page_title: Wales national football team home stadium
section_title: Early years (1876–1900)
hierarchical_section_title: Wales national football team home stadium / History / Early years (1876–1900)
caption_attribution_description: English: Author: Spicke01.
context_page_description: The Wales national football team represents Wales in international association football. The team played its first match in March 1876 against Scotland before hosting its first home match the following year against the same opponent. The location selected for the fixture was the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, the world's oldest international football ground still in use. The ground hosted all of Wales' matches until 1890, when a game was played against Ireland in the English border town of Shrewsbury. Wales played matches in several parts of the country, including Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea, over the following two decades.
  The advent of professionalism in Welsh club sides saw the construction of several purpose-built football grounds. Two, Ninian Park in Cardiff, which hosted its first international in 1911, and Vetch Field in Swansea, which hosted its first in 1921, shared Wales' home matches with the Racecourse for nearly a century. Although one match was moved to Anfield in Liverpool in 1977 as a result of crowd trouble, no other venue would host a Wales home international fixture between 1910 and 1989.
context_section_description: The Wales national football team played its first international match on 25 March 1876 against Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, losing 4–0. The fixture was reversed the following year, with Scotland travelling to Wales for the country's first home international on 5 March 1877 at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, which was owned by Wrexham Cricket Club. The ground included a separate tent for women and their male companions. Guinness World Records recognises the Racecourse Ground as the world's oldest football ground which continues to host international matches. The next ground to stage an international which is still in use is Hampden Park in Glasgow, which did not host its first match for another 27 years. The Racecourse remained the only ground to host a Wales home international match until 1890, including the first meetings between Wales and England (1880) and Ireland (1882). Wales' meeting with Ireland led to the side's first victory on home ground, with John Price scoring four times in a 7–1 victory. Wales had considerable success against the Irish side during the 1880s, winning by five or more goals on five occasions. The final victory, an 11–0 win at the Racecourse, remains Wales' record victory in international competition. During the formative years of international football, Wales' matches were played only against the other Home Nations in the British Home Championship, with matches alternating between home and away venues each year.
  Matches against England and Scotland were held at the Racecourse in Wrexham as they tended to attract large crowds, while fixtures against the traditionally lesser-known Irish team were hosted by alternative venues. In 1890, Wales hosted Ireland at the Old Racecourse in the English border town of Shrewsbury. The Football Association of Wales (FAW), the country's governing body for the sport, believed that holding the match at the Old Racecourse would attract a larger crowd. Although the match drew a significant number of fans, its attendance of 5,000 was only equal to that at previous fixtures at the Racecourse Ground. Matches returned to Wrexham until 1892, when Wales' opening fixture of the 1891–92 British Home Championship against Ireland was moved to Penrhyn Park in Bangor; the FAW had been petitioned by the committee of the town's football club, Bangor, to host a match. The venue, provided by George Douglas-Pennant, 2nd Baron Penrhyn (who was present at the match), was on the grounds of Penrhyn Estate. Inexperienced security personnel were unable to manage a crush which developed in the waiting crowd, resulting in at least one serious injury when a boy suffered broken ribs. The crush forced stewards to open the gates to the ground and allow most of the spectators in without paying, losing the FAW significant gate revenue. The North Wales Express called the decision to admit all 5,000–6,000 spectators through a single small gate "sheer stupidity".
  The FAW decided to play the first Wales international in the south of the country, traditionally a rugby union stronghold, in 1894. St. Helen's in Swansea, the home ground of the Wales rugby union team, was chosen as the venue, and the decision was viewed by some as a direct move against a competing sport; one English newspaper described it as "carrying the war into the enemy camp with a vengeance." On the day of the match, the Western Mail published a diagram of a football pitch and a list of differences between association football and rugby union for those unfamiliar with the former. Wales defeated Ireland 4–1 in front of over 10,000 spectators, generating a £147 profit for the FAW. Buoyed by the income, the FAW arranged a second match in South Wales for England's 1896 visit, the first time a team other than Ireland had been hosted away from the Racecourse. Encouraged by a rugby union crowd of 20,000 at Cardiff Arms Park earlier in the year, the FAW selected the ground in the hope of attracting a similar number. However, the match was a letdown on and off the pitch. Despite organising free train travel for supporters in 
caption: The Racecourse Ground has hosted more Wales international matches than any other stadium.
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