Ninian Park facts for kids
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The Bearpit
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Ninian Park in 2005
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 Ninian Park
Location in Wales
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| Full name | Ninian Park |
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| Former names | Sloper Park |
| Location | Sloper Road, Cardiff CF11 8SX |
| Coordinates | 51°28′29″N 3°12′00″W / 51.47472°N 3.20000°W |
| Owner | Cardiff City |
| Capacity | 21,508 |
| Record attendance | 62,634 (Wales vs England, 17 October 1959) |
| Field size | 110 x 75 yards |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1909 |
| Built | 1910 |
| Opened | 1 September 1910 |
| Closed | 2009 |
| Demolished | 2009 |
| Main contractors | Cardiff Corporation |
| Tenants | |
| Cardiff City (1910–2009) Cardiff City Blue Dragons (1981–1984) Wales national football team (1911–1989) |
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Ninian Park was a famous football stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It was the home ground for Cardiff City for 99 years. The stadium first opened its doors in 1910 with just one wooden stand. Over the years, it was updated many times. It even hosted matches where more than 60,000 fans came to watch! When it closed in 2009, it could hold 21,508 people.
Before Ninian Park, Cardiff City played at a place called Sophia Gardens. However, the facilities there were not good enough for the team to join a bigger league. So, the club's founder, Bartley Wilson, found a new piece of land. Construction for the new stadium began in 1909. It was named Ninian Park after Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, who helped the club with money to build it.
The stadium officially opened with a friendly match against Aston Villa. At first, it had one wooden stand and three large banks made of ash for spectators. Slowly, new stands were built all around the pitch. These stands were known as the Canton Stand, the Grange End, the Popular Bank, and the Grandstand.
Ninian Park was also the home stadium for the Wales national football team from 1911 until the late 1980s. It hosted 84 international games during that time. Later, worries about safety meant the stadium's capacity had to be greatly reduced. The Cardiff Arms Park then became the main home for the national team. The biggest crowd ever at Ninian Park was 62,634 fans. They watched Wales play England on October 17, 1959. Cardiff City's own record attendance was 57,893 fans for a game against Arsenal in 1953.
The very last match played by Cardiff City at Ninian Park was on April 25, 2009, against Ipswich Town. Soon after, the stadium was torn down. A new stadium, the Cardiff City Stadium, was built nearby to replace it. The land where Ninian Park once stood was turned into a housing estate, which was finished in 2010.
Contents
The Story of Ninian Park
Building a New Home for Cardiff City
When Cardiff City started in 1899 (then called Riverside A.F.C.), they played at Sophia Gardens. The club became very popular. But the Sophia Gardens ground was not big enough and lacked proper facilities. Because of this, the club could not join the new Southern Football League in 1908.
To grow the club, founder Bartley Wilson looked for a new place to build a stadium. He found a piece of waste ground called Tanyard Lane. This area had been a rubbish tip and an allotment garden before. Local workers helped clear the site and make the ground flat. Large piles of ash and slag from nearby factories were used to create banks for spectators to stand on. A small wooden stand with 200 seats and changing rooms were also built.
The club needed people to promise financial support for the new ground. One person backed out, which caused problems. Then, Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart stepped in to offer his help. To thank him, the stadium was named Ninian Park. It was originally going to be called Sloper Park.
Opening Day and Early Challenges
In 1910, a football official named Harry Bradshaw inspected the new ground. He said Ninian Park had "the making of the finest football ground in the country." This allowed Cardiff City to join the Southern League.
The stadium officially opened on September 1, 1910. A friendly match was played against Aston Villa, the champions of the Football League. About 7,000 people watched the game. Lord Ninian himself kicked off the match. Cardiff lost 2–1, but it was a big day for the club. Jack Evans scored the first goal for Cardiff at the new ground.
The first competitive match was on September 24, 1910. Cardiff beat Ton Pentre 4–1, with about 8,000 fans watching. Later that year, a larger wooden stand was built at the Canton end of the ground. It could hold 3,000 spectators.
Less than a year after opening, Ninian Park became the new home for the Wales national football team. Their first international game there was on March 6, 1911, against Scotland. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. In its early years, the pitch sometimes had glass and other rubbish rise to the surface. Players were even paid to help clear the pitch before games!
Growing with the Football League
Cardiff City moved up to the First Division of the Southern Football League in 1913. After World War I, the club earned enough money to pay off its debts. This allowed them to build a new all-seater stand called the Canton Stand.
In 1920, Cardiff joined The Football League. This made attendances grow a lot. Matches against famous clubs brought in over 28,000 fans on average. More improvements were made, including a roof over the Canton Stand and a new pitch. Cardiff then won promotion to the First Division after just one season. The opening game of the 1921–22 season saw over 55,000 fans try to get in. Many forced their way in after the turnstiles closed!
In 1927, after winning the 1927 FA Cup Final, enough money was raised to put a roof over the terrace at the Grangetown end. This new roof could protect 18,000 spectators. However, spending money on the stadium meant less money for new players. The team struggled and was relegated by 1932. To make more money, Ninian Park started hosting other events like boxing matches and sports carnivals.
Fire, Floodlights, and European Games
On January 18, 1937, the main stand caught fire. Thieves had tried to break into the club's safe using explosives. The fire destroyed the stand, changing rooms, and offices. It also sadly killed the club's watchdog and a cat. Most of the club's old records were lost. The stand was rebuilt with brick and stone before World War II.
After the war, Ninian Park hosted its first European team, Dynamo Moscow, in 1945. Cardiff lost badly, but made a lot of money from ticket sales. In 1947, the main stand was made bigger. In 1960, floodlights were added, making Ninian Park one of the last Football League grounds to get them.
Cardiff City's popularity grew, and they aimed to return to the First Division. On August 27, 1949, over 60,000 tickets were sold for a game against Swansea Town. The club's record attendance of 57,893 was set on April 22, 1953, for a First Division match against Arsenal.
In 1958, Ninian Park hosted a very important game. Wales played Israel in a play-off match for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Wales won and reached the World Cup finals for the only time in their history!
Cardiff City started playing in European competitions in the 1964–65 season. The first European game at Ninian Park was on October 13, 1964, against a Danish team called Esbjerg. Cardiff won 1–0. Later European matches against teams like Sporting CP and Real Zaragoza drew large crowds.
Safety Changes and Final Years
In the 1970s, new safety laws for sports grounds were introduced. This meant Ninian Park's capacity had to be cut from 46,000 to just 10,000 due to safety worries. The club had to spend £600,000 to improve safety. The roof of the Grange End Stand was even torn down.
A sad event happened at Ninian Park on September 10, 1985. During a World Cup qualifying match between Wales and Scotland, Scotland's manager, Jock Stein, collapsed and passed away. A plaque was later placed in one of the dugouts to remember him.
In the late 1980s, Ninian Park was no longer the main home for the Wales national team because of ongoing safety concerns. The Cardiff Arms Park took over. The last international game at Ninian Park was in 1998.
Cardiff City faced money problems in the 1990s. They had to close three stands to save money. Later, a new owner, Rick Wright, invested in the ground. He added 2,100 seats to the Grandstand and replaced standing areas with 5,330 seats in the Popular Bank. The Grange End and Canton Stand also got 1,761 new seats.
By the early 2000s, Ninian Park was showing its age. After a game in 2002, police said it was "very old" and "poorly designed" compared to modern stadiums. Plans for a new stadium began to take shape.
Demolition and New Beginnings
construction of Ninian Park housing
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The last football match for Cardiff City at Ninian Park was a 3–0 loss to Ipswich Town on April 25, 2009. The last player to score at the ground for Cardiff was Ross McCormack. After the final game, many items from the stadium were sold in an online auction.
On September 10, 2009, the 99-year-old Ninian Park was handed over to a housing company. It was torn down later that year to make way for new homes. The company built 142 houses on the site. They decided to keep the name Ninian Park for the new housing estate.
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A special garden area was created in the middle of the new estate. This spot marked where the center spot of the football pitch used to be. The first new homes were ready in 2010, and families started moving in that November. The main road through the new development was named Bartley Wilson Way, after the founder of Cardiff City.
Stadium Layout and Features
When Ninian Park closed in 2009, it could hold 21,508 people. It had four main stands: the Grandstand, the Grange End, the Popular Bank, and the Canton Stand.
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The Grandstand was an all-seated area. It was rebuilt after a fire before World War II. Across from it was the Popular Bank, often called the "Bob Bank." This was because it used to cost one shilling (a "bob") to enter. It started as a standing area with no roof. A roof was added in 1958, and seats were put in the top half in the early 1990s. The Popular Bank was famous for the advertisements on its roof. An advert for Captain Morgan rum was there for 42 years! It was the longest-running stadium roof advert in Football League history.
The Grange End and Canton Stand were named after local areas in Cardiff. The Grange End was where visiting fans sat. It used to have a tall fence to keep opposing fans separate. This fence was removed in 2006. The Canton Stand had special executive boxes, hospitality areas, and club offices. These were finished in 2001. The stadium also had floodlights in each corner. A large plasma-screen TV showed highlights during games. This TV was bought from Bolton Wanderers in 2002.
Getting There: Transport Links
The stadium had its own train station, Ninian Park railway station. It was built in 1912 because so many fans came to matches. Another station, Grangetown railway station, was also nearby. Trains ran often to Cardiff Central and Queen Street stations. By road, the stadium was close to the A4232 dual carriageway.
Other Events at Ninian Park
Rugby Matches
Ninian Park hosted rugby games too. The Cardiff City Blue Dragons rugby league team used it as their home from 1981 to 1984. This team was started to help make money for the football club. Their first match drew over 9,000 fans. The Welsh national rugby league team, the Wales Dragons, also played seven international matches at Ninian Park.
Boxing and Other Sports
Cardiff-born boxer Jack Petersen fought at Ninian Park many times. Some of his fights drew over 40,000 people. The stadium also hosted several World title boxing fights. In 1946, Ronnie James fought for the NBA Lightweight Title in front of 45,000 fans.
During the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff, Ninian Park hosted the show jumping championships. It also held an exhibition basketball game with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1958.
Concerts and Special Visits
Ninian Park was used for many other events. Pope John Paul II visited the city on June 2, 1982. He appeared at a National Youth Rally held at Ninian Park, attended by 35,000 people. Reggae singer Bob Marley also performed a concert there on June 19, 1976.
Stadium Records
The highest number of people ever at Ninian Park was 62,634. This was for a match between Wales and England on October 17, 1959. Cardiff City's record attendance was 57,893 for a league game against Arsenal in 1953.
The stadium also holds the record for the most fans at a Welsh Cup match. In 1956, 37,500 people watched Cardiff beat Swansea Town 3–2 in the final.
The highest average attendance for a season was 37,937 in the 1952–53 season. The lowest average was 2,856 in the 1986–87 season. That season also saw the lowest ever home attendance for a Football League game, with only 1,510 fans watching a match against Hartlepool United.
Images for kids
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The Grandstand during demolition
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The roof of the Grandstand coming down
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Canton Stand during demolition
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Grange End during demolition
See also
In Spanish: Ninian Park para niños
