Jurassic Park!
Ninian needs re-development
There's no doubt about it. The
Ninian park of 2000 is a hopelessly out of date place. It was
never a top draw ground anyway, competing as an International
and first division venue because of its huge capacity, (quoted
in the 1960 at 62,000 with less than 5,000 seats).
An International venue that never offered International facilities.
Since the 70s that figure has
been steadily eroded due to changes in the law but as recently
as 1986 the capacity was still a respectable 40,000. Bradford
and Hysel put paid to that and the figure now stands at 14,340.
Adequate for current demands but should the club progress demand
would soon outstrip supply.
But there's still no escaping the bare fact, most clubs of a similar
size to Cardiff City and many smaller ones have better grounds,
more seats, more modern facilities than we do. Reading's Majeski
Stadium makes Ninian Park look pathetic and Reading should always
be considered a smaller club than Cardiff. Ninian Park is at least
20 years out of date - and probably always has been.
Survival
How are Cardiff City to
compete at a higher level on crowds under 15,000? Southampton's
survival in the Premiership with the same capacity is nothing
short of miraculous. Clubs like Arsenal (38,000) and Everton (40,260)
have lavished millions on their grounds only to find them inadequate,
now they have realised that to compete with Manchester United
they will have to relocate to far larger stadiums.
Manchester United currently draw
69,000 to Old Trafford, Newcastle have increased their capacity
to 52,167, Sunderland can accomodate 48,000 at the Stadium of
Light. Sunderland, incidentally, is a smaller City than Cardiff
and they played in the (old) Third Division as recently as 1988.
Of course, until recently it was thought that the days of huge
attendances were long gone. Manchester United and Newcastle have
led the resurgence in attendances at football matches but events
at the Millenium Stadium prove that South Wales can be part of
it too.
A New Ground?
It was announced during
the summer and may well have been one of the last acts of ex-chairman,
Steve Borley that the club had won a grant from the Football Trust
to revamp the ailing Bob Bank. New seats, new roof, new toilets.
The work would take at least a year to complete and would add
a much needed 3,000 extra places to the capacity of Ninian Park.
Much needed when the team is doing well, that is. Mind you, the
problem with piece-meal development in that it can take a long
time. Aberdeen, with a ground not unlike Ninian Park, took ten
years to complete the overhaul of Pittodrie.
All this would suggest that any planned move to a new stadium have been abandoned, at least in the short term. I think it would be to the club's advantage to relocate. A move to a 15,000 seater in Cardiff Bay was rightly abandoned - it was just too small. A new ground provides impetus (unless your Oxford United). Bolton, Hudderfield, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Sunderland have moved to new grounds and used it as a springboard to revive interest in the club. Cardiff is a bigger City than any of those places, yet we lag behind with a ground stuck in the 1930s - and as a result City are in the 3rd Division.
Compare the corporate hospitality at Cardiff Rugby Club to those at Ninian Park. Hospitality boxes at Ninian Park have been promised for years yet have never materialised. Nobody wants to see the club over-run by the Camel hair Coat brigade but City need wealthy high paying supporters, otherwise the burden of financing the club is on those of us who sit on the Bob Bank every fortnight. Such facilities could be built from scratch and would probably cost a lot less if City relocated. And, let's face it, the comfort of regular supporters would also improve.