IT may not be Fred Keenor Street, but the name of the road which will run through the new Ninian Park will be forever associated with Cardiff City.
The former home of Cardiff City Football Club is to be named after the man credited with setting the blueprint for the modern club – former secretary and founder Bartley Wilson.
Owners Redrow Homes went back to the club’s roots to look for inspiration and have come up with Bartley Wilson Way as the name of the road which links the 142 properties on the 7.7 acre site.
The developer opened the doors of two show homes over the bank holiday weekend; displaying its plan for two, three and four-bedroomed homes on land where the Grange End, Bob Bank and Grandstand once stood.
Cardiff council confirmed it was in the process of approving the name for the new road, and the authority is unlikely to oppose it.
Vince Alm, the spokesman for Cardiff City Supporters Club, said the choice of Bartley Wilson Way, was a safe one, which would please most fans.
He said: “It’s a good name. He was one of the best-ever managers. As long as it’s associated with Cardiff, I’m not too disappointed.
“We all have different ideas about what we’d have liked to have called it.
“Fred Keenor would be a popular choice. The current supporters might pick Joe Ledley or Michael Chopra. Or in my day, it was Don Murray and John Toshack.”
Fans who expected the road name to reflect the 1927 side’s FA Cup victory were ignoring all the other previous successes of the Bluebirds , Mr Alm said. “The 1927 side wasn’t the only team that’s done well for Cardiff. It would be unfair to go for that. They (Redrow) have looked at that as the start of the football club. You are never going to keep everyone happy, but I would say it’s the least controversial choice.”
Matthew Gabb, chairman of the 1927 club, an organisation of fans who live outside the city, said the choice was reasonable. He said: “Not many people will complain about it. You don’t want to name it Ridsdale Close. It’s a shame they haven’t got more road names so that they could include players’ names, but the founder of the modern Cardiff City Football Club is OK.”
A Cardiff City spokesman said: “We are delighted that the memory of Bartley Wilson, who did so much to establish the club as a major force in the game, is being honoured on the site of our famous old ground.”
A spokeswoman for Redrow Homes (South Wales) said: “Road names within our development are a matter for the relevant local authority and Royal Mail.
“We are happy that the name being suggested for Ninian Park is in keeping with the site’s history but also welcome the South Wales Echo’s campaign to see Fred Keenor permanently commemorated in the city. We wish them every luck in this matter.”
