Cardiff is no stranger to major sporting spectacle and with the Millennium Stadium as the main attraction, has hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the League, FA Cup finals among others while Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt. Today the visiting sports fan is spoilt for choice, with rugby (naturally), football, ice hockey and golf among those sports well catered for in and around the city.
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the home of Welsh football and rugby and throughout the year hosts various international matches. The place to see the Welsh rugby team's home games during the Six Nations Championship and autumn internationals, the stadium also plays host to home games for Wales' national football team.
www.wru.co.uk (rugby) www.faw.org.uk (football) Tel: 0870 013 8600
Cardiff Blues
Watch top-flight rugby at Cardiff Arms Park as the Blues try for success on three fronts. Blues compete in the Magners League, which includes teams from the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In addition, Cardiff Blues compete in the Anglo-Welsh EDF Energy Cup and European Heineken Cup. The club have qualified for the Heineken Cup every season, but have yet to win honours in one of their competitions. Matches take place from August to May.
Cardiff City Football Club
A long-established club with many proud achievements, not least being the only non-English side to have won any of the three major English competitions, Cardiff currently play in the Football League Championship. Also known as the Bluebirds, Cardiff play their home matches at Ninian Park, a short distance outside the city centre, but the club is currently in the process of building a new state-of-the-art 26,500-seater stadium on the site of the now demolished old Cardiff Athletics Stadium. The project also includes a retail park and requires the rebuilding of the athletics stadium, to be known as Cardiff International Sports Stadium on the opposite side of Leckwith Road in Cardiff.
www.cardiffcityfc.premiumtv.co.uk
Glamorgan County Cricket
If you happen to visit during the summer, what better way of spending the day than down at the new SWALEC Stadium, home of Glamorgan CC. Here you can watch Glamorgan play in the County Championship or enjoy the modern phenomenon that is Twenty20. Just a short five-minute walk from the city centre, the ground is set to host the first Ashes Test in 2009.
www.glamorgancricket.com Tel: 0871 282 3401
Cardiff Devils
If you fancy something altogether different, why not give ice hockey a try? From their home in Cardiff Bay, Cardiff Devils compete in the Elite Hockey League from September to April each year. With a team made up of home-grown talent and imported Canadian and US players, the action is top-quality and fast-paced.
Golf
There are so many courses to choose from in the area around Cardiff and within the city itself that you have two options: play them all; or somehow narrow your choice. Check out the South Glamorgan section of golftoday.com to assist you in your task by clicking this link.