Being half Welsh and half English, my sporting influences have always been in question with my parents looking to sway me round to their way of thinking. Needless to say this led to the family being divided when England and Wales faced off. I have not had the opportunity to visit many sporting arenas but this is something I hope to change as each stadium has its own atmosphere and aura. And my home from home has to be the Millennum Stadium in the Welsh capital Cardiff.
I have been there many times to watch the Wales versus England rugby union matches and I have never been disappointed. The experience of the stadium starts as you stand outside the ground and there is an electric atmosphere that lights everyone up. You feel nervous about walking into this truly magnificent edifice and wonder what lies in store inside. You can hear the cheering of the fans and the stamping of feet and you cannot wait to be part of it.
You hand over your ticket and march straight up the steps to find your seat. The sight from the top of the steps and the sheer size of the stadium always takes your breath away. The arena really comes to life from the first whistle. This triggers an eruption of excitement from the capacity crowd. There is deafening cheering and a terrific buzz that travels around the ground. This is a stadium where you feel you can be yourself, chat to people sitting nearby and enjoy the friendly banter with other supporters.
At rugby events it is all about getting involved in the experience and cheering on your team and the Millennium Stadium give me that.