millennium stadium roof closing

The total seating capacity of the stadium is 74,500, with the seating divided into three tiers with seven levels. The critic Jonathan Meades has scathingly referred to the Millennium Dome as a "Museum of Toxic Waste",[13] and apart from the dome itself, the project included the reclamation of the entire Greenwich Peninsula. In a 2005 report, the cost of the Dome and surrounding land (which increased to 170 acres from the initial offering of the 48 acres enclosed by the Dome) and managing the Dome until the deal was closed was 28.7 million. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. How much does it cost to open the principality stadium roof? As reported by the Daily Mail, the roof will be kept open to minimise the spread of Covid-19. A report in 2005 by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee found that the cost of the process of selling the Dome and surrounding land (which increased to 170 acres from the initial offering of the 48 acres enclosed by the Dome) and managing the Dome until the deal was closed was 28.7 million. The purlins form the second supporting layer, while a 120m Kal-Deck aluminium tray, which is perforated for acoustic purposes, forms the diaphragm on which the fixed roof is placed. The Millennium Dome's roof has started to tear and peel off from the force of Storm Eunice, while more infrastructure around the UK shuts down as a safety precaution. The land was previously derelict and contaminated by toxic sludge from East Greenwich Gas Works that operated from 1889 to 1985. The pylons comprise two 220m main steel trusses crossed over by five lateral trusses on each section of the retractable roof. [citation needed], According to the UK National Audit Office,[27] the total cost of The Dome at the liquidation of the New Millennium Experience Company in 2002 was 789 million, of which 628 million was covered by National Lottery grants and 189 million through sales of tickets etc. The O2 now contains several VR theme park rides and a trampoline park. It is also the second-largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and was the second stadium in Europe to have this feature. [39] Meridian Delta is backed by the American billionaire Philip Anschutz, who has interests in oil, railways, and telecommunications, as well as a string of sports-related investments. Original name of a large dome-shaped building in South East London, England, This article is about the Dome's use as a Millennium exhibition. Closing the roof requires the say-so of both sides, and with so much riding on the match . Principality Stadium 23 December 1998: Peter Mandelson resigns from government after a financial scandal. The Millennium Hotel St. Louis was first constructed in 1968 with an addition in 1978. Most teams must agree for it to be closed, and England have taken a different view. Furthermore, it is Europe's largest stadium, with a fully retractable roof, and the world's second largest stadium with this feature. Ft (1,858 Sqm) of event space, designed to engage the attendees, Millennium Hotel Minneapolis is an ideal venue for social and corporate events. . The leading site for news and procurement in the construction industry, "The open retractable roof is perhaps the most significant feature of the stadium, and it is the largest and first of its kind in the United Kingdom. Image courtesy of Mooganic. . The post-exhibition plan had been to convert the Dome into a European football stadium which would last for 25 years: Charlton Athletic at one point considered a possible move but instead chose to redevelop their own stadium. The Millennium Stadium - Cardiff. Does The Millennium Stadium Roof Close? It also held wheelchair basketball events during the 2012 Summer Paralympics. New Zealand lose twice in 1953 but have beaten Wales there ever time since 1951 The Dome was planned to take over the functions performed by the London Arena after its closure. However some stadiums, such as the Millennium stadium in Cardiff, have retractable roofs allowing it to function in all season and weathers, hosting a range of activities from conventions to opera and major cultural festivals. [31], Following closure of the Dome, some Zones were dismantled by the sponsoring organisations, but much of the content was auctioned. Its roof panels can be closed over the spectator and pitch areas in less than 20 minutes , transforming the stadium into a weather-tight arena. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. This included a number of artworks specially commissioned from contemporary British artists. Millennium Stadium Plc., a subsidiary of Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Cardiff County Council. The main challenges were to fit all of the graphics on the screen while incorporating the navigation buttons, and to animate the graphic of the roof opening and closing, bearing in mind that the scaling of the signals from the encoders was originally done in the old SCADA system. The seating is divided into three tiers with seven levels. Millennium Stadium - P6. 22 June 1999: structure of Dome completed. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. World champion status is conferred upon Wales 31 December 2000: Dome closed to the public, having attracted just over six million visitors. The incoming Labour government elected in 1997 under Tony Blair greatly expanded the size, scope and funding of the project,[citation needed] and construction began in June 1997. 25 May 2005: Anschutz Entertainment Group sells the naming rights to the former Millennium Dome to, Within the foundations of the Dome in 1998, a time capsule was buried by, The Dome was featured in a chase sequence of the 1999, Since its construction in 1999, it has been a prominent feature in the title sequence of the popular soap opera, Two books about the attempted robbery of the, In 2005, the Dome was featured in a task on, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 23:53. The southeast of England has been hit by widespread rail closures as Southeastern rail announced it was closing all its mainline routes as a result of the storm. The initial projected figure was twelve million. Innovation in modular construction: Leading companies in paving material distributing machine, Innovation in robotics: Leading companies in vacuum-insulated glazing for the construction industry, Innovation in Internet of Things: Leading companies in smart toilet for the construction industry, Balfour Beatty appointed to build 9m Trent bridge in Nottingham, UK, Leading innovators in hydrostatic rotary drive excavator for the construction industry, Innovation in environmental sustainability: Leading companies in radiant heating for the construction industry, Whos saying what? The Millennium Stadium ( Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm ), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( Welsh: Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. [6] It has been disparagingly referred to as the Millennium Tent. The stadium is owned by Millennium . The all-seat stadium is owned by the Football Association (FA) and operated by its subsidiary Wembley National Stadium Ltd (WNSL). Images and videos of the London landmark's increasingly sorry state have been circling online as Storm Eunice's 160km/h force continues to ravage its fabric covering. Include partnership with the local community The Millennium Stadium was built at a cost of $194.7m. (football), Cardiff Metropolitan University (rugby union), Cardiff Roller Collective (roller sports), European Rugby Champions Cup (rugby union), Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain (motor racing), 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, 2008 IRB Junior World Championship (rugby union), 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, Landmarks and visitor attractions in Cardiff, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Millennium_Stadium&oldid=1137903516, Buildings and structures celebrating the third millennium, Articles with dead external links from August 2021, Articles with dead external links from September 2021, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 00:46. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The open retractable roof is perhaps the most significant feature of the stadium, and it is the largest and first of its kind in the United Kingdom. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also staged games of the Wales national football team. The stadium's fully retractable roof can be opened in 20 minutes and is being held up by four 90-metre high masts - the two. Built on the site of the old Cardiff Arms Park, the Millennium Stadium as it was then called was completed in October 1999, at a cost of 130 million. [22], At worst it is a millennial metaphor for the twentieth century. Since all of these new items, like those in the original system, were products from the brands of Schneider Electric, this approach had the benefit that, in principle at least, the existing software could be converted, thereby avoiding the inconvenience of having to rewrite it from scratch. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also held Wales national football . The business park was actually the original 1996 proposal for the site of the peninsula before the plans for the Millennium Dome were proposed. Issues related to the Dome damaged the political careers of government ministers Peter Mandelson[42] and John Prescott. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It also hoped to relocate some of London's tertiary education establishments to the site. Its roof panels can be closed over the spectator and pitch areas in less than 20 minutes, transforming the stadium into a weather-tight arena. In December 2001, it was announced that Meridian Delta Ltd had been chosen by the government to develop the Dome as a sports and entertainment centre, and to develop housing, shops and offices on 150 acres (0.61km2) of surrounding land. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. View our online Press Pack. Mentions of robotics decreased by 70% in the construction industry in Q3 2022, Whos saying what? So that will apply to the fixtures against the All Blacks, South Africa, Fiji and Australia. In 2005, when work began for the redevelopment of the Dome, the London Arena hosted the event again.[36][37]. Listed as a category four stadium by UEFA, the stadium was chosen as the venue for the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, which took place on 3 June 2017. The new Desso pitch installed in the summer of 2015 means the stadium will be retains it reputation of being one of most modern stadia in the world. An age in which all things, like the Dome itself, became disposable. . The atmosphere is relatively intimate, the noise enhanced seemingly tenfold should the roof ever be closed. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Wales wanted the roof shut and expected Jones to agree but having refused to grant Rob Howleys side their wish, it has added extra spice to the tie. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Does the Millennium stadium roof close? It is designed to host rugby and soccer matches, as well as adapting for use as a concert and entertainment venue. 4 How much is the Millennium stadium worth? The situation was slightly more involved for the HMI panels, where the age and design of the small units originally used in the winch rooms, meant that the software could not be directly converted. A review of the National Stadium at Cardiff Arms Park (designed in 1962) showed that it had long since been overtaken; with Twickenham and Murrayfield having developed stadia with capacities of 75,000 and 67,000 respectively and France about to build the Stade de France with a capacity of over 80,000. Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is the largest in the world and can hold a capacity of 150,000 . Since opening in June 1999, the Millennium Stadium has welcomed, on average, over 1.3 million visitors per year. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff with its retractable roof closed. The Millennium Stadium was built at a cost of $194.7m. The Principality Stadium roof will be open for all three Wales home games in the 2022 Six Nations. Cardiff's Millennium Stadium has a 78,000 capacity. What more cynical monument can there be for this totalitarian cocksure fragile age than a vast temporary plastic bowl, erected from the aggregate contribution of the poor through the National Lottery. 2 diciembre, 2021 | . Houses and offices to be built on the surrounding land, subject to the consent of the London Borough of Greenwich. [43] The scheme was seen as an early example of what some saw as Tony Blair's often excessive optimism, who stated at the Dome's opening: "In the Dome we have a creation that, I believe, will truly be a beacon to the world". The central structure is the largest dome in the world, with nearly twice the area of the former record holder, the . Social Responsibility in Construction Filings Trends Q3 2022, Whos saying what? England coach haslanded the first psychological blow by getting involved with stadium infrastructurefor rugby showdown. Find the perfect stadium roof stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. The operator interface was provided by Magelis electronic HMI units which were also obsolete. Finally, the SCADA system used bespoke software that could neither be extended nor maintained. Mentions of social responsibility decreased by 35% in the construction industry in Q3 2022, How smart technology is making cities more sustainable, How weathering steel makes transport systems and construction projects greener, Preventing non-roadway collision fatalities: Technology and training with the safety experts, European Investment Bank (EIB) Headquarters Expansion, Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Te Kaha Multi-Use Arena, Christchurch, New Zealand, 10 Key Construction Markets to Watch in 2023, Whos saying what? The retractable roof was constructed by Kelsey Roofing Industries, with Cimolai of Italy providing the stand frames and roof components and Freyssinet designing the roofs stay cable systems. 1 Why is the roof open in the Millennium Stadium? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Facilities of the Millennium Stadium The stadium user accommodation is divided into six levels, which include food and drinks, a sports museum, childcare facilities, shops and toilets. The flashing allows movement between the roofs. The stadium is owned by Millennium Stadium Plc, which is a subsidiary of Welsh Rugby Union and the Cardiff County Council, was designed by Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture (now known as Populous). In the event, installing the new hardware and software, and the commissioning process took less than five days, in spite of the winch houses and the control room being separated by a very long walk. Alternatively, you can follow SunSports dedicated live blog on our website. There are 200,000 nuts and bolts on the roof. Principality Stadium roof to be open throughout Six Nations. Englands record is significantly better when the roof is open. The stadium is divided into four stands, known as the North, East (Westgate Street), West and South stands. Schneider Electric is assisting with the upgrade of the systems that control the opening and closing of the roof of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The main bowl of the stadium is placed at an angle of 90 in the north-south direction. Liberty Stadium Swansea. The decks tray trough is packed with Rockwool RW3 acoustic semi-rigid boards. It is the home stadium of the Wales National Rugby Union Team. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Standing proudly on the banks of the river Taff lies The Millennium Stadium. However, after seven years of operation, the roofs control system was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and support. events and includes a retractable roof and seating for just under 75,000 spectators. #STAR PERFORMER The Millennium Stadium boasts a UEFA 5* rating and has hosted matches from two Rugby World Cups, including the Final in 1999. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". To give you some numbers, the Millennium Stadium roof has roughly 4,500 components, 3.2km of tensioning cable, 200,000 nuts and bolts, and weighs an estimated 400 tons. It is designed to host rugby and soccer matches, as well as adapting for use as a concert and entertainment venue. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. With music composed by Peter Gabriel and an acrobatic cast of 160, the Millennium Dome Show was performed 999 times over the course of the year. A Cape Pyrok high-density board measuring 30mm protects the vapour control membrane and supports the Rockwool insulation layer. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For the large HMI panel, the situation was complicated by password protection on data files used by the original software. Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938, held in Glasgow, attracted more than 12 million visitors, being open May to October. [14] It also significantly increased expectations of what would be delivered. Flat no.1, Bills not included, Deal directly with the Landload with no extra cost, 2 x huge bedrooms and large living room , Nice modern 2 bedrooms flat just off cardiff town centre CF116AH , 1 min walk to millennium Stadium and cardiff central . Millennium Dome, official name The O2, massive construction project and tourist attraction in Greenwich, London, England. Sporting the first fully-retractable roof in the UK, the venue is at the leading edge as a multi-purpose, multi-faceted event venue. New pavilion opened for changing, indoor exercise and social functions, Sign up to our eZine to receive updates with event announcements, ticket offers and the very latest news, 2023 Content Copyright Principality Stadium, Principality Stadium, Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1NS. The roof opening and closing operations are driven by eight hydraulic winches, each of which is equipped with proportional valves to provide speed control. [16] Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, a member of the Dome's board suggested the project be refashioned and extended "to accommodate, for example, a hospital, businesses, charities, private residences, and the whole thing named 'the Princess Diana Centre'". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This is the function which The O2 Arena has now undertaken. Its roof panels can be closed over the spectator and pitch areas in less than 20 minutes , transforming the stadium into a weather-tight arena. Inside the Dome there was a play area named Timekeepers of the Millennium (featuring the characters Coggsley and Sprinx), The Millennium Coin Minting Press in association with the Royal Mint, the 1951 Festival of Britain Bus, and the Millennium Star Jewels (focus of the failed Millennium Diamond heist. The stadiums construction required the use of 440,000t of concrete, 12,000t of structural steel, 4,000t of steel reinforcement, 34,000m (365,972ft) of blockwork, 13,500 foundation piles and aluminium wall cladding. It will be open after Eddie Jones's intervention - much to the annoyance of the Welsh. installer project induction/training. The project and exhibition were highly political and attracted barely half of the 12 million customers its sponsors forecasted, and so were deemed a failure by the press. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Schneider proposed a solution based on the Unity programmable controller, accompanied by one 15- inch XBTGT HMI unit for the main display and controls, plus four smaller auxiliary XBTGT HMI units, one of which would be mounted in each of the four winch houses. Millennium Stadium, Wales - Verdict Designbuild Since opening in June 1999, the Millennium Stadium has welcomed, on average, over 1.3 million visitors per year. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and has also held Wales national football team games. 5 February 2000: Chief executive Jennie Page sacked and replaced by. Sporting the first fully-retractable roof in the UK, the venue is at the leading edge as a multi-purpose, multi-faceted event venue. Corporate Governance in Construction Filings Trends Q3 2022, FDI in construction materials in 2021: The state of play, Global FDI Annual Report 2022: Volatility set to continue, Magazine: Building materials for a low-carbon future, Road to net zero: unlocking the UKs retrofit potential, Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, Los Angeles, USA. Having been awarded the contract on the basis proposed, Schneider Electric, Services & Projects, began the work of converting the programs. The Principality Stadium roof will be open for all three Wales home games in the 2022 Six Nations.. As reported by the Daily Mail, the roof will be kept open to minimise the spread of Covid-19.. Wales' first home game of the Six Nations is this Saturday against Scotland before France and Italy visit in March. Football. How long does it take to close the roof of the Millennium Stadium? The Prime Meridian passes the western edge of the Dome and the nearest London Underground station is North Greenwich on the Jubilee line. Robotics in Construction Filings Trends Q3 2022, Whos saying what? Since opening in June 1999, the Millennium Stadium has welcomed, on average, over 1.3 million visitors per year. Paul Thorburn establishes a world record for a penalty goal kick of 70 yards and 8.5 inches in 1988 The value of the 48 acres occupied by the Dome was estimated at 48 million, which could have been realised by demolishing the structure, but it was considered preferable to preserve the Dome. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The only other retractable roof in Europe at the time was at the Amsterdam Arena (with a capacity of 50,000); the home of Ajax Football Club. New North Stand is opened but wrecked by a land mine dropped by the Luftwaffe in 1941, Lord Bute donates the Park to the people of Cardiff The fixed roof placed underneath the retractable roof comprises galvanised steel purlins that surround the entire perimeter. How long does it take for the Principality stadium roof to close? The Welsh Rugby Union decided to raise the remainder of the 114m budget from commercial sources. 203031, Territorial Auxiliary & Volunteer Reserve, List of events held at the Millennium Stadium, 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, 2002 New Zealand rugby league tour of Great Britain and France, List of concerts at the Millennium Stadium, List of concerts at the National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park, List of association football stadiums by capacity, "End of an era, as Heineken Cup final between Toulon and Saracens marks last game on grass at the Millennium Stadium", "The Economic Impact of the Millennium Stadium", "Principality Stadium: Disabled spaces increased by 30%", "Anthony Joshua set to take Muhammad Ali's 39-year record against Carlos Takam at Principality Stadium", "Why Wales haven't played football at the Principality Stadium for 7 years", "Millennium projects open in Wales and Northern Ireland", "Millennium Stadium celebrates fifth anniversary", "Fact About Wales and the Welsh (40. Just before its opening Blair claimed the Dome would be "a triumph of confidence over cynicism, boldness over blandness, excellence over mediocrity". [7][8][9], The canopy is 52 metres (170ft) high in the middle one metre (3.3ft) for each week of the year[4] and is made of durable and weather-resistant PTFE-coated glass fibre fabric panels (original plans to use PVC-coated polyester fabric were dropped after protest led by Greenpeace[10]), with each of the 72 segments containing two panels. Second was the London Eye; third was Alton Towers, which had been first in 1999. It also served as the venue for a number of free music festivals organised by the Mayor of London under the "Respect" banner. Regal Hotels International has partnered with Poly Guizhou Hotel Management Company to manage and operate the Regal Poly Guiyang Hotel in Guiyang, China. Each seating block has rows that are numbered in ascending order starting from the lower block. Boxing title fights come to the venue in the form of Lennox Lewis v Frank Bruno in 1993 Published by on October 31, 2021. 3 Does the Millennium Stadium roof close? List of stadiums in Wales by capacity. Close up of one of the triangular floodlight . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. UK Edition Asia Edition Edicin en Espaol. Grand Stand extension completed in 1890 (women's football), Cardiff Corinthians (Welsh football league), Cardiff Metropolitan University F.C. It closed in 2014. salford city fifa 21 stadium; zinedine zidane number; what happens if eeg is abnormal; millennium stadium roof closing. The new system provides us with big benefits its easier and much more intuitive to use, its much more reliable and, of course, its readily maintainable. To make the best use of the site space available, the design for the Stadium saw the orientation of the main bowl area move through 90 degrees to run North to South. The roof at the Millennium Stadium for Friday's RBS 6 Nations match between Wales and England is to be left open. [citation needed] Numerous changes at management and Board level, before and during the exhibition, had only limited, if any, results. Would not be possible on most commission funds. Does the Millennium Stadium roof close? An important requirement of the project was that the new HMI panel should present information in a way that was as close as possible to the display used by the original SCADA system. The stadium's fully retractable roof can be opened in 20 minutes and is being held up by four 90-metre high masts -the two roof sections weigh a staggering 560 tonnes. The total construction cost of the stadium was 121 million, of which the Millennium Commission funded 46 million.Millennium Stadium. With a capacity of up to 70,000 people and a sliding roof to boot, this arena has played host to innumerable legendary football matches, concerts and has become synonymous with rugby. The new venue becomes a giant concert arena for a New Years Eve Millennium extravaganza as the Manic Street Preachers see in revellers with a Manic Millennium under the Stadiums now infamous sliding roof, France defeat Wales in the opening Six Nations match to be played at the venue in February 2000, The Millennium Stadium hosts its first FAW International Football matches in the summer of 2000, Jari Litmanen of Finland scores the first goal at the venue, with Ryan Giggs providing the first Welsh goal in a 2-1 friendly defeat for Wales, The Motor Show in July 2000 sees the Millennium Stadium host its first exhibition on the bowls surface, The World Cup returns to the Millennium Stadium in November 2000 only this time of the Rugby League variety as Wales host New Zealand in a pool match, The Football League Cup Final, LDV Vans Trophy, FA Cup Final and FA Community Shield come to the Stadium in 2001; Liverpool beat Birmingham on penalties in February in the Worthington Cup Final, the first of the English football showpiece matches to be staged, The FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Liverpool follows in May as the first FA Cup Final to be played in Cardiff, and confirming its status as a World Class venue the Stadium achieves a 5 Star UEFA rating, the Football League play-offs follow for the first time in June, Millennium Stadium reduces the rugby code by eight players to stage the Wales leg of the IRB Sevens Series in June 2001, British Speedway brings motorsport to the Millennium Stadiums multi-purpose capabilities also in June 2001 by staging the Grand Prix, The FA Community Shield of 2001 between Manchester United and Liverpool becomes the first football match played under a closed roof in the UK, Wales and Australia play the worlds first indoor rugby match when the roof is closed for their Autumn international clash in November 2001, Leicester and Munster contest the first Heineken Cup Final to be played at the Millennium Stadium in May 2002, Munster lose to Leicester but return victorious in two further Millennium Stadium finals against Biarritz Olympique in 2006 and Toulouse in 2008, The worlds first indoor cricket match is played as Britain take on a Rest of the World team in Power Cricket, Munster return to the Millennium Stadium to win the second Celtic League Final against Neath in February 2003, The Rugby League Challenge Cup Final is hosted for the first time in April 2003, Bradford Bulls defeat Leeds Rhinos, Manchester City and Kevin Keegan take on TNS as a UEFA Cup qualification play-off match is staged at the venue in August 2003, The Stadium hosts its first competitive Football International play-off match in November 2003 between Wales and Russia for the following summers UEFA Euro 2004 tournament, New Years Eve 2003, the venue becomes a giant dance floor for its first Stadium School Party Night, Millennium Stadiums football pedigree continues to grow with a continental friendly between Barcelona and Parma in August 2004; Ronaldinho (later 2004 FIFA Player of nthe Year), Henrik Larsson, Luis Garcia and Andrs Iniesta are amongst the Catalan talent on display, In January 2005 Tsunami Relief Cardiff sees the Millennium Stadium put on a marathon Live Aid-style music extravaganza to raise money for the victims of the disaster, Wales celebrates its first Grand Slam in 27 years when defeating Ireland in the final match of the 2005 seasons RBS Six Nations, the feat is repeated in 2008 when Wales defeat France, also in the final match of the tournament, The British & Irish Lions play their first home match at the venue in 2005 drawing with Argentina as a farewell to the fans before departing for their tour of New Zealand, A new partition-drape system allows Millennium Stadium to host an arena-style concert with REM in the summer of 2005, Developing the motorsport fuctionality of the Millennium Stadium on the back of Speedway and Supercross a Millennium Stadium stage of Wales Rally GB in the World Rally Championships takes place in December 2005; the venue also hosts the finish that year, The 125th FA Cup Final in 2006 a classic 3-3 and penalties between Liverpool and West Ham Utd is the sixth and last FA Cup Final the Millennium Stadium hosts; the seventh and last Football League (Carling) Cup Final is hosted in 2007, The Rugby World Cup returns to the venue in 2007 with Waless pool matches and a classic quarter-final encounter between New Zealand and France, Joe Calzaghe is victorious against Mikkel Kessler in a unification World Championship boxing title superfight in October of that year, Express Eventing in 2008 adds an equestrian flavour to the Millennium Stadiums sporting CV, The Millennium Stadium becomes the scene of the worlds first rugby union penalty shoot-out after Cardiff Blues and Leicester Tigers end extra-time of their Heineken Cup semi-final deadlocked, With construction work still to be done, a three-quarters complete Millennium Stadium hosts its very first match in June 1999 and Wales record their first-ever win over South Africa.