After 20 years the World Student Games not yet ½ paid off.

[Red Pete 10]

I am afraid the Sheffield Star report was full of distortions and untruths and seems more keen to promote Paul Scrivens and his Lib/Dem party than explain the facts to Sheffield people. Perhaps it is an indication as to how desperate they now are.

 

However let us clarify this. The city built 7 world quality facilities, including the rebuilding of the derelict Lyceum Theatre for the cost of £147M a fraction of the cost of the Manchester Comonwealth Facilities and probable less than the cost of just one Olympic facility. The loan taken out to pay for these was for 25years not the normal Local Government 30 or 60 years and it would have been paid for in 2015 i e 4 years time. leaving us with an Arena now worth 50M (the price Leeds are now paying) and Ponds Forge even more and what about the Hillsborough Leisure Centre.

 

However the city in its wisdom used these facilities as colateral to borrow many millions of pounds (remortgaged them) on two seperate occasions once under Labour and the other under the Lib/Dems in order to save services and keep the council tax down. It is this debt that is now having to be repaid and has nothing whatever to do with the World Student Games.

 

Just examine what is happening this year; 8 World Championships, 3 European Level Championships, 20 National Championships, 4 Mass Participation Events 10 of these events will receive National & International TV coverage and will give £7 Million to the local economy and is one of the reasons why Sheffield has had 17 new Hotels built in the last 20 years - events fill our hotels.

 

9 National Governing Bodies of Sport or their Elite Squads have now moved to Sheffield Add to this the several international teams which will be using the city as training camps before the Olympics, the economic impact will be considerable

 

On top of this Sheffield has been described by Sport England as being the most active major city in England with a 6% increase in adult Participation rates in the last 3 years. All helping to tackle the obesity and health problems

 

What a sad City we would be if we had not got such marvelous facilities

[jez449 10]

I am afraid the Sheffield Star report was full of distortions and untruths and seems more keen to promote Paul Scrivens and his Lib/Dem party than explain the facts to Sheffield people. Perhaps it is an indication as to how desperate they now are.

 

However let us clarify this. The city built 7 world quality facilities, including the rebuilding of the derelict Lyceum Theatre for the cost of £147M a fraction of the cost of the Manchester Comonwealth Facilities and probable less than the cost of just one Olympic facility. The loan taken out to pay for these was for 25years not the normal Local Government 30 or 60 years and it would have been paid for in 2015 i e 4 years time. leaving us with an Arena now worth 50M (the price Leeds are now paying) and Ponds Forge even more and what about the Hillsborough Leisure Centre.

 

However the city in its wisdom used these facilities as colateral to borrow many millions of pounds (remortgaged them) on two seperate occasions once under Labour and the other under the Lib/Dems in order to save services and keep the council tax down. It is this debt that is now having to be repaid and has nothing whatever to do with the World Student Games.

 

Just examine what is happening this year; 8 World Championships, 3 European Level Championships, 20 National Championships, 4 Mass Participation Events 10 of these events will receive National & International TV coverage and will give £7 Million to the local economy and is one of the reasons why Sheffield has had 17 new Hotels built in the last 20 years - events fill our hotels.

 

9 National Governing Bodies of Sport or their Elite Squads have now moved to Sheffield Add to this the several international teams which will be using the city as training camps before the Olympics, the economic impact will be considerable

 

On top of this Sheffield has been described by Sport England as being the most active major city in England with a 6% increase in adult Participation rates in the last 3 years. All helping to tackle the obesity and health problems

 

What a sad City we would be if we had not got such marvelous facilities

 

I would prefer no debt and lower council tax bills than any of the above.

[toploader 10]

Helen Sharman dropping the Olympic torch and setting the carpet on fire, pretty much sums the whole thing up for me.

[Digsy 10]

Apart from a couple of Canadians giving me their cap/coat and tie/pins and Hyde Park Flats being fenced off I never experienced anything from the World Student Games.

[Lucifer 10]

World Student Games held in 1991

 

Original cost = £147m

 

Final bill = £650m

 

Current repayments by Sheffield Council = £30m per year

 

Final payment 2024

 

 

From The Star

 

 

Was it worth it?

 

Was it a labour of love or for the love of Labour, why these people get in power is beyond belief unless you on handouts as usual.

[Lucifer 10]

Hindsight's wonderful, isn't it

 

Sheffield took a huge gamble on Kinnock becoming PM... but it didn't happen

 

x

 

30 million a year, crickey how many labour supporters could that help on benefits ?

[mossdog 10]

After the hammering the city was dealt under Thatcher, with the closure of most of the citys' industries, Sheffield had to do something.

Like somebody else said, everyone expected the election of a more sympathetic Govt in 1992 when the zombie that was John Major was elected.

 

I think it was money well spent.

Well you are an avowed left wing Socialist and you would say that of course..............and of course without a clue how it should all be paid for! Well for your information,the vast majority of Sheffielders did not want or go near the games when staged,but are now lumbered for years still paying for them!

Only left wing loonies like Blunkett,Caborn ,Betts, and Price could have got us into this mess,Thank God they are gone! They ought to be locked up!

[shanes teeth 10]

I remember taking my then 6 year old daughter to see some gymnastics at a virtually empty Arena and thinking "This has been money well spent!" It must have made a big impression on her,she has spoken of little else since! Seriously though,I used to take her and her sister and my niece to the Stadium for junior athletics coaching. None of them three stuck it out and made the grade. One of their group did. I think her name was Jessica something or other. Kids were inspired by the facilities and the support to have a go. As to wether it was worth the money,I don't know.I can't imagine what that area of Sheffield would be like now without that investment and although I personally don't visit the Arena,Centertainment,et al very often,thousands of people do and seem to enjoy it.And theirs that little girl called Jessica and her family who,I guess,think it was a good idea.

[melthebell 863]

Yep, I mean before Sheffielders were clinging onto the steel thing, Sheffield hasn't produced steel in any sizable amounts for decades. People living in the past.

 

Sheffield is a city of sport now.

hahahaha city of sport, both our footy teams are the pits and have been for years with no sign of a let up

[bullerboY 10]

Don't let Bower off the hook!!!

[bullerboY 10]

Yep, I mean before Sheffielders were clinging onto the steel thing, Sheffield hasn't produced steel in any sizable amounts for decades. People living in the past.

 

Sheffield is a city of sport now.

Caborn is a total fool and Sheffield is producing more steel now with fewer people than thirty years ago :D

[Snook 10]

Ice hockey - aren't the Steelers still in trouble? Agreed that it has brought ice hockey to the city, but it has been a fad that has died down.

 

3 teams? Rotherham is a temp arrangement. Don Valley is an awful football venue.

 

Rugby team - the Eagles have resorted to selling ticket packages on Groupon.

 

I remember when the Great Britain Spartans played at Don Valley and they were once told they had to get a crowd of 10,000 to change their name to Sheffield Spartans (only got 3,000 - again that fad died down).

 

Institute of Sport - basketball is poorly supported. The Institute is good as a training venue but isn't great for major events.

 

Ice skating - a good facility but like the one in Nottingham it should be in the city centre.

 

The facilities are good but I don't see that they achieve anything in sport other than to support the elite. OK the city gets teams training but the events the city holds are poor and we can't compete with London. We could have refurbished every local sports facility and had 20 athletics tracks, numerous pools etc.

 

Compare all that to the sports facillities in the city before the World Student Games. And I know that Rotherham is a temp thing, but still true and wouldn't have happened if not for the games.

 

As well as sport, think about all the gigs that we have had at the arena and don valley and how much income and life it brings to the city.