Cardiff / Caerdydd - Millennium Stadium, sports arena - postcard

Postcard
• Picture / Image:  The Mellennium Stadium - the National Stadium of Wales, Cardiff / Stadiwm y  Mileniwm - Stadiwm Cenedlaethol Cymru, Caerdydd
• Publisher:  Portmeirion Online
• Postally used:  no
• Stamp:  n/a
• Postmark(s): n/a
• Sent to:  n/a
• Notes / condition: 

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information (internal links may not  work) :

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The Millennium Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm) is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital city, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also staged games of the Wales national football team. Initially built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup, it has gone on to host many other large-scale events, such as the Tsunami Relief concert, the Super Special Stage of Wales Rally Great Britain, the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain, and numerous music concerts.

The Millennium Stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium plc which is a subsidiary company of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).^[7] The stadium was designed by a team led by architects Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture. WS Atkins were the structural engineers, and the building contractor was Laing. The total construction cost of the stadium was £121 million,^[4] of which the Millennium Commission funded £46 million.^[8]

The stadium opened in June 1999,^[6] and the first major event to be held was an international rugby union match on 26 June 1999, when Wales beat South Africa in a friendly by 29–19, before a test crowd of 29,000.^[9] With total seating capacity of 74,500, it is the third largest stadium in the Six Nations Championship behind the Stade de France and Twickenham, which is the largest. It is also the second largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof, and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature.^[10][11]

Until 1969, Cardiff RFC and Wales both played their home matches on the same pitch at Cardiff Arms Park, but all this changed in the 1969–70 season.^[12] As a result of an agreement between Cardiff Athletic Club and the WRU, the National Stadium project had established that a new stadium for international matches and events was required, with Cardiff RFC moving to a new purpose built stadium on the original cricket ground at the site of the former Cardiff Arms Park stadium.^[12] By 7 April 1984 the National Stadium was officially opened. However, in 1994, a redevelopment committee was set up to consider redeveloping the National Stadium, and by 1995 the WRU had been chosen to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup.^[13]

In 1995, the National Stadium, which was designed in 1962,^[12] only had a capacity of 53,000; other nations' stadia, such as Twickenham (England) with a capacity of 75,000, and Murrayfield Stadium (Scotland) with a capacity of 67,000, had overtaken it. France was also about to build the Stade de France, which would have a capacity of more than 80,000 for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.^[13] The original capacity of the National Stadium was 65,000, but this had been reduced to 53,000, due to the Taylor Report. 11,000 of 53,000 capacity was on the East Terrace and the conversion to an all-seater stadium would have reduced the stadium capacity still further to just 47,500.^[13]

In addition to the problems of capacity, the National Stadium was also very well hidden by the neighbouring buildings to the south in Park Street, Wood Street and to the east in Westgate Street, and also by Cardiff Rugby Ground in the north. It was only fully visible from across the River Taff in the west. Access to the ground was also very restricted with the main entrance being a narrow opening in Westgate Street to the east which was shared by both vehicles and spectators alike.^[13]

The options for the new stadium included adding a third tier to the existing National Stadium, or moving to a new site. This last option was discounted because it would have required a vast car parking facility, and that would have put severe short-term pressures on the local transport infrastructure, creating traffic jams and pollution.^[13] The committee eventually chose a new stadium on the same site but with considerable increase in its capacity. It would also involve moving the alignment of the stadium from west-east to north-south. This was the option supported by the Millennium Commission. It would become the fourth redevelopment of the Cardiff Arms Park site.^[11] It was also decided that the new stadium should have a sliding roof to accommodate a multi-use venue, with a grass pitch for rugby and football.^[13] The only other sliding roofs in Europe at the time were at two Dutch stadia – the Amsterdam Arena, completed in 1996 with a capacity of 50,000;^[11] and Gelredome in Arnhem, a 30,000-capacity ground built from 1996 to 1998.^[14]

To remain on the Arms Park site, additional space had to be found to allow safe access and to provide room for the increased capacity and improved facilities. This was achieved by the purchase of adjacent buildings to the south and east and by the construction of a new £6 million River Walk by the River Taff on the western side of the stadium.^[4]

By 1999, the Millennium Stadium had replaced the National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park, as the national stadium of Wales for rugby union and association football international matches. Cardiff RFC continued as before to play at Cardiff Arms Park rugby ground, which had replaced the cricket ground in 1969.^[12][15]

The stadium was designed by a team led by Rod Sheard at Lobb Sport Architecture,^[16] who merged to become Populous. The building contractor was Laing and the structural engineers were WS Atkins. Mike Otlet of WS Atkins designed the stadium's retractable roof.^[17] Cimolai S.p.A. from Italy fabricated and erected the 72 steel plane frames for the stands and all the 4,500 components of the roof.^[18]

Construction involved the demolition of a number of buildings, primarily the existing National Stadium (Cardiff Arms Park), Wales Empire Pool (swimming pool) in Wood Street, Cardiff Empire Telephone Exchange building (owned by BT) in Park Street, the newly built Territorial Auxiliary & Volunteer Reserve building in Park Street, and the Social Security offices in Westgate Street.^[11][19]

The stadium was built by Laing in 1999 on the site of the National Stadium, with the head of construction being Steve Ager.^[20] It was built for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, for which Wales was the main host,^[11] with seven of the 41 matches, including the final, being played at the stadium.

The total construction cost of the stadium was £121 million,^[4] which was funded by private investment and £46 million of public funds from the Millennium Commission,^[8] the sale of debentures to supporters (which offered guaranteed tickets in exchange for an interest-free loan), and loans. The development left the WRU heavily in debt.

The Millennium Stadium was first used for a major event on 26 June 1999, when Wales played South Africa in a rugby union friendly match before a test crowd of 29,000. Wales won the match 29–19: the first time they had ever beaten the Springboks.^[9]

Mae Stadiwm y Mileniwm yn sefyll yng Nghaerdydd, ar lan Afon Taf. Dyma stadiwm cenedlaethol Cymru. Dyma'r maes pêl-droed mwyaf ym Mhrydain, ond mae disgwyl y bydd stadiwm Wembley yn Llundain yn fwy pan orffennir adeiladu hwnnw tua 2007. Undeb Rygbi Cymru yw perchennog y stadiwm.

Gellir cau neu agor y to yn llwyr neu'n rhanol.^[1]

Fe'i hadeiladwyd yn 1999, ar gyfer Cwpan Rygbi'r Byd. Fe gostiodd £126 miliwn i Undeb Rygbi Cymru ac fe'i hariannwyd gan fuddsoddiad preifat, arian y Loteri a benthyciadau.

Fe'i defnyddiwyd am y tro cyntaf ar 26 Mehefin 1999 pan chwaraeodd Cymru yn erbyn De Affrica.

type=printed

city/ region=cardiff

period=post-war (1945 - present)

postage condition=unposted

number of items=single

size=continental/ modern (150x100mm)