Sheffield Arena: All the changes as new operator takes over pledging £5m revamp

Queues for food and drink at Sheffield Arena are set to be reduced after the council announced a £5.7m upgrade.

The authority has pledged to to 'bring the kitchen up to date' and double the number of tills on bars to speed up service. Some 250 seats will be upgraded to 'luxury'.

The improvements are in a deal with a new operator. The council has terminated its partnership with Sheffield City Trust - whose board is run by volunteer, local experts - and signed a 15-year lease with Australian firm ASM Global, which runs 350 venues including Wembley Arena, starting in January 2025.

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All Arena staff will be transferred and jobs will be created, the authority says. 

And the 12,700 capacity venue is expected to host more events.

A council spokesperson said the authority had set aside £5.7m for improvements, set to take place next year and ASM Global had "committed to significant investment".

The arena is home to ice hockey team Sheffield Steelers. It hosted the MOBO Awards earlier this month and Peter Kay, Take That, Matchroom Boxing, Premier League Darts and Liam Gallagher are among acts booked this year.

Previously it was unfavourably compared with Leeds Arena. But the authority says the new deal will allow it to compete on a global scale.

Chris Bray, president of ASM Global Europe, said their goal was to ensure the arena was a "must-play for world-class artists".