Football Ground Guide: Fans Review, Ninian Park, Cardiff City FC

Ninian Park - Cardiff City FC
Division Two - Cardiff City v Huddersfield Town
Saturday, September 22nd 2001, 3pm
Lee Roberts

A mere week since I ventured into South Wales for the first time in my life, I returned to the valleys to visit Ninian Park, the home of Cardiff City. I'd viewed the trip with some trepidation for some time, as I'd heard countless tales of visiting fans - especially those from the English side of the border - getting a hard time off the locals. But I was quietly confident that I would avoid any trouble, and I booked on the National Express coach from London at a very reasonable price.

The journey was incident free, unlike the train ride to Swansea seven days prior, and I arrived in beautiful Cardiff at lunchtime. The sun was out and the temperature was mild for a late September's afternoon. I took the time to stroll around the city centre, taking in the usual tourist sights of the castle and shops, as well as the magnificent Millennium Stadium. All I can say after staring at it from all angles, is that if it is as striking inside as it appears outside, then it is surely the best stadium in Britain. Quite how they managed to squeeze it into that location is a feat of engineering genius, but that visit will have to wait for another day.

A quick visit to the bookies and Burger King later, I set off on the walk to Ninian Park. I knew what direction to take as, in addition to a few early birds headed in the same direction, the train to Swansea had taken me right past the ground. Having followed a road straight from the city centre through a small 'Chinatown' area I encountered a greater volume of fans and followed them to the stadium. The walk took around 20 minutes from the bus and train station, which are both in the shadow of the Millennium Stadium. There were a few likely looking lads dotted around the place but no-one paid any attention to me or the few Terriers supporters who were in no doubt searching for a decent pub.

I had a quick look around the ground before heading to the turnstiles, although there wasn't much to see. Situated on a main road, Ninian Park was only accessible form this approach. Entrance to the large stand on the opposite side of the pitch was via gates behind each goal. There were numerous shops and offices bustling with fans and club officials and the place seemed genuinely busy. Opposite the Main Stand, on the other side of the road, was a large car park that is very handy although I didn't find out how much it costs. In the distance behind the car park I could make out a modern looking grandstand, although I couldn't see what sport it served. I got the impression it was athletics, but it looked reasonable enough.

With little to see or do I went inside Ninian Park quite early, but the crowd soon started to filter in and the atmosphere built quite nicely. I was in the main stand, known locally as the Grandstand, where I had booked my seat for only Ł13 - I could hardly complain at the relatively cheap price. The Grandstand was rather old, and quite poorly lit, with wooden seats and pillars obstructing the view. However, the overall view was good and I got a real appreciation of the scale of Ninian Park - I can understand how over 61,000 saw a Welsh international fixture inside there. At the front of the Grandstand was a section of new, plastic seating over which a roof extension has been erected to protect the fans from the elements. To my left was the Canton Stand, and this appeared to be the family enclosure. I got the impression that the stand stretches further back than the current limit, as it appeared to have been bricked up at the rear. The roof was very low at that end. Opposite me was the large Popular Bank, which comprised seating at the rear and a similar sized area of terracing below it. I had thought that the most vociferous home supporters would have populated that part of the ground, however the real noise emanated from the Grangetown End. This has recently been covered giving the decibel levels a boost. The end was shared by both sets of fans, and the sight of full-scale perimeter and segregation fencing, replete with the obligatory no-man's land and netting in between, were a real throwback to years gone by.

The game was exciting enough and Huddersfield fully deserved their 2-1 victory. I must admit that I silently cheered the Terriers goals as a good friend of mine supports them, and well, they are English! At the final whistle I left the ground and didn't encounter any incident on my walk back into town, however a chance conversation with a fan at the bus station revealed that the visitors from Yorkshire had not been so lucky. Further comments I saw on the teletext later that week proved the tale to be true.

It was a long day out and I was glad to get home late that night. That said, Ninian Park is a gritty, well sized stadium with an extremely passionate support and that makes for an unforgettable experience. However, I did observe some obscenities and hatred aimed at the visiting section during the game - especially when the away team scored - and grown men attempting to scale 20 foot high fences to attack opposition supporters are over a decade out of touch. There does seem to be a mindless element amongst Cardiff's support, but their antics are as outdated and pathetic as their dress sense. They spoil an otherwise decent club.

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