SWALEC Stadium
 The Really Welsh Pavilion  |
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| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Cardiff, Wales |
| Capacity | 15,643[1] |
| Owner | Cardiff City Council |
| Architect | HLN Architects[2] |
| End names | |
| River Taff End Cathedral Road End |
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| International information | |
| Last Test | 26–30 May 2011: England v Sri Lanka |
| First ODI | 20 May 1999: Australia v New Zealand |
| Last ODI | 24 June 2010: England v Australia |
| Domestic team information | |
| Glamorgan (1967 – present) | |
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As of 1 June 2011 |
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Sophia Gardens (Welsh: Gerddi Soffia), currently known as SWALEC Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm SWALEC) under a naming rights deal, is a cricket stadium on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, 1.6 kilometres (one mile) north of Cardiff Arms Park. It was named after Lady Sophia Rawdon-Hastings. Daughter of the 1st Marquess of Hastings and wife to the 2nd Marquess of Bute, Lady Sophia was concerned to provide open space for recreation in the rapidly expanding city in the late 19th century, in which her husband was heavily involved. The area is currently owned by Cardiff City Council.
Contents |
County cricket [edit]
The SWALEC Stadium is home to the Glamorgan County Cricket Club. The cricket club has played first-class cricket matches at the venue since 24 May 1967,[3] after moving away from Cardiff Arms Park. A 125-year lease of the ground was acquired in 1995, with the previous leaseholders, Cardiff Athletic Club, moving the cricket section (Cardiff Cricket Club) to the Diamond Ground in Whitchurch. Beside the cricket ground is the large sports hall complex of the Sport Wales National Centre. Cardiff Corinthians F.C. have previously used the area for football. In July 2007 Glamorgan cricketer, Mike Powell, was granted his wish to have a rib, removed during surgery, buried at the ground.[4]
International cricket [edit]
Five One Day Internationals have been hosted at the SWALEC Stadium since 1999. On 11 April 2008, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced that the SWALEC Stadium would host a series of major Test matches over the next four years. They had already announced that the Stadium would host a One Day International between England and South Africa on 3 September 2008 and that it would host its first Test match between England and Australia in the first match of The Ashes series on 8 July 2009.[5] This made the SWALEC Stadium the 100th Test match venue.
The first test match staged at the SWALEC stadium started on 8 July 2009. England winning the toss decided to bat first, with Andrew Strauss scoring the first test runs scored at the venue and Ben Hilfenhaus taking the first wicket. The match was drawn.
Stadium redevelopment [edit]
On 4 March 2008, Glamorgan Cricket Club announced a 10 year sponsorship deal with SWALEC, thought to be the biggest single sponsorship by a county cricket club, giving SWALEC the naming rights to the new stadium, which is worth in excess of £1.5 million over 10 years.[6] The GB£9.4 million redeveloped stadium,[7] with approximately half of the funding (£4.5m) being provided in the form of a Cardiff Council loan. It is possible that the revamped stadium could host seven Test matches, nine One Day Internationals and two World Cup games up to 2028, injecting at least £50m into the local economy.[8][9] Construction of the redevelopment of Sophia Gardens began in April 2007,[5] and the redeveloped stadium was first opened for competitive matches on 9 May 2008, when the Glamorgan Dragons played the Gloucestershire Gladiators in a Friends Provident Trophy match in which the Gladiators won by six wickets.[10]
See also [edit]
- Sport in Cardiff
- List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
- List of sports venues with sole naming rights
Notes [edit]
- ^ "Glamorgan secure England matches". BBC Sport (BBC). 30 July 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ "The Ashes – a Cardiff Success". HLN Architects. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
- ^ Pavilion Plaque, Sophia Gardens
- ^ Powell buries his rib at Sophia Gardens
- ^ a b SWALEC Stadium awarded more international cricket
- ^ The SWALEC Stadium
- ^ Atherton says Cardiff ground “too small” for Ashes cricket
- ^ Cardiff to host Ashes Test match
- ^ Cardiff to host Ashes Test in 2009
- ^ Gladiators spoil Glamorgan’s opening-night party
References [edit]
- Ground profile from Cricinfo
External links [edit]
Media related to SWALEC Stadium at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (www.swalecstadium.co.uk/)
- Aerial photographs of the SWALEC Stadium on www.webbaviation.co.uk
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