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Blues rule out Arms Park return
ESPNscrum Staff
January 11, 2012
Cardiff Blues' Sam Warburton stretches the Edinburgh defence, Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh, Heineken Cup, Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales, December 9, 2011
The Blues have been playing in front of falling attendances in recent times © PA Photos
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Teams: Cardiff Blues | Wales

Cardiff Blues CEO Richard Holland has rubbished reports the region are looking to return to the Cardiff Arms Park.

The Blues left the Arms Park in May 2009 to journey to the Cardiff City Stadium but have suffered falling attendances in recent times. Blues joint coach Gareth Baber had previously alluded to a potential return to their spiritual home, but Holland is adamant they will persevere at their current ground.

"My brief is to make it work at the Cardiff City Stadium, full stop," Holland said. "It's very accessible. We go to great lengths or have gone to great lengths to try and make it easier by providing free shuttles to and from Cardiff.

"The football gets big crowds and people turn up and that's what I want to happen at the rugby as well. I want to re-engage those critics that are not too keen on the Cardiff City Stadium and… I also want to look at how we can open ourselves up to a new market as well.

"It's a fantastic product. The stadium's absolutely brilliant… and the team need people to come and support them. It's a chicken and egg scenario, really, isn't it? Whilst people aren't coming, it's people that create the atmosphere.

"So perhaps they need to take a look at themselves and come down and create the atmosphere. There's a large population in our region and we need to engage them all and that goes through the community and it goes right the way out to the four corners of our region.

"And I'll be ensuring that we do that and hopefully that will bear fruit."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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