By Callum Nixon
A NEW 4G rugby pitch and pavilion could be the next developments at the ever-improving University of Wales Sport Park.
The venue has recently opened a state-of-the-art 4G football pitch which has become the home for not just university teams but also Welsh Championship outfit Pontypridd Town.
The facility has made the Treforest complex the envy of rival academic institutions, but more could be on the way says Sport Park boss Steve Savage.
He said: “It was identified that two new 4G pitches were needed at the Sport Park, one football and one rugby as well as a pavilion for the outdoor pitches.
“We’ve had the new football 4G so I hope the rugby 4G pitch will be next, followed by the pavilion.”
According to Savage, the new 4G pitch has already brought a new lease of life to the venue.
It already boasted a FIFA standard indoor pitch – dubbed ‘The Barn’ by staff and students – which has been used for training by professional rugby sides such as the Barbarians and Italy who based themselves there ahead of this year’s Six Nations match against Wales in Cardiff.
But the new surface, which replaced one of the natural grass football pitches at the Sport Park, has seen more elite teams use the complex for training sessions, Cardiff City U-23 and U-18 sides, Welsh Championship team Pontypridd Town and Welsh Women’s Premier League side Cyncoed Ladies.
Savage said: “The new 3G pitch has made an immediate impact.
“Due to its quality it has allowed us to host elite sides. The pitch also meets the Welsh FA Tier Two ground criteria.”
But it isn’t just external sides that have benefited, Savage stressed. USW students have been boosted too.
“Our student football teams benefit from an additional 3G pitch so they can train and play BUCS matches,” Savage added.
“Our academic students studying on football and rugby coaching courses have also benefited by having another practical teaching space.”
With USW offering the Sport Park for a wide range of community activities and projects, the new 4G surface will no doubt be used for some of these events, which are often led by USW students for their studies at the Sport Park.
The USW sport team are no strangers to hosting elite level sides and the introduction of the new 4G pitch has also led to the Wales Women’s national team choosing the Sport Park as their training base ,which shows the extent of the ever improving facilities .
“Attracting high profile professional teams such as Cardiff City U-23s, Barbarians and Italy, and proudly being the home training venue for the FA of Wales Women’s national team is fantastic for the University,” said Savage.
“It shows the facilities that belong to our students for playing, training, teaching and learning are some of the best in the UK.