The Wern is a sports stadium in Merthyr Tydfil,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It is the home of

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

club

Merthyr RFC Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Ty ...

and was, for a short period in 2017, also home of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

club

South Wales Ironmen The South Wales Scorpions, known as the South Wales Ironmen in 2017, were a semi-professional rugby league club based in South Wales. They played in the third tier of the British rugby league system (currently known as League 1) between 2010 an ...

. The stadium is located on Cae'r Wern in the east of Merthyr Tydfil, around 10 minutes walk from the town centre. Opened in 1958, there has been expansion and improvements made to facilities in recent years, including the addition of an artificial turf pitchWalesOnline
/ref> and the construction of additional stands. The stadium is a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 4,500. The stadium is one of two in the town, along with

Penydarren Park Penydarren Park is a sports stadium in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, that is the present home ground of Merthyr Town Historically used for varying sports, it has been the home to two professional football teams, Merthyr Town and Merthyr Tydfil F.C. Th ...

, home of

Merthyr Town F.C. Merthyr Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Tref Merthyr) is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, currently playing in the , in the seventh tier of the English football league system. The football club was o ...

Stands

There are three covered stands at the Wern along with additional standing room around all sides of the pitch. Access to all stands is via Cae'r Wern.

Main Stand

This all-seater stand is raised above the pitch with a set of steps up to the first row of seating. The changing rooms and media facilities are located in this stand.

Sir Gilbert Stanley Thomas Stand

A temporary, all-seater stand, named for Merthyr RFC president Sir Stanley Thomas. It extends approximately halfway down each side of the pitch either side of the halfway line.

Leisuretime Stand

A combination of seating and standing, this stand is located at one end of the pitch. The stand is sponsored by travel company

Leisuretime Leisuretime by Toureasy is the UK's first and only carbon neutral coach tour operator specialising in coach holidays and short breaks to destinations across the UK and Europe departing from pick up points across South Wales. Company overview L ...

Additional facilities

The facilities at the Wern have been improved in recent years, in line with rising attendances due to Merthyr RFC's league success.

3G all-weather pitch

The playing surface is Artificial turf. This was installed in 2016 by South Wales Sports Grounds and is complete with a blue border around the main playing surface.

Floodlights

There are several tall floodlights positioned along both sides of the pitch.

Club shop

A club shop is situated in the main car park and operated by Merthyr RFC kit manufacturer, Macron.

Lounge/bar

A sponsors lounge and bar is located to one side of the Main Stand and is open during match days.

Transport

The Wern is located approximately 10 minutes walk from Merthyr Tydfil bus station and

Merthyr Tydfil railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Railway Station, Merthyr Tydfil (geograph 4049515).jpg , caption = Merthyr Tydfil railway station in 2014 , borough = Merthyr Tydfil, Mer ...

. Parking at the stadium is limited with around 50 available spaces.

Clubhouse

The clubhouse is located around half a mile from the Wern, close to

Merthyr Tydfil College Merthyr Tydfil College (Welsh: Y Coleg Merthyr Tudful) is a further education college located in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. From May 2006 to April 2013, it was a constituent college of the University of Glamorgan and thereafter, a college of the Unive ...

and the town centre. There are several bars, a function room and parking facilities.

References

External links

The Wern Sports Park website
{{League 1 venues Rugby union stadiums in Wales Rugby league stadiums in Wales Sport in Merthyr Tydfil Multi-purpose stadiums in the United Kingdom