Cardiff City Stadium facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cardiff City Stadium

Full name	Cardiff City Stadium
Location	Cardiff, Wales
Public transit	Ninian Park Grangetown
Owner	Cardiff City
Operator	Cardiff City Stadium Ltd
Capacity	33,280
Surface	Desso GrassMaster
Construction
Broke ground	September 2007
Built	2007-2009
Opened	22 July 2009; 16 years ago (2009-07-22)
Renovated	2014
Construction cost	£48 million
Architect	Arup Associates
Tenants
Cardiff Blues (2009–2012) Cardiff City (2009–present) Wales national team (2009–present)

The Cardiff City Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a cool sports stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It's the home ground for the Cardiff City football team. It's also where the Wales national team plays many of its games.

This stadium is super big! It can hold 33,280 fans after it was made larger in 2014. It took the place of an older stadium called Ninian Park in 2009. The stadium is managed by a company owned by Cardiff City Football Club.

For a few years, the Cardiff Blues rugby team also played their home matches here. The Cardiff City Stadium is the second-largest stadium in Cardiff and all of Wales, right after the Millennium Stadium. It's part of a bigger area called the Leckwith development. The stadium first opened its doors on July 22, 2009, with a friendly football match between Cardiff City and Celtic.

What is the Cardiff City Stadium?

The stadium was built where the old Cardiff Athletics Stadium used to be. It's part of a huge project called the Leckwith development. This project cost a lot of money and included many new things for the area.

Here's what the Leckwith development brought:

• A big stadium with seats for over 28,000 people at first.
• A new athletics stadium for track and field sports.
• A large shopping area with many stores.
• New homes built on the old Ninian Park site.
• A brand new hotel with a restaurant.
• Improved roads to help with traffic.

Inside the Cardiff City Stadium before it got even bigger.

How the Stadium Was Built

Planning the New Stadium

The idea for a new stadium started way back in 2002 with the club's owner, Sam Hammam. After many meetings, the city council and the club agreed on a plan. There were some worries about having two big stadiums in Cardiff and about traffic. But in 2003, the city councillors gave their approval for the stadium plans.

The Welsh Assembly also said yes to the project. In 2004, the first part of the plan was approved. This included building the stadium with 30,000 seats and a new athletics track. There were some delays, but eventually, the plans for the shopping area were also approved.

Building a stadium costs a lot of money! The football club had some financial challenges. To help pay for the stadium, a big supermarket chain, Asda, agreed to be the main retailer in the new shopping area. This helped secure the money needed to start building.

In 2006, a company called Laing O'Rourke won the job to build the stadium. The original plan was for 30,000 seats. However, to save money and start building faster, the plans were changed. The stadium would open with about 25,000 seats, but it could be made bigger later. The final capacity when it opened was around 28,000.

The stadium was expected to be ready by Christmas 2008. But some bad weather in 2007 caused a small delay. It was finally finished in May 2009.

Building the Stadium

Work began on February 21, 2007, by clearing the land. By May, all the money was in place, and construction could officially start.

The main company in charge of the development was PMG Developments. Laing O'Rourke built the stadium and improved the roads. Another company, Cowlin, built the new athletics stadium.

Construction of the Cardiff City Stadium

The old Cardiff Athletics Stadium being taken down in November 2007.

The Canton Stand and Ninian Stand being built in July 2008.

The Canton Stand and the Grandstand nearing completion.

The roads around the stadium were made wider to handle more cars on match days. The old athletics stadium had to be taken down, but a new one was built first. This made sure the city always had a place for athletes to train.

The new athletics track was ready by summer 2007. The main stadium construction started in October 2007. By January 2008, the foundations were being laid. Steelwork began in March 2008, and the outer walls were added in summer 2008. The whole building was finished by May 2009.

In August 2007, the club agreed to sell the stadium's naming rights for £9 million. This helped reduce some of the club's debt. In March 2009, the stadium was officially named Cardiff City Stadium.

The first official match at the stadium between Cardiff City and Celtic on July 22, 2009.

The stadium was finished earlier than planned! It officially opened with a friendly game against Celtic on July 22, 2009. The first league game was on August 8, 2009, where Cardiff City won 4–0 against Scunthorpe United.

The Wales national team played their first game here on November 14, 2009, winning 3–0 against Scotland.

Making the Stadium Bigger

The expanded Ninian Stand

The Ninian Stand being expanded in May 2014.

The Ninian Stand after it was made bigger in 2021.

In 2012, the co-owner of Cardiff City FC, Vincent Tan, planned to invest more money into the club. Part of this plan was to spend £12 million to make the stadium bigger. The goal was to increase the capacity from about 26,828 seats to around 35,000.

In April 2013, it was announced that the stadium could reach 35,000 seats before the 2014/15 season. Extra seats were added, bringing the capacity to about 28,000.

Later in 2013, the club asked for permission to add a second level to the Ninian Stand. This would increase the capacity to about 33,280 seats. This plan was approved in October 2013. The expansion was finished by early August 2014, just before the stadium hosted the 2014 UEFA Super Cup.

There are also plans for future expansions to add even more seats to other parts of the stadium. This could bring the total capacity to around 38,000. However, in 2015, part of the new Ninian Stand was closed for a season because not enough tickets were being sold. This temporarily lowered the capacity to 27,978.

A Home for Sports

Image taken in April 2011 when the stadium was used by both Cardiff City F.C. and Cardiff Blues.

In 2007, Cardiff City F.C. and Cardiff Blues rugby team agreed that the Blues would play their home games at the stadium. They signed a 20-year agreement in 2008. This meant the Cardiff Blues moved from their old home, Cardiff Arms Park, to the new stadium until 2029.

Football Matches

The Cardiff City Stadium is not just for Cardiff City. It's also a main home for the Wales national football team. They play many of their international games here.

On August 12, 2014, the stadium hosted a very important European match. It was the 2014 UEFA Super Cup between two famous teams: Real Madrid and Sevilla. Real Madrid won the game 2–0.

The stadium also hosted the final of the 2016–17 UEFA Women's Champions League on June 1, 2017. In 2021, Newport County played two games here because their own pitch was not in good condition. More recently, in July 2023, the stadium hosted a European qualifying match for Haverfordwest County.

Rugby Games

From 2009 to 2012, the Cardiff Blues rugby team played their home matches at the stadium. They later decided to move back to their old home at Cardiff Arms Park. The stadium also hosted the final of the 2010–11 Amlin Challenge Cup in May 2011. This was a close game between Harlequins from England and Stade Français from France.

Concerts and Shows

Stereophonics were the first band to play a concert at the stadium on June 5, 2010. This show was called Summer in the City. Other bands like Kids In Glass Houses and Doves also performed.

Stereophonics performing at the stadium.

Stereophonics during their Summer in the City concert.

Many other famous artists have played at the stadium too. Bon Jovi performed here in 2013. Rod Stewart had a concert in 2016. The legendary Elton John played at the stadium in June 2019 as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Most recently, Duran Duran performed in July 2023.

Getting to the Stadium

It's easy to get to the Cardiff City Stadium! There are two train stations nearby: Ninian Park railway station and Grangetown railway station. Trains run often to the city centre stations like Cardiff Central.

A Cardiff Bus service (number 95) also stops right outside the stadium. If you're coming by car, the stadium is close to the A4232 road. This road connects to the M4 motorway, making it simple to drive there. Parking at the stadium is limited, so many spaces are given to season ticket holders.

Fred Keenor Statue

A statue of Fred Keenor outside the Stadium.

In 2009, Cardiff City announced that a statue of Fred Keenor would be built. Fred Keenor was a famous captain who led Cardiff City to win the FA Cup in 1927. Fans helped raise £85,000 to build the statue. It was officially revealed on November 10, 2012, and stands proudly outside the stadium.

Stadium Facts and Figures

Here are some interesting facts about the Cardiff City Stadium:

• Capacity: About 33,280 seats.
• Record Attendance: 33,280 fans watched Wales play Belgium on June 12, 2015.
• Record Attendance for Cardiff City: 33,082 fans saw Cardiff City play Liverpool on April 21, 2019.
• First Official Game: Cardiff City vs. Chasetown on July 10, 2009.
• First League Game: Cardiff City vs. Scunthorpe United on August 8, 2009.
• First Goal Scorer: Jay Bothroyd for Cardiff City in the game against Chasetown.

Average Fan Numbers

This table shows how many fans usually came to watch games each season.

Match Records

This table shows how many games different teams have played, won, drawn, and lost at the stadium.

See also

In Spanish: Cardiff City Stadium para niños