Look Local Stadium to host Owls Under-23 games

SHEFFIELD Wednesday’s under-23 side will play the lion’s share of their home games at the stadium of local side Stocksbridge Park Steels next season, subject to Premier League approval.

A select number of fixtures remain at Hillsborough but the bulk of the home outings will take place at Bracken Moor.

The move extends the long-standing association between Wednesday and Stocksbridge, which this summer sees an Owls XI take the short hop to face the Steels in a friendly encounter on Saturday July 13.

SWFC academy manager Steven Haslam told swfc.co.uk: “We are really pleased to confirm this new arrangement with Stocksbridge Park Steels.

“They have long been friends of our club so we are looking forward to taking the under-23s to Bracken Moor.

“It is very much a mutually beneficial arrangement. From our perspective, it’s important that the younger lads play in more of a proper matchday environment on a regular basis.

“The under-23s will still play a small number of games at Hillsborough so the step up will smooth the pathway, rather than playing games at Middlewood Road, where they train day in, day out.

“For Stocksbridge, Wednesday playing at Bracken Moor will help raise some much-needed funds whilst hosting a Championship club along the way.”

The full fixture list for Neil Thompson’s side will be released in the coming weeks.