Venue guide: Cardiff City Stadium
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Article summary
The UEFA Women's Champions League final will be played at the Cardiff City Stadium, the venue's second European showpiece event in its eight-year history.
Article top media content
Article body
Stadium guide
• The home of Cardiff City was opened in 2009, across the road from their old Ninian Park home.
• The expansion of the Ninian Stand in 2014 took the capacity to more than 33,000.
• The stadium hosted the 2014 UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid beating Sevilla 2-0.
• The stadium has also hosted Wales senior internationals, major rugby games and concerts.
City guide
• Cardiff was granted city status by King Edward VII in October 1905 and was proclaimed the capital of Wales 50 years later.
• In 1081, King of England William I began work on Cardiff Castle, and this edifice remains a key feature of the city centre to this day.
• If coal distribution heralded an economic boom throughout the 19th century, the recent regeneration of the Cardiff Bay area – once the world's most important coal port – has proven popular with visitors.
• Main attractions include the Wales Millennium Centre and the National Assembly Building, or Senedd, due to their unique, high-tech and sustainable architecture.
• Cardiff also boasts the impressive 74,500 capacity National Stadium of Wales (formerly Millennium Stadium, named after its 1999 completion) which has hosted its share of memorable football matches, the most notable being the English FA Cup final between 2001 and 2006 when Wembley Stadium was being redeveloped. It will stage the UEFA Champions League final two days after the women's decider at Cardiff City.
Getting there
By air – Cardiff Airport is the only international airport in Wales and is based in the neighbouring village of Rhoose. There are a number of regular train and bus services for the 16km journey to the city centre.
By train – Cardiff Central is the largest train station in Wales, and being located in the heart of the city centre (next to the National Stadium of Wales) it is around 4km from Cardiff City Stadium.
By public transport – Given the close proximity of Cardiff City Stadium to the centre, there are regular bus services throughout the city; taxis are freely available from the most popular and busy areas.
By road – The M4 motorway links London to Cardiff as well as the rest of South Wales. Connected roads divert to selected parts of the city, including Cardiff City Stadium.