NEW OPENING
The new stadium provides a shared
facility for both rugby and football
generated around £24m per annum, of five new Welsh regional sides. stadium and our new training facilities
of which £14.5m would be retained in Directed by David Young, the Blues are up there with anything that anyone
the local economy which, through the played their first game at the Car- in Europe can offer.”
multiplier effect, would generate an diff City Stadium in August when they Blues skipper Paul Tito believes the
additional £5.5m of indirect spending. entertained Leicester Tigers in a pre- move to the new Cardiff City Stadium
In addition the stadium would support season friendly. It is the start of a new could be the making of the Blues. The
250 to 300 jobs. era for the region following their move Kiwi second row went through a similar
from the Arms Park and Young feels it switch during his time with Wellington,
A Rugby Perspective could also allow them to give free rein who left Athletic Park behind to call the
The new stadium, like an increas- to their attacking instincts. new Westpac Stadium home.
ing number of new stadia these days, “We’ve always tried to play a high- That move provoked a lot of criticism
provides a shared facility for the city’s tempo, ball-in-hand type of game, but at the time, and discontent has been
soccer and rugby union teams. Cardiff sometimes at the Arms Park it was quite voiced in a similar fashion in some quar-
Blues was launched in June 2003 as one difficult to get that surface as hard and ters over the Blues’ move away from
fast as we would like due to it being the Arms Park. But Tito says Wellington
on a riverbed,” he said. benefited hugely from switching
“I feel there will be some better op- to the 36,000-capacity Westpac, which
portunities to play some higher tempo has acquired the nickname of The Cake
rugby at our new home. It’s a great Tin. He believes the Blues can reap
venue with a great surface. The stadium similar rewards from moving to the
has been talked about for a long time, Cardiff City Stadium.
from design to building – so long in fact “I’ve seen it first-hand and it does
that we all started to wonder if it was work,” he said. “I was fortunate enough
ever going to happen. Even the biggest to play in Wellington when we had the
critics and biggest doubters about the new stadium there. There was a lot of
move only have to come to have a negative press about leaving Athletic
look to be impressed. Park and going to the Westpac.
“From a playing point of view, there “But Wellington RU were in dire
are fantastic medical facilities and straits before they left Athletic Park
changing rooms and an excellent sur- and now they are one of the richest
face to play open rugby. It’s a superb unions in New Zealand. The new sta-
arena and the players and coaches are dium really sorted them out. They had a
very excited about playing our first lot of season ticket holders and every-
game here. If we want to be measured one got right behind Wellington rugby.
against the best, we have to be in a I think it was the making of the club.
position where we can stand up on all They’re now one of the leading pro-
fronts against the best and I think this vincial teams in New Zealand. So it can
make a difference.” ●
The Athletics Stadium was delivered as Dr Terry Stevens is MD of Stevens & Asso-
foundation works for the football club ciates leisure and tourism consultants
32 Read Sports Management online sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital Issue 4 2009 © cybertrek 2009
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