Cardiff City get go-ahead to build huge new academy complex

Cardiff City have been given the green light to begin construction on a huge new site in Llanrumney which will become the club's new academy home.

The Bluebirds teamed up with Cardiff Council and Cardiff University to drum up the idea for a top-end sports site to serve not only Cardiff City FC, but local Llanrumney sports clubs as well as the university's sports teams.


The financial backing will come from Cardiff Council as the centres will be open to the public, University of Sport as Cardiff University will also be able to use it and The House of Sport which supports Cardiff City’s Academy’s .



The 16-acre complex, where Cardiff City's academy will be based, will include a tier-two 3G football facility, a floodlit, 3G, IRB-standard rugby pitch and another dual floodlit football and rugby pitch which will have pitch markings for both sports.

There will also be learning facilities included in the construction, with the plan to take over the old Doctor Who building and create a learning environment with classrooms for the youngsters who attend college.

The two-storey building will include offices, a lecture theatre, canteen, changing rooms and a gym. The building will also house an indoor academy-standard 3G training pitch, in addition to five full-size grass pitches, a 3G tier-two standard pitch and a goalkeeper-specific training area.
This is what the two-storey building will look like at the complex (Image: Cardiff City FC)

The community facilities will occupy where the old Llanrumney High School playing fields are and will include a new building with changing facilities for the Llanrumney-based sports teams.

This is the latest development in the club's big push to reinvigorate their academy.

It is no secret that, on the field, the club's youth teams have performed outstandingly well this season. The under-23s have lost only one of their 12 Professional Development League 2 games and hold an 11-point advantage at the top of the table.

The impressive work being done on the grass has translated into tangible successes at first-team level, too, with a glut of youngsters having been promoted into the first team over the last 18 months and are thriving. Rubin Colwill, Mark Harris, Tom Sang, Isaak Davies, Sam Bowen and Joel Bagan are just some examples.

READ MORE: All the latest Cardiff City news, views, features and analysis

Bluebirds chief executive Ken Choo said this is yet another step being taken to ensure this recent success is not just a flash in the pan, but a sustainable means of ensuring the club's production line is healthy in the longer term.

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."

On a broader scale, and pertaining to the community aspect of the project, Bluebirds board member and Cardiff City House of Sport director Steve Borley said: "Our vision in partnership with Cardiff Council and Cardiff University is to create a sustainable multi-purpose facility to serve the university and local sports clubs as well as a new home for Cardiff City Academy.

"The creation of the hub will empower local people to invest their spare time proactively, working with all age groups and genders and have a central hub to promote and deliver sports development for the community of Llanrumney. We hope to bring in assistance from the foundations of FAW, Cardiff City and WRU to provide guidance to help deliver the vision of the hub."

There are as yet no firm details over when construction for the development will start.

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I’m struggling to see any negatives with this, no doubt somebody on here will think of something!!!!!

The Bluebirds teamed up with Cardiff Council and Cardiff University to drum up the idea for a top-end sports site to serve not only Cardiff City FC, but local Llanrumney sports clubs as well as the university's sports teams.


The financial backing will come from Cardiff Council as the centres will be open to the public, University of Sport as Cardiff University will also be able to use it and The House of Sport which supports Cardiff City’s Academy’s .


Looks great VT throwing his weight behind it and his money Doubters beware

I’m struggling to see any negatives with this, no doubt somebody on here will think of something!!!!!

I’m struggling to see any negatives with this, no doubt somebody on here will think of something!!!!!

It’s fantastic news

Well done Cardif Uni , Cardiff Council and House of sports , great news for our city , kids and our club will be able to use it as they will pay rent for the facilities

I’m struggling to see any negatives with this, no doubt somebody on here will think of something!!!!!

Only 16 acres? Why not 17??

I’m struggling to see any negatives with this, no doubt somebody on here will think of something!!!!!

This is a fantastic project, and will hopefully find us more & more local talent, in all sports, but specifically our club and new kids.
Absolutely anyone who finds a negative in this, needs to go outside and give themselves a damn good shaking!

I’m struggling to see any negatives with this, no doubt somebody on here will think of something!!!!!

Only 16 acres? Why not 17??

My View:


It has to be an improvement

The question is what ? It is one building (shared) and many putches …….but the Vale had those .

Quite interesting.

. Are we(Tan) putting the money ?

What is our role ?

We pay rent?

As it was we had very good facilities at the Vale …… so I assume this is an improvement . It will be interesting to know what we are actually getting extra.

Obviously it must be an improvement …..

Looks good

The one I thought we were building many years ago as promised was suppose to be our own and yet we are renting once again?
Subsidised by others who will have as much or even more rights than us.

Very shrewd by Tan getting others to pay all the money, but then we won’t own it

Treforest had offices changing rooms etc plus many pitches. This was quite good. Clearly what we are getting must be much better and cheap rent and us Valleys could send our kids

Looks impressive, I keep looking and reading . I was of the impression that it would be best if all age groups including the first team trained on the same site but maybe that's not such an issue and, also, perhaps it's been difficult to find a location that could accommodate that.
No
Mention of us going up in Academy grading, is it because we won’t own it and it’s just been rented certain days? Uni and Council will have the biggest say

My understanding is if the house of sport (borley) is financing with council and uni is that steve borley will build it and therefore city will own it as they will pay steve. Who nkows at the moment as it is not 100% clear!

I think this is fantastic as well for the people of Cardiff and especially those who live near and those who actually live in Llanrumney


Well done Cardiff City for the idea, the Council and the University of Sport for funding it and of course the House of Sports for their financial backing



The community of Llanrumney will have free membership for the facilities.

There will also be learning facilities included in the construction, with the plan to take over the old Doctor Who building and create a learning environment with classrooms for the youngsters who attend college.

The two-storey building will include offices, a lecture theatre, canteen, changing rooms and a gym. The building will also house an indoor academy-standard 3G training pitch, in addition to five full size grass pitches, a 3G tier-two standard pitch and a goalkeeper-specific training area.

The community facilities will occupy where the old Llanrumney High School playing fields are and will include a new building with changing facilities for the Llanrumney-based sports teams.

Weird though as the plans for the new training facility down the Vale are still going ahead.

Can only be a positive. Hopefully produce a few local gems in the future

Cardiff academies train at the USW at Treforest.

The new facility at LLanrumney will therefore be used for the younger age groups and the seniors.


The U23 and U18 will remain at the Vale.

The can’t move the whole of the Cardiff set up as it’s not ours and will be used by many many other groups.



This is what I have been told but this is when it’s all finally built.