Caerphilly Council unveil plans for £6m sports facility

27th Jan 2012

A new £6m Centre of Sporting Excellence for football and rugby union is to be built on the site of a former hospital in Ystrad Mynach under plans unveiled by the local authority.

The centre, to be constructed on the site of the old Ystrad Mynach Hospital, will have state-of-the-art all-weather rugby and football pitches, grandstands and floodlights as well as parking for 200 cars. There will also be a gym, changing rooms, sports classrooms and conferencing facilities.

Ownership of the site will be transferred to Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) in mid-February, following the November 2011 opening of the new Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.

Two 3G surfaces capable of accommodating both football and rugby union are proposed as part of the scheme, along with supporting infrastructure such as lighting and terracing.

The council hopes the venue will be able to host matches at the 'highest level', while offering performance training and sports science facilities. It will also be open to the community.

The Welsh Rugby Union and Football Association of Wales have backed the scheme, with Newport Gwent Dragons rugby team and Cardiff City Football Club also in support.

Roger Lewis, chief executive of the WRU, said: “We congratulate and compliment Caerphilly County Borough Council for their ambition and vision with this project.

“It’s particularly timely and catches the Zeitgeist of today, and that is about working together. It’s a pleasure for the Welsh Rugby Union to be sitting alongside our colleagues from Cardiff City and the FAW as well.

“In these changing times, we’ve got to be working together, and we’ve got to be working together for the greater good. This project is an exemplar for how we can work together.”

CCBC leader Allan Pritchard said: "This is a unique opportunity for the council to provide a Centre for Sporting Excellence and community development that could be among the best in the country.

"In determining the use of the former Ystrad Mynach hospital site following the opening Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, the council has put forward this exciting proposal to potential partners and they have been eager to see this mature into fully fledged business case."

January - 2012