We were delighted to welcome more than 15,000 supporters to our first game at the stadium last Friday, against Leicester Tigers. Sadly, it was not a winning start on the pitch, as we went down 14-5. However. a bumper crowd enjoyed the benefits and comforts of our new state-of-the-art home.

Many of you have commented on the comfort of the seating, the outstanding food and bar facilities and the whole match day atmosphere.

We do, recognise, however, that not everything went as smoothly as we would have liked, and we are working extremely hard to iron out a couple of initial teething problems.

Transport

Many of you made use of the Cardiff Bus match day buses to and from Cardiff Central Station. Some buses were delayed by the congestion prior to kick-off, and we are holding discussions with Cardiff Bus to ensure that the service runs smoothly before and after matches, and that there is adequate space on board. Further transport information is detailed below.

Cardiff Blues Shuttle Bus
This service is provided free of charge to season ticket holders. The return ticket costs £2 to other supporters, £1 for under 16's and Senior Citizens. This shuttle runs regularly, roughly every ten minutes, providing easy access to the city centre and the stadium on home match days.

Departing:
Westgate Street - Opposite WRU Shop - 5.30pm
Cardiff Central Bus Station - Rear Car Park - 5.35pm
Then every 10 minutes with a final journey at 7.20pm.

The buses will depart from the bus station on Sloper Road after the final whistle with the last bus leaving 90 minutes after the final whistle. Please note the stadium will open at 6.00pm

Parking
There are two entrances into the stadium, Leckwith Road - strictly for permit holders only, and Sloper Road - for match day parking only. Please see details below.

We are aware of the disruption fans experienced trying to park at the stadium, and we hope you can work with us to help ensure this does not happen at future matches.

Permit Parking Holders - Leckwith Road open from 4.00pm

The Leckwith Road entrance to the stadium is for Annual Parking Permit holders only. These permits are still available, and cost £100. To buy a permit for the new season or for further information contact 0845 345 1400. We would also ask all Annual Parking Permit holders to clearly display their personal 'coat-hanger' badges in their car, which enable the attendants to quickly direct you to your correct parking place. We would ask all non-permit holders NOT to attempt to enter the stadium via this entrance.

Match day Parking - Sloper Road open from 5.00pm

Match-day parking is available via the Sloper Road stadium entrance, opposite Ninian Park for £5 for the Northampton match. We ask fans approaching the stadium from the A4232 link road, to access this entrance via Hadfield Road and Bessemer Road, and on to Sloper Road to ease congestion around the stadium.

Signage and additional stewarding will be located at strategic points to assist traffic flow and offer guidance to supporters. Please note the stadium opens at 6.00pm

From the city centre we are encouraging supporters to drive down Wellington Street, on to Leckwith Road and turn left on to Sloper Road after going under the railway bridge.

From the A4232 link road, we are encouraging supporters to drive via Hadfield Road and Bessemer Road, and on to Sloper Road to ease congestion around the stadium

Public Transport & Private Hire

By train: There are two train stations close to the stadium, Ninian Park and Grangetown. Both are served by regular rail links from the city centre, North Cardiff, Pontypridd and the Vale.
Please visit www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/ for train times

By Bus: There is already a regular service every 12 minutes from Cardiff Central Bus Station to the Cardiff City Stadium.

By taxi: A taxi from Cardiff Central Station to the Cardiff City Stadium costs circa £5.

Bar and food facilities

The larger than expected crowd resulted in some fans waiting longer to be served than we would have hoped, but we will work hard to rectify this at future games, and hope you will be patient with our staff as we remedy this situation.

The facilities at the new stadium are outstanding, and we would urge supporters to make more time to sample them in the build-up to kick-off, with the stadium opening at 6.00pm.

Bars in the Ninian Stand and in the Grandstand will be open up to 60 minutes after the final whistle.

Programmes

Programme booths are positioned both outside the stadium, adjacent to the turnstiles, and inside the stadium, with some located in the concourses.

Unreserved Seating

Our unreserved seating initiative in the Ninian Stand is unusual for a stadium such as ours, and we will continue to pilot the project while we find out what works best for our supporters. From Friday's game against Northampton Saints, we will make Aisles 111, 112, 117 and 118 available for unreserved seating only, to try to give supporters a clearer idea of where they can sit.

Ticket sales and season ticket enquiries

Ticket booths for cash sales are conveniently located close to and clearly visible from both entrances, Leckwith Road and Sloper Road. Credit card purchases can be processed at the main ticket office located in the Grandstand, adjacent to the club retail superstore.

A double booth dedicated to ticket collections is positioned at the North West corner, near main ticket office.

If you have a Blues Stadium Card and are unsure of the position of your seat, please approach a steward in a purple bib for assistance.

All season ticket enquiries should be directed to the main ticket office on match days and non-match days or call 0845 345 1400.

Scoreboard & Clock

We are working to improve the visibility of the score and match clock on the large screen, which is the same size as the Madejski Stadium, and expect to have improved this in time for Friday's game.

A Winning Match Day Experience

It is extremely important to us that you enjoy your match day experience at the new stadium, and we are working incredibly hard to improve any areas where we have identified issues arising from our opening game.We would ask you to be patient as we address these, and to also work with us wherever possible.

Feedback is extremely important to us if we aim to create the perfect match day experience for you. Please send any observations or recommendations to: enquiries@cardiffblues.com

We look forward to welcoming you to the new stadium and hope you enjoy the match.