Motorpoint Arena Sheffield

Motorpoint Arena Sheffield
Former names	Sheffield Arena (1991–2002) Hallam FM Arena (2002–2007) Sheffield Arena (2007–2010) Motorpoint Arena (2010 – present)
Location	Motorpoint Arena Sheffield Broughton Lane Sheffield S9 2DF England
Coordinates	53°23′59.54″N 1°25′7.54″W / 53.3998722°N 1.4187611°W / 53.3998722; -1.4187611Coordinates: 53°23′59.54″N 1°25′7.54″W / 53.3998722°N 1.4187611°W / 53.3998722; -1.4187611
Opened	30 May 1991
Owner	Sheffield City Trust
Operator	Live Nation
Construction cost	£34 Million
Capacity	13,500
Website	motorpointarena.co.uk

Motorpoint Arena Sheffield (originally Sheffield Arena and formerly Hallam FM Arena) is an arena in Sheffield, England. It is situated near Rotherham, Sheffield City Centre, Attercliffe, Meadowhall and the Centertainment and is the premier concert venue for Yorkshire.

The arena opened as Sheffield Arena and was renamed Hallam FM Arena, but returned to its original name as of 1 November 2007.^[1] On 9 August 2010, Sheffield Arena was officially renamed Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, after the Derby based car sales company invested £1 million to rename the venue.^[2]

It is well known for hosting big name concerts and sporting events.

Construction and opening

Constructed at a cost of £34 million, it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 30 May 1991.^[3]

The first concert took place that evening, Paul Simon playing as part of his "Born At The Right Time" tour. The Arena then took on the role of Gymnastics Hall for the 1991 World Student Games which were held in the city and which prompted the investment in, and development of, both the arena and nearby Don Valley Stadium.

Around 7 million people have attended events at the arena since it opened. It has a maximum capacity of 13,500.^[3]

Events

Sheffield Arena Interior

Ticket for a KISS show in May 2010

Music

The arena has played host over the years to the biggest music artists in the world including a-ha, Avril Lavigne, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Alice Cooper, Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Beyonce, Elton John, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Bryan Adams, Depeche Mode, Katy Perry, Robbie Williams, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Cher, Bon Jovi, Pink, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Tom Jones, Sting, Prince and Kylie Minogue. Britney Spears will perform at the arena on November 5th 2011 as part of her Femme Fatale Tour. Also some of the worlds biggest bands/groups have played the arena including Def Leppard, Westlife, Take That, Spice Girls, The Killers, Duran Duran, Pussycat Dolls, Aerosmith, Scissor Sisters, Wet Wet Wet, AC/DC, Backstreet Boys, Oasis, Artic Monkeys, KISS, Queen + Paul Rodgers, Journey, Coldplay, Muse, Green Day, Paramore, JLS, Iron Maiden, Elbow. The Saturdays will make their arena debut in October 2011 and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Will Make theirs in February 2012.

Tina Turner concluded her 50th Anniversary Tour here on 5 May 2009. Selling out show, Tina called the audience 'terrific' because the public go crazy. At present this is Tina Turner's last ever concert.

Other Events

The arena also hosts annual events including Disney On Ice which is held every year over November/December. TV shows such as The X Factor, Britains Got Talent Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing On Ice visit the arena every year as part of their tours.

The arena is a regular venue for some of the worlds best known Comedians such as Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Alan Carr, Al Murray, Russel Howard and Peter Kay who in 2011 played the arena for 5 nights running with all shows selling out within hours of going on sale.

The arena has hosted major special high profile events, including The International Indian Film Academy Awards, which took place on Saturday, 9 June 2007 and was broadcast live around the world. This included a season hosted by the city of Sheffield and nearby Leeds. Also, in 2009, the arena hosted the annual BBC 1xtra concert and the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The arena was also the location of the Labour Party's infamous 1992 Sheffield Rally. Attended by over 10,000 party members and the entire shadow cabinet, the rally was held just days before the general election, which Labour were widely expected to win. Modelled on American-style political conventions, the event was seen as a success to those within the hall but was less favourably received outside, with many voters viewing it as triumphalist in nature. The Sheffield Rally is often cited as a key factor in John Major's victory in the 1992 election.

The Sheffield arena is used regular for sporting events and is the home to the citys Elite League Ice Hockey team the Sheffield Steelers

The arena has hosted major boxing events such as when Joe Calzaghe first won his WBO world title here on 11 October 1997 against former world champion Chris Eubank. On the same bill Sheffield born Naseem Hamed defended his WBO title against Jose Badillo. On 26 November 2005 Ricky Hatton extended his unbeaten record to 40–0, defending his IBF and Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight world titles and winning the WBA belt by 9th round knockout against Carlos Maussa. Sheffield fighter Clinton Woods also defended his IBF light-heavyweight title against Mexican Julio Cesar Gonzalez on two occasions, winning on points both times.

WWE visit the arena up to twice a year and have also used the arena for broadcasting their weekliy TV shows RAW and Smackdown as well as the Rebellion 2000 live PPV..

Premier League darts also appear at the arena every April.

Sheffield Steelers

The arena's resident sport team is the Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team who play in the Elite Ice Hockey League and are the Elite League Champions and are one of the countries top ice hockey teams.

Management

The arena is owned by Sheffield City Trust, an independent charity, and managed under contract by the US media giant Live Nation UK.

• Security: In House
• Catering: In House
• Stewarding: Showsec
• Merchandising: Pantheon^{[disambiguation needed ]} Franchise Ltd
• Medical: In House (Red Cross trained staff)

Transport

Car

The arena has carparking available for around 2000 cars and the arena is located near the M1 motorway.

Tram

The arena is connected to the Sheffield Supertram with a stop next to the arena. The main stop is 'arena don valley stadium'. Across the road at the Valley Centertainment entertainment complex there is also another tram stop.

Future competition with Leeds Arena

For nearly two decades Sheffield Arena has been the only major concert and sporting venue in the Yorkshire region, this however will now change as the city of Leeds will construct its own arena of comparable size which will directly compete with Sheffield Arena. The arena's construction has caused controversy because it is funded partly by the government through Yorkshire Forward, a regional development agency, whereas the Sheffield Arena attracted all funding independently with no help from the government. The owners of Sheffield Arena as well as Clive Betts, the MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, have expressed opposition over Yorkshire Forward's funding of Leeds Arena which they see will cause considerable economic damage to Sheffield Arena, East Sheffield and Sheffield/South Yorkshire itself, Yorkshire Forward have dismissed these claims and state that the arena will bring economic growth not only to Leeds and West Yorkshire but to the entire region. Even if the construction of Leeds Arena does not lead to a significant reduction in concerts at Sheffield, the arena may suffer from a fewer customers as residents of Leeds will no longer have to travel to Sheffield to attend concerts. Sheffield is accusing Yorkshire Forward of favouring Leeds when the agency is supposed to represent Yorkshire as a whole and not invest in one city to the detriment of another. In response to outrage from Sheffield, the government has put plans to fund the arena on hold while they conduct an economic risk assessment.^[4][5]

Despite objections, funding has been secured for Leeds Arena, planning approval granted and site preparation/initial construction has in fact commenced according to BBC Yorkshire on 18 February 2011.^[6] Construction is due to be completed by 2012.

References

1. ^ Motorpoint Arena. "Welcome to the Sheffield Arena". Hallamfmarena.co.uk. http://www.hallamfmarena.co.uk/. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
2. ^ £1m new name drives Motorpoint Arena Sheffield ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ ^{a b} Motorpoint Arena. "About the Sheffield Arena". Sheffieldarena.co.uk. http://www.sheffieldarena.co.uk/ABOUT%20THE%20ARENA/. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
4. ^ "Sheffield anger at funding pledge for Leeds arena". The Star. http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Sheffield-anger-at-funding-pledge.5350398.jp. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
5. ^ Published on Tue 23 10 Dec:26:50 GMT 2008. "Leeds Arena plan on hold after outcry". The Star. http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/Leeds-Arena-plan-on-hold.4822101.jp. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
6. ^ "Leeds Arena construction work starts". BBC News. 18 February 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-12503554. Retrieved 18 February 2011. 

External links

• Official website