Rodney Parade has become world famous as the ground of Newport Rugby Club.
Formed in 1874, they originally played at the Marshes, Shaftsbury Park. In 1877 the club moved to Rodney Parade, renting the land from Lord Tredegar. It was a field surrounded by a running track and ground rent was thirteen pounds per year. 1881 saw the great cricketer W. G. Grace bring a team to play and the ground was the home base for Monmouthshire Cricket Club in the minor county championships and many fine cricketers played there. In 1897 the Welsh lawn tennis championships were staged for the first time. This followed Wimbledon fortnight and many of the great stars played at Newport.
By the early 1900s the club had a magnificent rugby field, two cricket grounds, a modern cycle track, gymnasium and covered tennis court. August 1914 saw WW1 break out and the clubs' activities virtually ceased. The ground was used for army and navy training. Recently a major change took place when the Bisley Stand, which is a new stand and hospitality centre, was built to replace the stands on Corporation Road. Rodney Parade Stadium has been in use for a hundred and thirty-five years and can be truly called world famous. Newport rugby team and the stadium are certainly known worldwide.