Park Community Arena now Canon Medical Arena

Article posted by Coliseum, September 8^th, 2023

Image: Sheffield Olympic Legacy park

The Park Community Arena, developed by the Canon Medical Systems UK (medical diagnostic imaging center in Crawley, England), currently pending build completion on the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park in Sheffield, England (UK), has agreed its new title for the next decade.

‘Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’ stated that the innovative multipurpose community arena shall now be known as the ‘Canon Medical Arena’ with immediate effect until 2033.

The Park Community Arena, known for sponsorship reasons as the Canon Medical Arena, is a sports arena under construction located within the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park in Sheffield, England. On matchdays, the main arena will have a seating capacity for 2,500 spectators. The arena’s main tenants are the Sheffield Sharks and Sheffield Hatters basketball teams, who will move from their previous homes at the Ponds Forge and All Saints Sports Centre for the start of the 2023-2024 seasons.

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The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, is a sports and recreation hub for health and wellbeing collaborative research and learning.

The Sheffield Sharks, currently known as ‘B.Braun Sheffield Sharks’ for sponsorship reasons, are a professional basketball team from the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England (UK). The Sharks play in the British Basketball League and from 2023 will play their home fixtures at the Park Community Arena.

The Sheffield Hatters are a women’s basketball club from Sheffield, England (UK). The club have been mainstays of the women’s game in England for many years, having celebrated their 50^th anniversary in 2011, and are founder members of the professional Women’s British Basketball League, which launched in 2014.

The Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is a leisure complex in Sheffield, England, that contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool with seating for 2,600 spectators, family and children’s pools, water slides, and other sports facilities.

The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men’s professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs from Wales or Northern Ireland.

‘Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’ further stated that with multiple disciplines hosted within the complex including three-basketball court sport, hall, studio space, a classroom for the Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) program children and state-of-the-art Medical Diagnostic Centre, the Canon Medical Arena is the first of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Taking inspiration from the Sheffield Sharks of the British Basketball League, the PCA Limited was founded with the goal of acquiring and managing a facility aimed at becoming the definitive basketball hub within the City. This endeavor not only aims to fulfill the requirement for accessible and reasonably priced courts for every age bracket, from grassroots to elite players, but also envisions an arena layout capable of accommodating 2,000 to 2,500 spectators, adaptable based on the specific sporting event.

High-profile sporting clubs in the region have already made long- term commitments to the Canon Medical Arena which in addition to the core sports of basketball and netball will be a flexible mid-size venue for a range of events and sports.

Said Yuri Matischen, Director of Park Community Arena Limited, “This mid-size venue complements the City’s facilities, and now that we have such a strong brand name for the arena, we will continue to attract major events to Sheffield, and we look forward to driving the region’s sports and health economies respectively.”

The Naming Rights Agreement is part of the wider relationship for the development and construction of the building with the Canon Medical Systems UK, adding to the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park’s health and wellbeing agenda, with the Canon Medical Arena uniquely including a much-needed Medical Diagnostic Centre.

The access and control of the Medical Diagnostic Centre will be managed by LivingCare, who will be responsible for all imaging and diagnostic services, supporting athletes of all abilities and the National Health Service (NHS) patients in its determination to increase patient access to health screening and disease prevention in the region. There is also the potential to alleviate capacity pressures on the NHS by helping with appointment backlogs.

Leeds (UK)-based the LivingCare Group have extensive experience of delivering healthcare services in primary care settings. It works with the wider NHS to develop innovative healthcare solutions. Its portfolio of services has been developed in response to the local demand and reflects the changing face of healthcare delivery to improve accessibility. The LivingCare Group clinics and facilities are modern and well-designed, with highly trained clinicians and practitioners and the latest technology to ensure excellent standards of care.

London (UK)-based the National Health Service (NHS) is the conglomerate name for the publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom, comprising NHS England, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland was created separately and is often locally referred to as ‘the NHS’.

The Medical Diagnostic Centre will feature advanced Canon Medical imaging systems including artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted computed tomography scan (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diagnostic ultrasound, digital X-ray, fluoroscopy and include consulting rooms and a minor surgery operating theater. The quality and specification of the equipment, coupled with AI-led analysis within the facility will play a critical role for athletes, achieving the most up-to-date medical support in preventing injury and assisting with athlete and patient recovery.

Stated Mark Hitchman, Managing Director, and Canon Medical Systems UK, “We are delighted that the Park Community Arena, that we have developed and delivered, is to be officially named the ‘Canon Medical Arena’. The Canon Medical Arena is a pioneering carbon-neutral built sports, healthcare and community facility with the aim of increasing affordable access to sports and community events. As well as providing a home for the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and B. Braun Sheffield Hatters basketball, the Medical Diagnostic Centre will play a part in expanding healthcare capacity for the local people with advanced healthcare facilities featuring the latest Canon Medical innovations. It will also be a hub for our research and development teams working in cooperation with the neighboring academia developing healthcare innovations for the future.”

Added Sarah Williams, Director of Patient Safety, “LivingCare are proud to be bringing healthcare services to Sheffield in the ‘Canon Medical Arena’ this will not only will be an opportunity to improve the health of the community, but also create job opportunities and play a part in creating the medical workforces of the future through established links with the colleges and universities.”

The Canon Medical Arena will play a role in the community, maintaining an impact on the region via key health, sporting and education programs.

The B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and B. Braun Hatters will be operating their delivery of B Healthy B Braun, and the Canon Medical supported RESPECT and RESPECT TOO programs in schools as well as onsite at the Canon Medical Arena.

The new arena’s classroom facility can host up to 16 students as part of its re-engagement and study support activities. To date, the sum of the combined projects have annually benefited over 4,000 students since their inception and these are to be expanded as further opportunities are developed with the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.

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