Don Valley Stadium as the centre-piece of a £147 million construction programme needed to provide the necessary sports and cultural facilities to enable the city to host the 1991 Summer Universiade. Jan Železný threw in the javelin on 29 August 1993 (which was a world record at the time) and infamously nearly hit the TV commentators who were interviewing close to the start/finish line. There were plans to use the stadium in a Sheffield bid for the 2002 Commonwealth Games (which eventually went to Manchester) and also to use it as a potential joint ground for the city's two football teams. In both
Don Valley Stadium 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. Due to financial problems, the stadium was closed in September 2013. The site has since been 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. The whole of the running track and its infield was illuminated