In July 2009, Neath RFC presented plans for the redevelopment of the Gnoll, including building a community centre on the site, which were criticised by Neath town councillors as being "too woolly".[1]
Rugby union
The Gnoll is the traditional home of Neath RFC, one of the leading Welsh clubs in the pre-regional era of rugby. It has hosted Neath since the club was founded in 1871.[2] The ground has a capacity of 6,000.[3]
In July 2024, the stadium became the official home ground of all Welsh national rugby league teams ran by the Wales Rugby League.[8]
Association football
Welsh Premier League club Neath Athletic played at The Gnoll between 2008, and their liquidation in 2012.[2] The ground hosted its first ever football match when Neath Athletic played Swansea City in a pre-season friendly in July 2008.[9]
Cricket
The Gnoll started to host some GlamorganCounty Championship fixtures in the 1930s, and in 1954 an indoor cricket school was opened at the site. However, problems with the pitch meant that from the late 1960s the ground was only used for one-day matches - in 1969 the Gnoll staged the county's first-ever home game in the Sunday League. In 1974, the Gnoll was dropped from the county's 1st XI fixture list, although it played host to Glamorgan's matches against the touring Australians in 1985 and 1993.[10] Championship cricket returned to The Gnoll between 1986 and 1992 with Glamorgan staging five home games there, and one further first-class cricket game was played against a Young Australia team in 1995.[11] Glamorgan returned to The Gnoll in August 2022, scheduling two 50-over matches in the 2022 Royal London One-Day Cup.[12]
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