The Ospreys announced in May that it had narrowed its options for a new stadium down to St Helen’s and the Dunraven Brewery Field in Bridgend as the club planned a move from its shared stadium with Swansea City football club.
The Ospreys have said that they wanted to place on record their thanks to both Bridgend Ravens and Bridgend County Borough Council for their support during the club’s search for a new home.
The decision was ultimately made to move to St Helen’s in Swansea however.
The club have said that move to St Helen’s not only keeps it close to the majority of its supporter and sponsor bases, but also allows them to work with the City and County of Swansea Council to inject new life into the famous St Helen’s Sports Ground, where Wales played their first ever international rugby match in 1882.
Ospreys have said the multi-million pound investment in the site will see the installation of a new 4G pitch, new stands, a refurbishment of the club house, and the introduction of a new fan zone area. The aim is to provide supporters with an unrivalled match day experience and develop new opportunities for non-match day events and revenue.
Swansea RFC and Swansea University will continue to play at St Helen’s, with Ospreys saying it’s their ambition for the ground to host an increased number of community games.
Ospreys say Swansea Cricket Club have been engaged in discussions about the redevelopment of the site, with an announcement about where they will play their games in the future will be made to be announced soon.
(Images: Ospreys)
Lance Bradley, CEO of Ospreys, said: “Moving to a ground we can call our own home will be transformational for everyone involved with the club – including players, staff, supporters and sponsors.
“Our investment demonstrates our confidence not only in the plans we have both on and off the pitch, but also our confidence in the future of Welsh rugby and the plans being developed by the Welsh Rugby Union.”
St Helen’s Sports Ground is owned by Swansea Council, who have ambitious plans to develop the whole area into an elite sports park.
Rob Stewart, leader of the council, was pleased with Ospreys’ decision to select Swansea as their preferred future home. He said: “We’re delighted with the Ospreys announcement that they’d like to return to St Helen’s; it’s something many Ospreys fans will be very excited about.
“We’ve worked closely with Lance and his team throughout their search for a preferred new home, and this is really great news for the city. Swansea is a fantastic location for elite sport, with Swansea University a leader in the field of sports science.
“We have significant ambitions for a sports science park in Swansea and the Ospreys’ aim to commit their long-term future to Swansea aligns with this; we’ll work hard with them and others to explore their vision over the coming weeks and months.
“There remains more work to do but we now have clarity to move forward with discussions.”
Ospreys say they will continue to play home games at the Swansea.com Stadium for the 24/25 season, and are grateful for the support and understanding they continue to receive from the management and staff of Swansea City.
(Lead image: Ospreys Rugby)
