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THE Principality Stadium’s capacity has changed for the first time in its 20-year history and has been reduced.
The official capacity for pitchbased events has been 74,500 since the multi-purpose venue was built, but it has come down to 73,931.
That’s as a result of new wheelchair bays being built in the ground, increasing disabled access by 30%.
Building work required for the minor renovation has cost the Welsh Rugby Union around £100,000, creating 46 new wheelchair bays, taking the total up to 214.
There are also an extra 111 seats for carers.
As well as the upfront cost, the decreased capacity means the WRU will have to sacrifice a small portion of revenue from ticket sales, but feels it is the right decision.
“We felt it was absolutely the right thing to do,” said stadium manager Mark Williams.
“Demand has been there from our disabled spectators.
“We have undertaken the work to increase wheelchair bays, ambulant disabled and carer seating to a level that surpasses current demand.
“In order to do so we have made significant upfront investment, but this will have a hugely positive effect on our long-term appeal to incoming event owners and to supporters from around the globe who visit the stadium on a regular basis.”
During last year’s autumn international series, after increasing pressure from the public, the WRU trialled an alcohol-free zone at one end of the ground.
A total of 4,200 seats behind the posts at one end of the stadium were part of the experiment.
That zone will not be in operation for the upcoming Six Nations matches at the stadium – England and Ireland – as it was never intended that those games would be part of the process.
The WRU says it is assessing how the autumn trial went and says the zone will return for Judgement Day and the two Rugby World Cup warmups later this year.
“It was an experiment and we’re still analysing it,” said Williams.
“We’re going to continue it throughout this year and it’ll be back on Judgement Day and the two summer internationals.
“We’ll keep tweaking and analysing it and see where we go after that.
“The trial was ongoing as the tickets were being sold for the Six Nations, so it was impossible to say whether or not it would be a success.”
For two years now the stadium has put into action increased security checks to ensure the safety of everyone at the venue.
Welsh rugby fans should now be well versed in what to expect from the checks, but this is the first time England have been at the stadium since they were brought in.
As such, stadium manager Mr Williams reiterated his advice for fans to get to the city-centre venue in plenty of time to make sure they’re in their seats for kick-off.
The gates open at 1.45pm and the France v Scotland game that precedes the England clash will be shown live on the big screens before the main event gets under way in Cardiff.
Fans can expect the usual bag searches and a scan with a handheld metal detector on approach to the stadium.
“It’s a huge game and we’re full to the rafters, some 12,000 more people than we had in the autumn,” said Mr Williams.
“My message remains to try and get in around an hour and a half before kick-off.
“If you leave it to the last hour and everyone has the same mindset, there will be significant queues and you risk not getting in for kick-off.
“It’ll be our usual security regime. There’s no increased threat to Cardiff or the Principality Stadium.
“I recommend you don’t bring a bag, but if you are bringing one, you’ll be put into a bag-search line, which can get quite time-consuming. The world has changed, we’ve changed with it and we’re just interested in keeping people safe.”