A 16,000-seat Test Match Venue, a thriving event space, a very popular destination for school and group visits, plus an established community hub

CLICK HERE for our stadium seating plan to help you choose where to sit at Sophia Gardens on a match day

 

Sophia Gardens Cardiff, 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, Sophia Gardens successfully staged sold-out Ashes Test matches in 2009 and 2015 and continues to host One Day and T20 Internationals.

In 2009, our venue became the 100th cricket ground to stage Test cricket. We have since hosted major international tournaments, including the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and 2017, and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019, etc.

CLICK HERE for Sophia Gardens Ground regulations

 


Glamorgan Cricket have their headquarters at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, situated within what was the first public park in Wales and on land, adjacent to the River Taff and close to the city centre, which was given to Cardiff Corporation by the Marquess of Bute in 1947 for the purposes of healthy recreation.

The Gardens were laid out during the 1850s, with cricket being played on the Recreation Field since the 1860s. Glamorgan have played county cricket 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 and again in 2017.

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.

In 2019 Sophia Gardens hosted three Cricket World Cup warm-up games as well as four group stage fixtures during the main tournament. Sophia Gardens also hosted the only IT20 of 2019, against Pakistan, and is set for two England white-ball internationals in 2021.

 

Directions to Sophia Gardens

Our Address
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Sophia Gardens
Cardiff
CF11 9XR

You really can't miss us, but if you do, call 02920 409 380, email info@glamorgancricket.co.uk or tweet @glamcricket

 

 

Getting To Sophia Gardens

On Foot
 

The most popular and pleasant means of reaching Sophia Gardens from Cardiff Central Station is on foot. The final part of the 15 minute leisurely stroll takes you along the banks of the River Taff through Bute Park and the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

 

Cycling
 

A popular way to travel to the Stadium is by bicycle and we are in the ideal location to do so i.e. via the Taff Trail which runs from Cardiff Bay to Brecon. The Stadium has more than 30 cycle parking spaces located underneath the Jellyfish Family stand. Copies of the Cardiff cycle map are available by contacting cycle@cardiff.gov.uk 

 

By Train
 

For details of the regular inter-city and high-speed trains that run between Cardiff and all major towns and cities including London, Bristol, Birmingham and Swansea, please visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk

 

By Coach
 

Regular high-speed coaches leave for Cardiff from many major locations in the UK – the National Express terminus is in Sophia Gardens, just a few minutes walk from our stadium. Please visit https://www.nationalexpress.com/en for further information.

 

By Bus
 

Cardiff Bus services run regularly between Cardiff Central Station and Cathedral Road (adjacent to Sophia Gardens Cardiff)
Routes going via Cathedral Road include:
- Number 25 Circular Service to Llandaff North and North Road
- Number 62 Service to Llandaff, Danescourt, Pentrebane, Fair Water & Canton.
- Number 63 service Ffordd Berllan, Central Station, Radyr to Llandaff.
If you are planning to travel by bus please use https://www.cardiffbus.com for more information.

 

By Road
 

From London
Travel time is approximately 3 hours via the M4 Westbound.
From Birmingham
Travel time is approximately 2.5 hours via M5 Southbound and then the M4 Westbound.
From the East
Exit the M4 at Junction 29 and follow the A48M towards Llandaff. Join Cardiff Road. The stadium is situated off Sophia Close which is on Cathedral Road.
From the West
Exit the M4 at Juntion 33. Follow the A4232 for 6.2 miles and exit on the slip road onto Leckwith Road. Follow the A4161 and then turn left onto Cathedral Road (A4119). Turn right onto Sophia Close where the Stadium is situated.
Satellite Navigation Users
Enter postcode as CF11 9XR providing parking has been pre-arranged.

 

Match Day Car Parking
 

Public Car Parking
Parking inside the Stadium on match days is limited to players, officials and permit holders only. Public car parking is available in the Sophia Gardens Pay and Display car park situated within Sophia Close. Sophia Gardens Pay and Display gets very busy on match days, so please utilise all other car parks.

Disabled Parking
A limited number of disabled parking bays are available for every match day held at the Stadium and these are allocated on an application basis. For more details please contact reception on 02920 419 381 or info@glamorgancricket.co.uk

Park and Ride
Glamorgan Cricket do operate a Park and Ride service on international and other major match days. This service usually runs from Cardiff City Stadium to the drop off point in Sophia Close.

 

 

 

 

 

Reception & General Enquiries (including parking)