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The Welsh capital won the bid to host the world's biggest club rugby final, meaning it will stage the Heineken Cup final for the fourth time in 11 years. The 11th final will kick-off just over 10 years on from when Cardiff hosted the first Heineken Cup final between Toulouse and Cardiff on Sunday, 6 January, 1996.
"We had some high quality bids to host the 2006 Heineken Cup final and the partnership approach adopted by Cardiff was exactly what we were looking for as we seek to continue the growth of our main event as one of Europe's top sporting occasions," said Derek McGrath, ERC chief executive.
"ERC worked closely with the city of Cardiff to broaden the appeal of the final whenit was last at the Millennium Stadium in 2002. We were rewarded with our biggest attendance for the game between Leicester Tigers and Munster and the 74,600 crowd that day still ranks as the largest gate at the Millennium Stadium.
"Moreover, the impact of that final was felt as far and wide as Bristol and Swansea as the fans travelled from all over to watch the game. Our final this weekend in Edinburgh is set to generate £30m for the Scottish economy and we would expect to have as big an impact on the Welsh economy over the next year."
The 10th anniversary Heineken Cup final in Edinburgh on Sunday is between two-times winners Toulouse and Stade Francais Paris. It is the second time in 10 years the final has been an all-French affair.
French teams carried off the title on the first two occasions that Cardiff hosted the Heineken Cup final. Toulouse beat Cardiff in extra-time in 1996 in front of 21,800 fans and Brive beat Leicester 28-9 in 1997. By then the gate had almost doubled to 41,664.
The City and County of Cardiff Council is already planning a weekend of events to complement the occasion, much as they did with the Big Screen for the wonderful Grand Slam celebrations a few months ago, and all four Welsh regions will be hoping to reach the final for the first time.
ERC, the governing body who run the Heineken Cup, chose Cardiff having staged their prestigious finals in four other European capitals - Dublin, Paris, London and Edinburgh. Bordeaux has also hosted the final.
The 'Road to Cardiff' will kick-off on the weekend of 21/22/23 October next season as the Heineken Cup follows the same pattern as this season with three rounds of two Pool matches in October, December and January. The Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals take place in April 2006, with the Final on 20/21 May.
Tickets for 2006 Heineken Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium Now on Sale
