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English Institute of Sport, Sheffield facts for kids

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English Institute of Sport Sheffield
The English Institute of Sport – Sheffield
EISSportsHall
Main sports hall, once home to the Sheffield Sharks basketball team

The English Institute of Sport (EIS) is a big sports center in Sheffield, England. It was built by FaulknerBrowns Architects and opened in December 2003. It cost about £24 million! The EIS has a cool 200-meter indoor running track. It also has many other sports areas, a huge gym, and places for sports medicine (which helps athletes stay healthy). You can find it in the Lower Don Valley, right between the Sheffield Arena and the Don Valley Bowl. A group called SIV (Sheffield International Venues) takes care of it.

What Sports Can You Play Here?

The EIS is a top training spot for many sports. Athletes come here to practice things like athletics (running and jumping), basketball, boxing, fencing, futsal (a type of indoor soccer), judo, netball, table tennis, and volleyball.

Many sports clubs meet and train at the EIS. These include the City of Sheffield Athletic Club, the Sheffield Sharks (a basketball team), Sheffield Futsal Club, and Sheffield Sword Club. Netball teams like Concorde Netball Club and the England Netball squad also train here. The England Volleyball team uses the center too. It's also home to the main professional academy for snooker players. Sometimes, local secondary schools even hold their sports days here!

A Look Back: History of the EIS

The EIS has hosted many exciting sports events. In February 2009, it held the European Indoor Trials & UK Championships for athletics. In July 2011, the European Fencing championships took place here.

Since 2008, the EIS has been a key place for snooker. It hosts the qualifying matches for the World Snooker Championship. The main parts of this championship happen nearby at the Crucible Theatre. These qualifying matches used to be in late February or early March, but now they happen in April. Since 2010, the EIS has also hosted qualifying matches for other snooker tournaments.

The EIS-Sheffield was a very important training center for British athletes. They used it to get ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2015, it was announced that the EIS-Sheffield would become part of the Olympic Legacy Park. This new park is built on the site of the old Don Valley Stadium.

The EIS was also chosen to host matches for the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup. This shows how important it is for many different sports.

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