Ninian Park

Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales that was used as the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. At the time of its closure in 2009, it had a capacity of 21,508, however during the 1950s it regularly hosted matches with attendances of over 50,000.Cardiff City had been playing home fixtures at Sophia Gardens but, with growing interest in the club, the lack of facilities at the ground had restricted the club from joining the Southern Football League. To combat this, club founder Bartley Wilson secured a plot of land from local land owners that had previously been used as a rubbish tip and began construction of a new ground in 1909. The build was completed a year later and was named Ninian Park after Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ninian Crichton-Stuart, who had stepped in as a financial guarantor for the land after the previous backer had pulled out. Lord Crichton-Stuart would perform the kick-off of the first match at the ground, a friendly match against Football League First Division champions Aston Villa. It was originally opened with a single wooden stand and three large bankings made of ash but gradual improvements saw stands constructed on all sides of the pitch. The four stands were named the Canton End, the Grange End, the Popular Bank (commonly known as the "Bob Bank") and the Grandstand.