New city stadium is in the frame...

Mar 4 2008 by Matthew Aplin, South Wales Echo

THIS is the sight greeting sports fans in Cardiff as a new home for the city’s football and rugby clubs takes shape.

Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues fans can get the first glimpse of their new home as the steel frame of the stadium goes up at the Leckwith site.

The new 30,000-seater stadium, which will be the home of both Cardiff City Football Club and Cardiff Blues, is now firmly on its way with the steel frame structure of the stadium now taking shape.

Club and council officials met today to mark the progress of the new stadium which is due for completion in time for the start of the 2009/10 season.

Peter Ridsdale, Cardiff City FC chairman, said: “The sight of the stadium finally being constructed is great news for Cardiff City Football Club and for all our supporters. It symbolises the fact this club is moving in the right direction and that the future is bright.

“I congratulate all our partners for their hard work so far.”

Leader of Cardiff council Councillor Rodney Berman said: “Anyone driving past over recent months can’t fail to have noticed how much work is taking place at Leckwith, but the true scale of the development is now really becoming apparent.

“Work on the new athletics stadium will be complete at the end of May, and the first retail stores are due to open in the summer, but I know that for many people the new stadium for Cardiff City and the Blues is the most exciting and long-awaited element. The clubs and their supporters deserve the modern facilities that they’ll enjoy in this stadium.”

Paul Guy, director of property firm PMG which is overseeing the stadium development, said: “Many people thought the new stadium wouldn’t become a reality but great strides have been made over a short period of time and what you see today shows real progress and a great commitment.

“All the partners involved in this project have worked extremely hard and the visual results of that are now becoming apparent.”

matthew.aplin@ mediawales.co.uk