A stadium venue in a vibrant city centre setting.
Sophia Gardens is a 16,000-seater stadium in the centre of Cardiff (Caerdydd) and proud home of Glamorgan Cricket Club which is an established venue for international cricket. Within easy reach of the M4 motorway and the South Wales region, the venue is easily accessible by air, train and road for UK-wide groups as well as overseas visitors.
Spoilt-for-choice range of indoor and outdoor meeting and hospitality spaces.
The site became home to Glamorgan Cricket following a move from Cardiff Arms Park in 1967. An extensive redevelopment and during the 2007 season, the old ground was redeveloped into a magnificent new stadium. Work was completed in 2008 and state-of-the-art player facilities and meeting, hospitality spaces and Media Centre were added.
Experienced test match hosting and hospitality makes this stadium site a first choice for large capacity indoor and outdoor events in a city setting.
Sophia Park was the very first public park in Wales. The gardens were laid out in the 1850s and cricket first played on the site since the 1860s. The land, adjacent to the River Taff, was a gift to Cardiff Corporation by the Marquess of Bute in 1947.
With obvious sporting interest and appeal, the real story here is space and versatility.
Clearly a venue which will appeal for meetings and events with a sporting theme, this is a venue that will appeal to meeting and event planners that need – and appreciate – space and versatility. That said, there is plenty to cricket history and interest stories on display; these help to add to the unique and special appeal of the venue.
On a grand scale – 16,000 on non-playing days – with requisite parking and on-site facilities to match. But look to the shared and public spaces for more intimate indoor areas to meet and the Media Centre as a stand-alone meeting and events space. Sophia Hall can host 500 for a seated dinner and more for a theatre-style meeting. Check-out purpose-built Hub XV for business-friendly facilities and office spaces.
Sophia Gardens is one of four sites where serious cricket is played in Wales including St. Helens, Colwyn Bay (Bae Colwyn) and Newport (Casnewydd).
All facts are cricket facts when it comes to Sophia Gardens! Glamorgan County Cricket Club celebrated the 125th anniversary of play in 2013 and a commemorative film made to mark the occasion. Worth a watch and to see if you can name players, past and present.
Contacts
To find out more about Glamorgan Cricket Club at Sophia Gardens, speak to Meet In Cardiff, the convention bureau for Cardiff. Or contact the team at Sophia Gardens directly via e-mail sales@glamorgancricket.co.uk or call +44 (0)2920 419359 to speak to one of the team.
