Although the Hillsborough Arena as we know it today is only a few years old, the site has a history as one of Sheffield's top sports facilities stretching back to the 1950s. In fact, many of those who grew up in Sheffield between the 1950s and 1980s remember the Arena fondly in its original guise, as the City's first purpose-built athletics stadium.

The original Hillsborough Park Sports Arena opened on 25 August 1956 (see picture, right) with a gala athletics event. Over the next 30 years,
its cinder track, simple changing rooms and wooden terraced seating served Sheffield well, hosting hundreds of local and regional athletics events.
At its height in the 1960s and 1970s it was home to both Sheffield United Harriers and Hallamshire Harriers, the City's two biggest running and
athletics clubs. In the 1980s it also became the home of Sheffield Football Club -- the world's oldest football club.

While the Arena was a fine facility at the time it was built, it was beginning to look out-dated and dilapidated by the late 1980s.
The building of the Woodbourne Road athletics stadium and later Don Valley Stadium in the late '80s sealed the Arena's fate in its first incarnation.
By 1991, the Arena had been abandoned both as an athletics and football venue and was fast becoming a derelict site.

It was around this time that the dream of a new community sports facility on the historic site was first mooted. In early 1992,
Sheffield City Council Leisure Services approached Junior Eagles Amateur Rugby League club -- then beginning to use the site as their
first permanent home ground -- and Hallamshire Harriers -- whose clubhouse was in the car park just outside the Arena -- with a view to forging a
partnership through which the old running track could be developed. The idea was simple: an organisation would be formed as a joint venture to develop
the site as a community sports facility. The Hillsborough Arena Sports Association (HASA) was set up.

But things did not run quite as smoothly as the Council -- and both sports clubs -- had hoped.
In 1994 Hallamshire Harriers withdrew from the partnership. The rugby club, now named Sheffield Hillsborough Eagles
(the name change having occurred after the introduction of 'open age' men and women's sides) decided to continue alone.

Hallamshire Harriers decision to leave meant that the Association's constitution would have to be amended. Hillsborough Hawks were nevertheless committed to wider community involvement and included representatives of the community in the revised constitution.
The constitution's objectives (still relevant today) are:

1. To provide, maintain and develop facilities so that constituent sports clubs can seek to fulfill their objectives as laid down in their
individual constitutions
2. To encourage the promotion and practice of the sports of constituent clubs in the Sheffield area
3. To facilitate the use of the Hillsborough Sports Arena as a sporting, recreational and social center for the people of the Hillsborough
and adjacent communities
4. To promote and develop active involvement in sporting activities for young people in Hillsborough and adjacent communities
5. To undertake other activities incidental or conducive to the furtherance of these objectives

With these in mind, HASA set about preparing a Sports Lottery application. The plan was to build a new clubhouse,
all-weather training facility and two rugby pitches. After much hard work from a small, dedicated team,
and a number of set-backs and difficulties, HASA's application for Lottery funding was submitted in October 1995.
All there was left to do was wait...

After what seemed like an eternity, the Lottery Sports Panel made its judgment in June 1996. The result was jubilation in Hillsborough,
as HASA received a provisional award from the Lottery Panel of £234,000 out of a proposed scheme of £325,000.
There was still a long way to go before work could begin,

Following a visit by Sport England officers to the Arena in the summer of 1997,
HASA was advised to revise their scheme and ask for more funding.
This was done and in October 1997 HASA was awarded a grant of £732,285 as part of a total agreed project expenditure of £879,285.
In addition, HASA secured a grant of £25,000 from the Football Association and a loan of £60,000 from Ward's Brewery.

Work finally began on the grounds in January 1998, and on the buildings in April 1998.
After a hectic summer, the project was finally completed in September 1998. Hillsborough Sports Arena opened for business at the beginning of October 1998.