ryan Millar was presented with his shirt to mark his 150th appearance for the club, ironically making his debut against London in 2015.
He has played in two spells over those ten seasons and despite defeat, marked the occasion with his 70th try for the club
Sheffield men’s head coach, Craig Lingard, commented: “I’m massively disappointed with our defence. We talked about attacking the second half of the season, but you have to do it both sides of the ball.
“London were faultless. Every chance we gave them they took and great teams punish you, but we have to respond better.
“I’m disappointed we served up the performance we did for the first game here it’s great, the location, facilities, the covered areas generate the kind of atmosphere we are wanting to create.
“It’s up to us on the field to do our jobs now and build this as a fortress. We’re not going to play a more difficult game than that this season.
“We’ve just had a chat in the changing room, we’ve got the quality and potential to do that.”
Nevertheless, the move marks an exciting new chapter, offering improved facilities for players, staff and supporters alike, while strengthening the club’s long-term ambitions.
The move is expected to deliver a significant financial result. Along with the revenue- generating opportunities, the move substantially reduces ongoing facility costs.
Beyond the financial benefits, the move also represents a strategic step in further strengthening their partnership with Sheffield Football Club, reputedly the oldest in the sport hence the name of the ground.
This also enables more shared opportunities for events, fan engagement and long-term development.
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