Sam Warburton was a guest of honour for the opening of University of South Wales' brand-new Sport Park indoor facilities.
Sam Warburton was a guest of honour for the opening of University of South Wales’ brand-new Sport Park indoor facilities.
The Cardiff Blues star was invited alongside the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, Osian Roberts of the FAW Trust and Wales Women’s National Team Manager, Jayne Ludlow.
The international-standard indoor football and rugby facility was officially opened by the First Minister.
The extended facilities at Trefforest includes a 3G pitch, which is built to the FIFA Pro and World Rugby 22 standard.
There is also a new specialist centre for strength and conditioning, which provides 12 lifting platforms that can cater for an entire rugby or football squad at the same time. The floor is integrated with the platforms, so that it can support the heavy weights which athletes use.
The facilities will be used by students at the University, and will also be the new training home for the Wales women’s football under-17s, under-19s, and senior teams’ performance squads.
The facilities are regularly used by professional teams, such as the Wales national football team and Cardiff City Football Club, as well as the touring New Zealand All Blacks, South Africa Springboks, and Australia Wallabies rugby squads.
Warburton was extremely impressed by the facilities and is delighted to see another world-class facility open within the region.
The British and Irish Lions captain said: ”It’s fantastic to see the University of South Wales expanding on its already world-class sporting facilities with this new indoor pitch.
"We are proud of having strong relationships with the educational institutions within our region, and facilities such as the USW Sport Park is part of the reason why these valued partnerships work perfectly.
"It’s great to see the region being able to offer first-class sporting education and development on both a local and international level."