TOWN fans will be seeing their club in action at the Millennium Stadium for the first time on Monday.

Here are some fascinating facts about the arena:

* The stadium is built on the site of the famous rugby union ground Cardiff Arms Park.

* The original Cardiff Arms Park was developed on what had been a stretch of the River Taff when, in 1803, the Marquis of Bute handed over what was described as "a swampy meadow" for recreation.

* In 1848 the first sporting event staged on the ground was a cricket match organised by the Cardiff Cricket Club. It wasn't until 1874 that the first organised rugby match was played.

* In 1881, the year in which the Welsh Rugby Union was formed, the Arms Park had its first stand built. It contained 300 seats and cost £50.

* Since the demolition men moved in on April 27, 1997 - the day after the Swalec Cup final between Cardiff and Swansea - only the shell of the old Arms Park North Stand remains.

* Whereas the old Cardiff Arms Park held 52,000 - 11,000 of whom had to stand - the Millennium Stadium seats 73,343.

* Even at its largest, the old Arms Park was never able to hold more than 60,000, although it was rumoured that on March 14, 1936, nearly 70,000 people barged in to watch Wales pip Ireland 3-0.

* What has risen out of the ashes is the world's largest stadium with a retractable roof.

* The Millennium masts are the highest points in the Cardiff skyline as they tower 93m.

* The Millennium Commission provided a grant of £46m from the National Lottery to help cover the original design and build, and a fixed-price contract of £99m was agreed with John Laing Construction.

* The weight of the roof is carried by more than 4,700 wires of 15mm diameter which have a total length of 150 miles.

* Barclay's Bank have underwritten a loan of £60m to the Welsh Rugby Union to help pay for the stadium. More than £30m has been recouped by the sale of debenture seats, club seats and hospitality.

* The retractable roof weighs in at a staggering 8,000 tonnes. The sliding mechanism for smooth opening and closing is some 200m long and 15m high.

* There are 10 roof trusses, five on each side, each weighing 560 tonnes. Opening of the roof takes 20 minutes, costing no more than £4 in electricity.

* Around 40,000 tonnes of concrete, 12,000 tonnes of structural steel, 38,000 sqm of roof cladding, 24,000 sqm of wall cladding and 34,000 sqm of blockwork were used in the construction.

* The stadium has 126 hospitality boxes, 380 wheelchair spaces and 112 turnstiles.

* There are 17 public bars, many of which are fitted with the so-called `Joy' machines which serve 12 pints in 20 seconds. They are needed to cater with a demand that means a full house drink more in a day than many pubs sell in a year.

* The first event held in the stadium was on June 26, 1999, when 29,000 people watched the Welsh rugby team beat the then reigning world champions South Africa for the first time in their history.

* By October 1, 1999, the stadium was fully operational for the opening match of Rugby World Cup, when 72,500 watched Wales go head to head with Argentina. The final had the first £5m gate in the history of UK sport.

* The Millennium was rung-in in Wales at the stadium when more than 50,000 revellers attended the first concert at the venue by the country's leading band, the Manic Street Preachers.