Penydarren Park
Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales — opened Not confirmed, 2 rugby league games hosted, home of Merthyr Tydfil RLFC (1907-1911, rugby league); Merthyr Town F.C. and successors (football, ongoing).
Sourcing caveat: Wikipedia's Kangaroos tour and Merthyr Tydfil RLFC articles date the first match to 19 January 1909, three days later than Rugby League Project's recorded 16 January (stated independently on two separate RLP pages) -- unresolved. Wikipedia's Merthyr Tydfil RLFC article also states the second match was played at "College Park" rather than Penydarren Park; RLP attributes both 1909 matches to Penydarren Park, and Rugby League Project's own team-ground records show Penydarren Park specifically in use for 1909 fixtures (with College Field used in 1908 and 1910), which is suggestive but not conclusive support for RLP's version. Both discrepancies are noted rather than resolved.
Ground facts
| Opened | Not confirmed (Site of a former Roman military encampment, later part of the Penydarren House estate, used for public walks, athletics and team sports from the late 19th century with a cinder running/cycling track added in the 1890s -- no more precise opening date found. Still an active football ground today, home to Merthyr Town F.C.) |
| Home club | Merthyr Tydfil RLFC (1907-1911, rugby league); Merthyr Town F.C. and successors (football, ongoing) |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 2 |
| Top recorded crowd | 6,000 |
| Years used | 1909 |
| Location | Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil |
Name history
Rugby league history
Penydarren Park has been essentially a continuous football venue for over a century, aside from a brief rugby league interlude. Merthyr Tydfil RLFC, founded 15 July 1907 as one of several short-lived professional "Northern Union" clubs formed during the code's 1907-1912 expansion into South Wales, normally played at the smaller College Field but moved its two biggest fixtures of the 1908/09 season -- both against the touring Australian Kangaroos -- to the larger Penydarren Park. On 16 January 1909, a Welsh League XIII representative side beat Australia 14-13 in front of 6,000, the ground's recorded top crowd; on 27 February 1909, Merthyr Tydfil itself beat the tourists 15-13 in front of 4,000. Merthyr Tydfil RLFC folded in January 1911 amid financial difficulty, one of several early Welsh rugby league experiments that did not survive the decade.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
← Rugby League · Champions list · All-time records · Grand Final results · World Cup · All competitions · Teams · Players