"Like Leeds and Derby" - Cardiff City told to make stadium change to solve atmosphere issue | OneFootball

Cardiff City have been told to alter the layout of the stadium to maximise the atmosphere

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Cardiff City have been told to swap the locations of the Canton Stand and the Family Stand in a bid to improve the atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium.

The Bluebirds moved from Ninian Park to the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009, and while the facilities at their new ground are undoubtedly better, it lacks the atmosphere and intimidation of their former home.

Another problem Cardiff face is that the ground is currently too big for them, and while they have filled it during their years in the Premier League, there are plenty of empty seats this season, with the upper tier of the Ninian Stand usually empty for most games.

The Cardiff City Stadium has a capacity of 33,280 and the Bluebirds haven't had a crowd larger than 23,207 this season, highlighting their problems with filling the ground.

However, our Cardiff City fan pundit believes that swapping the location of two stands could improve the atmosphere.

Cardiff City told to swap the Canton Stand and the Family Stand

We asked our Cardiff City fan pundit, Jack Price, what could be done to improve the Bluebirds' home ground, and he suggested a simple change that would bring back the atmosphere the ground has been lacking recently.

Speaking to Football League World, Jack said: "I’d say the placement of the Canton Stand and the section for away supporters.

“I think a big problem with the Cardiff City Stadium is the lack of atmosphere, especially when compared to the intimidating inferno that was Ninian Park.

“It pales in comparison, and it’s something that doesn’t sit well with older supporters who do have real memories of attending Ninian Park.

“It’s hard to generate an atmosphere in the Cardiff City Stadium because of how big it is, and we’re often filling just over half of it.

“The Canton Stand, which is where the most vocal supporters are, myself included, it’s on the other side of the stadium to where the away fans are housed, so you can’t really get that atmosphere.

“I think if you were to swap the Canton Stand and the Family Stand, because the Family Stand is by the away fans, maybe then you could create a more palpable atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium, because it’s really lacking for the most part.

“Clubs at this level with the best home atmospheres, like Leeds and Derby, their home fans make a racket right next to the away fans, and that’s where you generate the atmosphere, so that’s definitely what I’d improve."

Something needs to be done to improve the atmosphere at Cardiff City Stadium

The Cardiff City Stadium has seen its fair share of intimidating atmospheres when it's full, whether that's for Cardiff games or Wales games, but for your run-of-the-mill Championship fixture it can be a bit soulless.

In hindsight, perhaps Cardiff shouldn't have built such a big ground, with it originally having a capacity of 26,828, before being extended in 2014 with the expectations that it would be needed for big Premier League games, but it hasn't really turned out that way.

Ninian Park was a lot smaller than the Cardiff City Stadium, and it had a reputation as being one of the most difficult grounds in the country for visiting sides, a real contrast from their current home.

It's clear that Cardiff had to move from Ninian Park as it was old and didn't have the facilities needed for elite modern-day football, but in hindsight, the club's hierarchy may have been better off building a smaller, more compact ground, which would have had a similar atmosphere to their former home.

However, a quick way to resolve the atmosphere problems would be putting the most passionate home supporters near the away end, which teams like Leeds, Derby, and rivals Swansea have done.