Don Valley Stadium was a sports stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The venue, which was completed in September 1990, hosted the 1991 World Student Games. It was designed by Sheffield City Council's Design & Building Services and named after the nearby River Don. It was demolished in 2013. The stadium and facilities were also used for a variety of other events and sports. It served as a training base for the City of Sheffield Athletic Club and was the home of the Sheffield Half Marathon. Rotherham United F.C. played their home matches at Don Valley between 2008 and 2012 when they were without a ground in Rotherham. Rugby league and American football were staged there, and the Channel 4 celebrity sports show The Games also used the stadium. To save money, Sheffield City Council closed the stadium in September 2013. The site has since been sold and redeveloped to include a research centre, sports centre and educational facilities for local universities. At the time of its closure, Don Valley Stadium was the second largest athletics stadium in the UK – with a seated capacity of 25,000 – behind the London Olympic Stadium. Design The whole of the running track and its infield was illuminated by the strongest floodlighting system in the country. Each of the five lighting towers used was above track level and carried a lighting head as tall as a typical three storey house ( high). All amenities for competitors and officials were at track level with all spectator facilities at natural ground level. This meant, for example, that disabled spectators had level access from the main car park straight through to the mid-level of spectator seating. The track was sunk below ground level and was sheltered by banks of spectator seating, creating a 'bowl effect'. This not only gave ideal viewing conditions but also offered athletes every opportunity of producing peak performances. This record-breaking philosophy has even had a bearing on the angle at which the track was set and its positioning was relative to the prevailing winds and the rise and fall of the sun. The finishing line was positioned at the east end of the stadium which meant that in the afternoon and evening when most meetings are held the sun would always be at the athletes' backs in the finishing straight, as is the prevailing westerly wind. VIP facilities were on a third