Cardiff City get planning permission for 'state-of-the-art' Academy

CARDIFF CITY have been granted planning permission for a new ‘state-of-the-art’ Academy in Llanrumney.

The Sports Complex will be on Cardiff University’s playing fields in the east of the city and will boast a tier-2 3G football facility, a floodlit 3G IRB-standard rugby pitch and a floodlit IRB/ Fifa-standard 3G dual marked football and rugby pitch.

The Academy will occupy 16 acres of the site, including a two-storey accommodation block with offices, classrooms, lecture theatres, a canteen, changing facilities and a 3G indoor pitch. This will be a redevelopment of the structure that used to house the 'Doctor Who Experience'.

The project is a collaboration between Cardiff Council, Cardiff University and Cardiff City House of Sport. It will see the club’s Academy moving from its current home at the University of South Wales Sports Park in the south-east of Pontypridd back into Cardiff.

Cardiff City Executive Director and CEO Ken Choo said: “The Llanrumney project is particularly exciting, with it also re-establishing a base for Cardiff City FC within the city limits itself.

“This state-of-the-art complex will provide a sustainable base for our Academy for years to come, helping us ensure quality and consistency in the development of our young players into professional footballers – all part of Tan Sri Vincent Tan’s vision for Cardiff City FC.”

The Llanrumney based sports clubs will have priority community access to the 3G facilities on preferential terms and rates. A focus on participation and inclusion will be the cornerstone of the Hub, with a “sport for all” ethos developing both male and female programmes.