New all-weather 4G pitch at Sardis Road in Pontypridd has received funding package
The new 'plastic' pitch would spell an end to mud-caked matches at the iconic House of Pain
The cash has come from the Welsh Collaborative Sports Facilities Group and the development at the would mean an end to waterlogged pitches that have led to mud-soaked classics at the iconic ground.
It will also allow back to back matches to be played all year round and will provide a new sporting venue for Coleg y Cymoedd students to further enhance the range of sports opportunities offered to students.
4G pitches - effectively a plastic 'carpet' - have already been adopted at a string of professional grounds, including Cardiff Arms Park, which went 4G in 2013.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Coleg y Cymoedd have also committed funding to deliver the new sporting facility for Pontypridd RFC, college students and other local sports clubs.
As part of the investment, the club will receive a rugby standard 4G pitch.
Council leader Andrew Morgan, local MP Owen Smith , Pontypridd RFC , and Coleg y Cymoedd recently submitted a funding bid to the Collaborative Sports Facilities Group - which includes the WRU, FAW, Welsh Hockey and Sport Wales - to part-fund the new pitch on Sardis Road.
Councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of RCT council, said: "I have been delighted to be part of the group which has worked to develop this ambitious proposal which will transform the training and match facility at Sardis Road rugby ground.
"The local MP Owen Smith, the council, Pontypridd RFC and Coleg Y Cymoedd have worked collaboratively to seek to deliver a new 4G pitch at the Sardis Road ground.
"The proposal seeks to address the match play issues Pontypridd RFC have faced over a number of years and in doing so will provide new capacity for local clubs from other sporting disciplines to utilise this state of the art pitch."
The pitch will also serve as a new venue for Coleg y Cymoedd students enhancing the sporting opportunities offered by the college.
"Sardis Road is an iconic ground for us here in Pontypridd and for the global rugby community, but it has suffered with wear and tear and poor weather in recent years.
"I think this is just the beginning of a great new chapter in the proud history of Sardis Road and Pontypridd RFC.
"Working together we can build on this development to keep our ground, our team and our community where we want to be - and always will be - at the heart of Welsh rugby."
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