New vision for women's football at Millmoor

A plan has been unveiled by the owners of Rotherham United Women FC for a national centre of excellence for women and girls' football, as well as a 2,000-seat stadium on the historic Millmoor site.

Club owners Phil Smith and Scott Thorpe announced the £9.5m proposal, which would also include a community sports hub.

The site is owned by Ron Hull Group and talks have been held with the owners and Rotherham Borough Council. Work to demolish the former Millmoor stadium began in August.

Thorpe said: "For nearly 20 years we've talked about what Rotherham lost when football left Millmoor. Maybe it's time we started talking about what Rotherham could gain."

Rotherham United Women FC, which began in 1969, was bought in June by local owners Smith and Thorpe.

When they took over, the club was at risk of folding due to financial uncertainties - but they say it has now entered a new era built around ambition.

"We see an opportunity to create something genuinely significant here, not just for Rotherham but for women's football nationally," Smith said.

"The ambition isn't simply to build a new stadium.

"It's to explore a dedicated centre of excellence that could attract players, coaches and sporting organisations from across the country, while creating facilities that schools, families and the wider community can benefit from."

The proposals also include community benefits, with plans for low-cost gym access and support for grassroots sport.

There are also plans for corporate hospitality, and a commitment to heritage with the intention to create a new home for the Derek Dalton Clock, which pays homage to a Millers superfan who died in 1993.

Francesca Ross, chair of Rotherham United Women FC, said the plans "represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to tackle Rotherham's acute sports facility shortage, while breathing new life into a historic ground that holds meaning for local families".

A two-week public consultation on the proposals will start on Monday to ask residents, supporters, schools, sporting organisations, charities and businesses what they want from the site.

Rotherham United played at Millmoor until 2008 when they moved to the New York Stadium.

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