This August sees the publication of a new history of Cardiff Arms Park. Written by a team of current and former CF10 Arms Park Rugby Trust board members together with eminent local sports historians, this definitive volume comes with a foreword by Rod Sheard, architect of the Principality Stadium. It tells the story of its evolution from a pre-sporting public space to the home of the current national and club grounds. The book looks in detail at the rich history of events that have taken place there but, unlike most traditional sports histories, the focus is on the development of the Arms Park itself.
The book tells the tale of how rugby, cricket and other sports came to shape its use and of the many and varied alternate plans that were put forward for the site. It also explores the development of the Arms Park within the broader context of the history of sports stadia and speculates on what future developments at the ground will need to feature in order to maintain its prominence in world rugby. As well as making extensive use of archive material, the book is richly illustrated and features over 400 rarely seen photographs and drawings.
Cardiff Arms Park, An Architectural and Social History is being published as part of the relaunch of Cardiff Rugby and is sure to quickly become a collector's item. It will appear in two limited editions: a clothbound, numbered and signed edition of 250 copies and a hardback general edition of 750 copies. All profits will go to the Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation and be used to help improve health, education, employability and inclusion through the medium of rugby across the region.
