A 16,000-seat Test Match Venue, a thriving event space and an established community hub
The SSE SWALEC, our 16,000-seater stadium in Cardiff, is the home of Glamorgan Cricket and an established venue for international cricket
The site has been the home of Glamorgan Cricket since 1967, following our move from Cardiff Arms Park
Following an extensive redevelopment, The SSE SWALEC successfully staged sold-out Ashes Test matches in 2009 and 2015
In 2009, our venue became the 100th cricket ground to stage Test cricket
Glamorgan Cricket have their headquarters at The SSE SWALEC in Cardiff, situated within Sophia Gardens and adjacent to the city centre and River Taff.
Glamorgan have played at Sophia Gardens since 1967 having previously staged games in the Welsh capital at Cardiff Arms Park, next to the Principality Stadium. The development of the Welsh National Stadium - now the Principality Stadium - led to the transfer of the cricket ground into the recreation ground at Sophia Gardens at the end of the 1966 season.
During the 2007 season, the old ground was redeveloped into a magnificent new stadium, with a capacity of approximately 16,000. Work was completed in March 2008, with the impressive new ground boasting state-of-the-art player facilities and a modern pavilion, plus a Media Centre, five floodlight pylons and a new drainage system.
"Glamorgan have played at Sophia Gardens since 1967 having previously staged games in the Welsh capital at Cardiff Arms Park."
The Arms Park had been Glamorgan’s first ground in Cardiff and it was the venue for their inaugural county fixture in 1889, as well as their first-ever County Championship fixture in 1921. The final county cricket match was staged at the Arms Park during 1966, and the area is now occupied by the rugby ground currently used by the Cardiff Blues. Many famous games have been staged at Sophia Gardens, including the match in 1969 when Glamorgan defeated Worcestershire to win the county title. In recent years, the Cardiff ground has also hosted regular international cricket, including the Ashes Test Matches in 2009 and 2015, as well as the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
Sophia Gardens takes its name from the wife of the second Marquess of Bute, whose family owned the land on which the recreation grounds were laid out during the 1850s as the Bute Estate created the first public park in Wales. They also encouraged healthy recreation on the Recreation Ground, with many local cricket teams using the facilities during the second half of the 19th century.
One of these was Riverside Cricket Club, whose members enjoyed themselves at Sophia Gardens so much that during the 1890s they formed Riverside Football Club. When Cardiff became a City in 1905, the Club renamed themselves Cardiff City Football Club, and they used Sophia Gardens for their matches before moving to Ninian Park, another area associated with the Bute Estate in 1910. In 1947 the Bute Estate handed over their property, including Sophia Gardens, to Cardiff Corporation and insisted that the area should continue to be preserved for sporting pursuits.
