These are the Welsh stadiums ranked best to worst for food

New research has revealed the Welsh stadiums with the best and worst food.

The study by SeatPick ranked 20 stadiums in Wales based on an analysis of Google reviews mentioning food.

Researchers used an AI model to gauge whether the review sentiment was positive, negative, or neutral, and ranked each stadium according to the highest percentage of positive food reviews.

– Pontypool Park tops the list of Welsh stadiums for food quality, with 73.7% of food-related reviews being positive.

– Rugby stadiums dominate the top rankings, securing four out of the five top positions for best stadium food in Wales.

– Cwmbran Stadium and Principality Stadium rank at the bottom for food quality, with less than 26% positive reviews.

Pontypool Park, home to Pontypool RFC, secured the top spot with nearly three-quarters of all food mentions in reviews being positive. The 8,800-capacity rugby stadium received just 19 food-related reviews, but 14 of these were positive.

Cardiff Arms Park took the second position with 58.3% positive food reviews. The 12,500-capacity stadium, home to Cardiff RFC, received 24 food-related reviews, with 14 being positive.

Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli ranked third on the list with 55.3% of food reviews being positive. The 14,870-capacity stadium, which hosts the Scarlets rugby team, saw 47 food-related reviews, with 26 expressing satisfaction.

Sophia Gardens, the Cardiff-based cricket ground with a capacity of 15,643, came in fourth place with 54.8% positive food reviews. The home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club received 42 food-related reviews, with 23 expressing satisfaction.

Rodney Parade in Newport rounded out the top five with 52.1% of food reviews being positive. The 11,676-capacity venue, which hosts both rugby and football, received 48 food-related reviews, with 25 being positive. The ground serves as home to Newport RFC and Newport County FC.

Cwmbran Stadium received the lowest ratings for food quality. The 10,500-capacity athletics and football venue had just 24.1% positive food reviews.

The Principality Stadium in Cardiff, despite being the national stadium of Wales with a capacity of 73,931, ranked second-worst with only 25.5% of food reviews being positive. The venue, which hosts international rugby matches and other major events, received 55 food-related reviews, with 23 being negative.

The Swansea.com Stadium came third from bottom with 42.9% positive food reviews. The 20,991-capacity home of Swansea City F.C. and the Ospreys rugby team received 56 food-related reviews, with 22 being negative. Football stadiums generally scored lower than rugby venues across the study.

Cardiff City Stadium, home to the Cardiff City FC and the Wales national football team, placed fourth from bottom with 45.9% positive food reviews. The 33,280-capacity venue received 61 food-related reviews, with 23 being negative. Notably, it had the highest percentage of reviews mentioning food (16.9%).

The Racecourse Ground in Wrexham rounded out the bottom five, with exactly 50% of positive food reviews. The 15,500-capacity stadium is home to Wrexham AFC.

Gilad Zilberman, CEO at SeatPick, commented on the findings: “What this study provides is more of an honest look at stadium food from a fan-first perspective with some surprising results. There’s a mix of larger and smaller venues on the list. The findings show that money and results don’t always translate into improved amenities at hosting stadiums. Additionally, with stadiums having a large selection of reviews mentioning food, it shows that fans are also vocal consumers who are quick to praise or criticise their experiences in the stadium on matchdays.”

Source: Google Reviews

Methodology: The study analysed reviews from Google for food-related keywords to create a ranking of Welsh stadiums based on food quality. Reviews were classified as positive or negative based on AI sentiment analysis of food-related comments. The percentage of positive food reviews was used as the primary ranking factor. Stadiums with more than 15 reviews mentioning food were used here to make the findings more conclusive.