Cost of match days at Millennium Stadium revealed

Match days at the Millennium Stadium this season will cost Cardiff Council more than £60,000 in cleaning bills for 12 days work, figures reveal.

Figures released by Cardiff Council reveal cleaning up after a big match day entails an additional cost of around £5,000.

The Cardiff Evening News calculates the 12 international matches from November 2010 until June 2011 will cost more than £60,000 to clean up.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), who own the stadium, do not contribute towards the clean up costs after events such as big Six Nations rugby clashes and this weekend's England versus Wales football international. The union revealed last year it had recorded record turn over of £58.5 million and pre-tax profits of £27.6 million for 2010, an income hike of 18 per cent.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The council’s city centre-based cleansing teams commence work at 4.30am each Saturday and Sunday to ensure that the city centre is of high standard prior to the opening of the main shops. This scheduled work forms part of the daily city cleansing service.”

They added: “When special events are held in the city centre, additional cleaning resources are assigned. The additional cost for a typical Six Nations rugby game is in the region of £5,000.”

Since the beginning of this international season, which began in November, there have already been six rugby internationals, including three 74,000 seat sell-outs against the New Zealand All Blacks, Ireland and February’s Friday night clash with England.

The stadium has hosted a further three rugby internationals and the Millennium Magic weekend, the opener to the rugby league season, where all the teams in the league play each other at the stadium across one weekend.

And the bill will be completed with May’s rugby union Heineken Cup final, two rugby world cup warm up games against England and Argentina for Wales, the British speedway grand prix, another rugby union international against the Barbarians and Saturday’s sold-out European Championship  football qualifier with England.

This does not include events,such as pop group Take That’s two nights at the stadium in June.
WRU were unavailable to comment.