VIDEO: Sheffield's Celebration Of Sport dinner to honour icons and grassroots stars

On your marks, get set, go...tickets are on sale today for The Star backed Sheffield's Celebration of Sport dinner to honour the city region's biggest names and grassroots stars of the future.
Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-HillOlympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill
Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill

Sport in this city has never been more successful.

And with the Olympics to come next month - with Sheffield likely to produce even more new superstars - a 1,000-seat glittering gala dinner will celebrate the city’s past, present and future sporting success.

The inaugural Olympic Legacy Park event hosted by BBC Look North's Harry Gration will take place on the very track where our Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill trains in the Indoor Athletics Arena at the English Institute of Sport, on Wednesday, October 5.

Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-HillOlympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill
Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis-Hill
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This will be the first time a gala dinner has been hosted in the unique venue and the red carpet event will raise money for The Children’s Hospital Charity and SportsAid Yorkshire and Humberside.

Six grassroots sports awards for individuals, groups or teams in the Sheffield City Region will also be presented on the evening for Sports Club of the Year, Sports Woman of the Year, Sports Man of the Year, Future Star, Unsung Hero and Overcoming Adversity.

Full details and criteria for nominations will be announced soon.

TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Visit www.olympiclegacypark.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 0114 261 9604

Golfing great Danny WilletGolfing great Danny Willet
Golfing great Danny Willet
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On the same day Sheffield's Lord Seb Coe, chairman of the British Olympic Association, will be visiting The Olympic Legacy Park, a centre for health and wellbeing research and learning, on the site of the demolished Don Valley Stadium.

Businesses and members of the public are being invited to share in the success and rub shoulders with the stars at the gala evening dinner.

Invited are the city's poster boys and girls including Masters golf champion Danny Willett, cricket world great England batsman Joe Root, Leicester City's fairytale striker Jamie Vardy, world welterweight boxing champ Kell Brook and of course not least of all, going for gold again next month, Olympic heptathlon champion Jess.

Then we have world squash champion Nick Matthew, England and Tottenham Hotspur right back Kyle Walker and European Tour golfer Matt Fitzpatrick. All born and bred in the steel city.

England and Yorkshire's world great cricket batsman Joe RootEngland and Yorkshire's world great cricket batsman Joe Root
England and Yorkshire's world great cricket batsman Joe Root

And it doesn't stop there.

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World champion boxer Anthony Joshua hails from London, but trains at Sheffield's English Institute of Sport, as does the entire Olympic boxing squad, including Nicola Adams, who in Rio next month is also hoping to repeat her historic gold medal win in London 2012.

The EIS is also home to British Basketball League champions Sheffield Sharks.

Across the city, Sheffield Hatters are not only this city's most successful basketball team; they're the most-decorated sports club in this country. Since the early 1990s, they've banked over 50 titles.

Boxing world champ Kell BrookBoxing world champ Kell Brook
Boxing world champ Kell Brook

City swimmers Ellie Faulkner and Max Litchfield are also off to Rio this summer for the Olympics.

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Sheffield Steelers have won the Elite League title for the past two seasons. Take into account the Premier League speedway team Sheffield Tigers and rugby league side Sheffield Eagles, the Steel City has a club in every major team sport in this country.

Sheffield is no stranger to making a racket in sporting circles. It is home to Wimbledon men's doubles champion Jonny Marray.

Adam Blythe is the British men's cycling champion.

The city region also includes the likes of Rotherham's own Olympic stars - gold medal sailor Paul Goodison, runner Louise Bloor and the Dearne's archer Amy Oliver.

Doncaster's Olympic GB hockey captain is Barry Middleton.

Sheffield trained Olympic boxing golden girl Nicola AdamsSheffield trained Olympic boxing golden girl Nicola Adams
Sheffield trained Olympic boxing golden girl Nicola Adams

Oh, and in terms of history, let's not forget invented in Sheffield was the beautiful game of football - which saw our top regional side Barnsley make two successful trips to Wembley this year.

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Wednesday came close to a Premiership return and will be knocking at the door again next season. The city's other club, United, still regularly attract crowds of 19,000 in League One, where they play in the oldest professional stadium in the world. Bramall Lane is one of only two grounds to have hosted an England football international, an England cricket Test match and an FA Cup final.

Sheffield FC are the world's first football club; Hallam's Sandygate is the oldest football ground in the world.

The Sheffield and District Junior Sunday League is the biggest in Europe, with over 1,000 teams. Sheffield FC's Ladies side made history,by reaching the Women's Super League last season.

Yorkshire, the most successful cricket team in the world; was founded at Sheffield's Adelphi Hotel, and began life at Bramall Lane before leaving for Leeds.

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The Adelphi Hotel was also instrumental in forming both United and Wednesday, and was demolished to make way for the Crucible Theatre; which now hosts the World Snooker Championships every year.

A remarkable 210 million viewers from China alone watched this year's event and the tournament will remain at the 980-seat Crucible for another 11 years.

Sheffield’s Celebration of Sport is being organised by the Olympic Legacy Park, which is set to become an internationally recognised centre for health, wellbeing and innovation. The event is being supported by SIV, The Star and HR Media.

Richard Caborn, project lead for the Olympic Legacy Park, said: “We are hugely excited about the launch of the first event of its kind celebrating the success of our city’s sports men and women, which has culminated in one of the best ever years for Sheffield sport in 2016.

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“From Jamie Vardy helping Leicester to become Premier League champions to Danny Willett winning the Masters, it has been an incredible year so far for Sheffield sport and this event is all about recognising this success.

“It will also be a chance to put the spotlight on up and coming athletes and teams who will be flying the flag for Sheffield sport in the future, as well as celebrate the city’s world-class facilities.

“It’s no coincidence that this part of Yorkshire produces so many champions. In the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, we have one of the best multi-sport venues in the country which will form part of the new Olympic Legacy Park.

“When it’s fully operational in 2018, the Olympic Legacy Park will be home to a cluster of outstanding facilities for elite athletes, professional teams and the local community. It will also be home to a unique Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, supporting athletes of the future and developing innovations which help the general public to become more active.”

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Steve Brailey MBE, chief executive of SIV, which operates the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, said: “This star-studded event will be a great opportunity to really celebrate Sheffield as the UK’s city of sport.

“We have such a wealth of talent across a whole range of sports and our world-class facilities, such as the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, iceSheffield and Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, have played a key part in supporting the city’s elite athletes.

“Our venues are also used by the local community and it will be fantastic to recognise the youngsters and clubs coming through at grassroots levels and honour future Sheffield sporting stars at the home of the city’s current Olympic and world champions.”

This year marks the 40th anniversary of SportsAid Yorkshire and Humberside, which nationally has the Duchess of Cambridge as its patron. Notable alumni, which have been helped by the charity include, Tanni Grey-Thomson, Sharron Davies, Greg Rutherford, Mark Cavendish, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Christine Ohuruogu and Ellie Simmonds.

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Stephanie Clark, regional fundraising and events manager for SportsAid Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “SportsAid gives financial support to young sportsmen and women throughout the UK across a variety of sports. By being involved as a business, companies can directly help leading young athletes in their community and contribute to the nation’s potential for sporting success at the same time.”

* A range of sponsorship packages and gold, silver and bronze table packages are now available for the gala dinner.

Gold packages include an exclusive Champagne reception with sporting celebrities, a table with an Olympian or world-class sports star, three-course meal, wine and coffee and full page advert in souvenir programme.

Silver packages offer a drinks reception, a table with a sports star, three-course meal, wine and coffee. In the bronze packages, guests will enjoy a drinks reception, three-course meal and coffee.

Individual tickets are available for £100. All prices plus VAT.

To be part of the celebrations, visit www.olympiclegacypark.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 0114 261 9604