Off The Pitch

Mr Bennet, that most pressed-upon father asks, ‘What do we live for but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?’ Standing at the hard left hand edge of 2021 it is no huge leap to evolve that question to base it firmly in the esoteric, what do we do rugby for and what...

The arrival of four South African sides in an expanded Pro16 has been met with quite a bit of apathy in Wales. Certainly not everyone, but generally there’s been a feeling of flatness surrounding the announcement compared to the enthusiasm emanating from the other nations. I’ve spent some time...

Last week, Cardiff Blues began their Walk of Legends project, to celebrate and honour the rich history of Cardiff rugby. Many of the names featuring on the lists of nominees will be known to supporters. Some are still playing. Some were still playing quite recently. But inevitably, the further we...

It’s possible that there is no club in the sporting world more confusing than Cardiff rugby. For 17 years at the Arms Park we have had Cardiff Blues, Cardiff Athletic Club, Cardiff RFC (owned and run by some combination of the two). All part of the same organisation and yet managing to be...

On 25th February 1895, 5000 people crammed into Bradford’s Park Avenue ground to watch the home team take on Cardiff. South Wales and the North of England were the industrial heartlands of 19th century Britain. And, rugby football was growing in both areas. Not only did young men want to play the...

Earlier this week we published our blog on how history and heritage could be given a greater profile at our beloved Cardiff Arms Park (Blog: Opening Up Our Heritage). Today we were pleased to have had the following response from Mike Brown, Head of Communications and Marketing at Cardiff Blues...

Taking Heritage out of the Trophy Room A key part of CF10’s mission statement is protecting and preserving our heritage, ensuring that any future developments of the Arms Park properly reflect the club’s name and history. Our heritage is key to defining who we are. CF10 has worked hard in...

  "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds, nineteen shillings, and six pence, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." - Mr Micawber (David Copperfield by Charles Dickens). These are difficult times....

Here’s a tribute to the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl from the resident Bard of CF10 Towers, Martin Hughes - the Fairytale of NewCAP. (It’s best sung with your Shane McGowan teeth in!) It was New Years Eve mate Down the Arms Park An old fan said to me, won't watch another one. And then he tutted long...

The Welsh Rugby Union are actively trying to run the regions into the ground in order to exert more central control and eventually take over their running. There, it’s been said. News broke from the WRU’s AGM over the weekend that the CVC purchase of 27% of the Guinness Pro14 was close to complete...

Memory suggests it was a fine October day as a curious 7-year old walked into the National Stadium, waist high to his father with a resplendent blue and black rosette on his chest. Unsure of the surroundings, sights and sounds accompanying the wide-eyed wonder, a cavernous stadium was an unlikely...

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” said George Bernard Shaw. Well, that’s not a problem that Cardiff Blues Ltd (CBL) would subscribe to. They wouldn’t accept it for one simple reason and that’s they don’t believe in communication. Or more...