For 99 years, Ninian Park on Sloper Road in Leckwith was the beating heart of football in the Welsh capital, home to Cardiff City F.C. from 1910 to 2009 and to the Wales national team for much of the twentieth century. It saw a club record crowd of nearly 58,000, a World Cup qualifying triumph, and one of the game’s most poignant tragedies.
This guide covers everything about the ground’s near-century of history: its stands and record attendances, the great Wales internationals played there, the darker chapters of crowd trouble, and exactly what became of the site after the bulldozers moved in.
Quick Answer
Ninian Park was Cardiff City F.C.’s home ground from 1910 to 2009, located on Sloper Road in Leckwith, Cardiff. Named after Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, it once held over 60,000 fans (a record 62,634 for Wales vs England in 1959) before safety laws cut its final capacity to 21,508. It was demolished in 2009 and replaced by a 142-home Redrow housing estate, still called Ninian Park, next to Cardiff City’s new home, Cardiff City Stadium.
Origins: Why Is It Called Ninian Park?
Cardiff City had outgrown its original pitch at Sophia Gardens and needed a proper enclosed ground to join the Southern Football League. Club founder Bartley Wilson secured a 15-acre plot from Cardiff Corporation on Sloper Road — a former municipal rubbish tip — and set about turning it into a football stadium. The site was originally going to be called Sloper Park.
Construction required financial backing the fledgling club didn’t have, so Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, son of the 3rd Marquess of Bute, stepped in as guarantor. In gratitude, Wilson renamed the ground in his honour. It opened on 1 September 1910 with a friendly against Aston Villa in front of roughly 7,000 spectators.
Stands, Capacity and the 1937 Fire
Ninian Park grew from a single wooden stand and ash-and-slag banking into a stadium capable of holding over 55,000 fans by the early 1920s. Disaster struck on 18 January 1937 when thieves attempting to blow open the club safe started a fire that destroyed the original main stand, dressing rooms and club records, and killed the ground’s guard dog. The stand was rebuilt in brick and stone.
Floodlights weren’t installed until 1960, making Ninian Park one of the last Football League grounds to get them — the Popular Bank roof carried a Captain Morgan rum advertisement for 42 years afterwards, from 1960 to 2002. The ground’s peak terrace capacity of around 46,000 was slashed to roughly 10,000 in 1977 under the 1975 Safety of Sports Grounds Act, before later partial redevelopment brought the final capacity to 21,508.
By closure, the ground comprised four named stands: the Grandstand, the Popular Bank (the ‘Bob Bank’, named for its one-shilling admission), the Canton Stand, and the Grange End, whose roof was controversially removed in the late 1970s to meet safety rules.
Wales’ Fortress: Great Internationals at Ninian Park
Ninian Park was the Wales national team’s principal home from 1911 until the late 1980s, hosting 84 full internationals in total — the last, a Euro 2000 qualifier against Belarus, was played there in October 1998 before the FAW shifted fully to Cardiff Arms Park. On 22 October 1955, Wales beat England 2-1 in front of the ground thanks to goals from Derek Tapscott and Cliff Jones.
The stadium’s most significant footballing night came on 5 February 1958. Eliminated from normal World Cup qualifying by political withdrawals elsewhere, Wales were handed a play-off against Israel. Having already won the first leg 2-0 in Ramat Gan, they beat Israel 2-0 again at Ninian Park in front of 38,000 fans to seal a 4-0 aggregate win — sending Wales to the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden, where they reached the quarter-finals. It remained Wales’ only World Cup appearance until they qualified again for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The ground’s most sombre moment came on 10 September 1985, when Wales drew 1-1 with Scotland in a World Cup qualifier. As the final whistle approached, Scotland manager Jock Stein collapsed in the dugout and was pronounced dead in the Ninian Park treatment room shortly afterwards — a result that nonetheless sent Scotland through to a play-off on goal difference.
Rivalries and Crowd Trouble
Ninian Park also had a reputation as one of English and Welsh football’s more volatile away days through the 1980s and 1990s, when Cardiff’s ‘Soul Crew’ following was among the most notorious in the country. A Second Division match against Birmingham City on 8 December 1984 saw serious fighting between rival hooligan groups before and after kick-off, and a 1993 South Wales derby against Swansea City was violent enough to be dubbed the ‘Battle of Ninian Park,’ leading to a four-year ban on away fans at the fixture.
Trouble flared again in January 2002 when Cardiff knocked Leeds United — then a Premier League title contender — out of the FA Cup; objects were thrown at players and the visiting bench, and jubilant home fans invaded the pitch afterwards. Partly as a legacy of such incidents, the ground kept a 6ft perimeter fence and anti-missile netting between home and away sections in its final years.
Closure, Demolition and the Site Today
Cardiff City played their final match at Ninian Park on 25 April 2009, losing 3-0 to Ipswich Town in front of 19,129 fans marking the end of 99 years on Sloper Road. The club moved into the newly built Cardiff City Stadium on adjacent land for the 2009-10 season. Chairman Peter Ridsdale formally handed the old ground to developer Redrow Homes on 10 September 2009, and demolition followed almost immediately.
Redrow completed a 142-home residential development on the site in 2010, keeping the Ninian Park name. A communal garden marks the approximate location of the old centre circle, and the estate’s main road is named Bartley Wilson Way after the club’s founder. The stadium’s distinctive blue entrance gates were also preserved and now stand on the opposite side of Sloper Road from their original position. Cardiff City Stadium, overlooking the old site, keeps the area’s footballing identity alive today.
Ninian Park, Cardiff FAQs
Who was Ninian Park named after?
It was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, son of the 3rd Marquess of Bute, who acted as financial guarantor for the ground’s construction in 1909. Founder Bartley Wilson honoured him with the name instead of the originally planned Sloper Park.
What was the record attendance at Ninian Park?
The all-time record was 62,634, set on 17 October 1959 when Wales hosted England. Cardiff City’s own club record was 57,893, set against Arsenal on 22 April 1953.
Why was Ninian Park’s capacity reduced so much?
Its peak terrace capacity of around 46,000 was cut sharply after the 1975 Safety of Sports Grounds Act forced the demolition of unsafe terracing in the late 1970s, and further post-Hillsborough all-seater requirements brought the final capacity down to 21,508 by 2009.
What happened at Ninian Park in 1985?
Scotland manager Jock Stein collapsed and died in the Ninian Park treatment room on 10 September 1985, shortly after the final whistle of a 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw between Wales and Scotland.
Did Wales qualify for the World Cup at Ninian Park?
Yes. On 5 February 1958, Wales beat Israel 2-0 at Ninian Park (4-0 on aggregate) in a play-off, sending them to the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden. It was Wales’ only World Cup appearance until they qualified again 64 years later for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
What stands on the site of Ninian Park today?
Redrow Homes built a 142-house residential estate on the site, completed in 2010 and still called Ninian Park. A communal garden marks the old centre circle, and the main road, Bartley Wilson Way, honours the club’s founder. The stadium’s original blue gates were also preserved nearby on Sloper Road.
Why did Cardiff City leave Ninian Park?
After 99 years, the aging, reduced-capacity ground could no longer meet the club’s ambitions or modern safety and commercial standards. Cardiff City moved to the purpose-built Cardiff City Stadium on adjacent land for the 2009-10 season, and Ninian Park was demolished shortly after its final match on 25 April 2009.
Get More from Ninian Park, Cardiff
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Ninian Park, Cardiff, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.