Pupils get first glimpse of club's stadium

- Thursday, November 13, 2008

A CROWD of 1,500 excited schoolchildren from Llanelli were the first members of the public to set foot inside the Scarlets' new home.

The primary school pupils watched the players training at Parc y Scarlets as part of events in the run-up to the opening of the new stadium.

They took part in a tester event at the stadium on November 3.

They saw fly-halves Ceiron Thomas and Rhys Priestland, centre Gavin Evans and hooker Ken Owens kick rugby balls over the stadium's sosban-topped goalposts for the first time.

Scarlets construction director Mike Carr said: "The children saw the players train on the new fibre elastic pitch for the first time. It was the first time any players had been on the pitch, so it was quite a moment for everyone to enjoy. All the systems were tested, including the PA, lighting, turnstiles, disabled facilities and evacuation procedures.

"We gave each of the children a certificate to say that they were the first group to visit the stadium, as well as a poster of the team. They were in fine voice and seemed to enjoy their special trip.

"We are grateful to the schools for coming to visit and hope everyone was impressed with the new stadium."

Primary schools attending the first event were Swiss Valley, Brynsierfel, Halfway, Bryn, Bynea, Dafen, Dewi Sant, Five Roads, Castell Kidwelly, Trimsaran, Pembrey and Burry Port Juniors.

Entertainment included DJ Tommo, from Scarlet FM, and Cochyn, the Scarlets' red dragon mascot.

Dafen Primary School pupil Amy Jones, aged nine, said: "It was very exciting to be part of the stadium's first crowd. The stadium is big and the crowd were noisy. The big games there will be really exciting."

Ffion Lakin, also nine, said: "It's a big stadium and there's plenty of space for people to sit — I'm looking forward to going back." The event was part of the process of testing the new stadium before it becomes fully operational. The number of people allowed in will progressively increase before it can officially open at its full 15,000 capacity.

The work is being co-ordinated by the Carmarthenshire ground safety committee, made up of representatives from Carmarthenshire Council, the police, fire and ambulance services, contractors and security contractors who are co-ordinating those bodies' efforts to ensure that the stadium is run safely.

This first-ever testing event held last Monday was with 1,500 spectators. Following on from this, the new stadium's first three games will be at limited capacity as part of the standard licensing arrangements for new stadia.

The first rugby game in the new stadium will be Llanelli RFC v Cardiff RFC, for a crowd of 3,750 to 4,000, to be held on Saturday.

The second match will be the Scarlets' first game at Parc y Scarlets against Munster in the Magners League, on Friday, November 28, for a crowd of 9,000.

This will be followed by the first Heineken Cup game against Ulster on Friday, December 12, in front of a crowd of 11,250.

The Scarlets and world-famous touring club the Barbarians will play a special match to mark the official opening of Parc y Scarlets.

The Barbarians have accepted an invitation to bring a star-studded line-up to Wales on Saturday, January 31, to play front of a bumper crowd at the £23 million stadium. The match will be part of a showcase event to officially open the 15,000-capacity home of the Scarlets in front of a gathering of household names from the worlds of rugby and entertainment.

Tickets for all events can be purchased through the ticket office on 01554 783900. Visit www. scarlets.co.uk