The Bearpit[1] | |
 Ninian Park in 2005 | |
  Ninian Park Location of Ninian Park | |
| Full name | Ninian Park |
|---|---|
| Former names | Sloper Park |
| Location | Sloper Road, Cardiff CF11 8SX |
| Coordinates | 51°28′29″N 3°12′00″W / 51.47472°N 3.20000°W |
| Owner | Cardiff City F.C. |
| Capacity | 21,508 |
| Record attendance | 62,634 (Wales vs England, 17 October 1959) |
| Field size | 110 x 75 yards |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1909 |
| Built | 1910 |
| Opened | 1 September 1910 |
| Closed | 2009 |
| Demolished | 2009 |
| Main contractors | Cardiff Corporation |
| Tenants | |
| Cardiff City F.C. (1910–2009) Cardiff City Blue Dragons (1981–1984) Wales national football team (1911–1989) | |
Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixtures with over 60,000 spectators in attendance. At the time of its closure in 2009, it had a capacity of 21,508.
Cardiff City had originally been playing home fixtures at Sophia Gardens but the lack of facilities at the ground had prevented them from joining the Southern Football League. To combat this, club founder Bartley Wilson secured a plot of land from Cardiff Corporation that had previously been used as a rubbish tip and construction of a new ground began in 1909. The stadium was completed a year later and named Ninian Park after Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, who had acted as a financial guarantor for the build. A friendly match against Football League First Division champions Aston Villa was organised to open the ground. It was originally constructed with a single wooden stand and three large banks made of ash, but gradual improvements saw stands constructed on all sides of the pitch. The four stands were named the Canton Stand, the Grange End, the Popular Bank and the Grandstand.
The ground was also used as the home stadium for the Wales national football team from 1911 until the late 1980s, hosting 84 international fixtures during its existence. Safety concerns led to the ground's capacity being drastically reduced and Cardiff Arms Park replacing the stadium as the preferred home venue for the national side. The Welsh national side holds the record attendance for a match at Ninian Park; 62,634 fans watched a fixture against England on 17 October 1959. Cardiff City's club record attendance of 57,893 came at the stadium during a Football League fixture against Arsenal on 22 April 1953. The ground hosted its last match on 25 April 2009 against Ipswich Town and was demolished soon after, being replaced by the adjacent newly constructed Cardiff City Stadium. The site was converted into a residential housing estate which was completed in 2010.
- ^ Doel, Jon (14 July 2014). "The Ninian Park years: Remembering 'the bearpit' five years after saying goodbye". WalesOnline. Media Wales. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.