Rodney Parade facts for kids
Rodney Parade East stand
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 Rodney Parade
Location in Newport
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| Location | Rodney Road Newport NP19 0UU |
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| Coordinates | 51°35′18″N 2°59′16″W / 51.58833°N 2.98778°W |
| Public transit |  Newport Newport bus station |
| Owner | Welsh Rugby Union |
| Operator | Welsh Rugby Union |
| Capacity | 8,700 (7,850 for football) |
| Surface | PlayMaster (Hybrid grass) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1877 |
| Architect | Thomas Douglas-Jones |
| Tenants | |
| Newport County Dragons Newport RFC |
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Rodney Parade is a famous stadium in Newport, South Wales. The Welsh Rugby Union owns and runs it. You can find it on the east side of the River Usk in the centre of Newport.
The stadium is home to several sports teams. The Dragons regional rugby union team plays here. So does the rugby club Newport RFC. It's also the home ground for Newport County football club. Rodney Parade is one of the oldest sports venues in the English Football League.
Newport Squash Club also has four courts at Rodney Parade.
Contents
What does Rodney Parade look like?
Rodney Parade has two main covered stands. These are the Compeed Stand on the west side and the Bisley Stand on the east side. They run along the sides of the pitch.
The upper part of the west stand has 1,996 seats. The lower part is a standing area called a terrace. The east stand has only seats, with space for 2,526 people. It also has special boxes for guests and places for food and drinks. TV cameras are set up here, pointing towards the west.
At the north end, there's an uncovered standing area. The south end has changing rooms for players and a media centre. There's also a small stand with 222 seats for visiting football fans. A big video screen was put up at the south end in 2013.
You can find the rugby ticket office and club shop at the north end of the east stand. The Newport County ticket office is a separate building nearby. There's also a grass training area and other club facilities to the north.
A brief history of Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade has a long and interesting history. In 1875, the Newport Athletic Club was formed. Two years later, they got permission to use the land at Rodney Parade. This land was for their cricket, tennis, rugby, and athletics teams.
In October 1879, Newport RFC played a rugby game under floodlights here. It was the first time a sports ground in Wales had floodlights!
Newport rugby club had many successful years. They were unbeaten for six seasons in a row at one point. They also had unbeaten seasons in 1891-92 and 1922-23. Famous teams like the All Blacks and the Springboks found it tough to win here.
The original cricket ground at Rodney Parade is no longer there. A new school was built on that spot in 1993. The Newport Cricket Club moved to the Newport International Sports Village.
In 2003, the Newport Gwent Dragons regional rugby team was created. They started sharing Rodney Parade with Newport RFC.
There were plans to make Rodney Parade bigger, aiming for 15,000 seats. This project started in 2009. The new east stand, called the Bisley Stand, opened in 2011.
In 2012, Newport County football club moved to Rodney Parade. This meant the stadium started hosting regular football matches. They signed a 10-year agreement in 2013.
Sometimes, the pitch at Rodney Parade has had problems with drainage. In 2016, some football matches had to be stopped because of too much water. In 2021, some matches had to be moved to other stadiums. This was because the pitch was in poor condition due to maintenance being cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2017, the Welsh Rugby Union bought the ground. They then installed a special hybrid grass pitch. This new pitch is good for both rugby and football.
International Rugby Matches
Rodney Parade has hosted six full international rugby union matches for the Wales national rugby union team. These are games where the national team plays against another country's national team.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Final score |
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| 12 January 1884 | 1884 Home Nations Championship |  Scotland |
0G, 0T – 1G, 1T |
| 4 February 1888 | 1888 Home Nations Championship | 0G, 1T – 0G, 0T | |
| 3 January 1891 | 1891 Home Nations Championship |  England |
3–7 |
| 3 February 1894 | 1894 Home Nations Championship | Scotland |
7–0 |
| 9 January 1897 | 1897 Home Nations Championship | England |
11–0 |
| 25 March 1912 | Friendly |  France |
14–8 |
International Women's Football Match
Rodney Parade has also hosted one match for the Wales women's national football team.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Final score |
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| 31 August 2018 | Women's World Cup Qualifier | England |
0–3 |
