You can buy a stake in City and the Blues

Jan 23 2008 by Phillip Nifield, South Wales Echo

MILLIONS of pounds could be pumped into Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues – if businesses take a stake in the new Leckwith stadium.

The two clubs are calling on firms and individuals to buy into its Premier Club, which will have 2,250 VIP seats available in the 25,800-seat complex.

For a joining fee and monthly payments they will get large padded seats on the half-way line, access to corporate hospitality in bars and restaurants, tickets to games and parking spaces.

Ashley Donlan, managing director of the Premier Club, said: “Cardiff is a European capital city and for too long it hasn’t had the stadium capability for football and rugby that it should. The Premier Club will offer world-class facilities for Welsh businesses, including a beautiful glass-fronted restaurant that overlooks the pitch and a five-star bar and lounge that’s perfect for networking. It’s unlike anything seen in Wales before.

“The club’s ideal for small and medium-sized businesses because it’s so flexible. Business membership traditionally means paying for a box or a table of ten, but at the new stadium you can choose the number of seats you’d like to buy, choose on the day the kind of dining you’d like and choose how much you’d like to pay.”

All of the money generated from the seats will be invested in Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues, he said.

Peter Ridsdale, chairman of Cardiff City Football Club, said: “Being part of the Premier Club allows fans and businesses the opportunity to make a real contribution to the success of their team. It’s a great example of the business community being part of their sporting club. It’s a stadium for the city.”

He described the development as exciting and said that uncertainty over the future of the club was part of the past.

Robert Norster, chief executive of Cardiff Blues, said: “This is a fantastic new facility and a great thing for professional sport in Cardiff and the wider community. The facilities from the grassroots supporter to the corporate guest are second to none. The facilities on offer will set new standards for our regional game and are perfect for business, offering business networking combined with pure sporting pleasure.”

Cardiff council leader Rodney Berman added: “This is all about Cardiff going places. We all share the dream and goal of getting this football club into the Premier League.”

To find out more about Cardiff Premier Club visit: www.cardiffpremierclub.com

phillip.nifield@mediawales.co.uk