The first rugby at the rebuilt St Helen’s will be played on Wednesday 7 October, when Gower College meet Cardiff and Vale College at 2.30pm.
Swansea University follow the same evening against Bath University. The Ospreys do not play there until Saturday 24 October.
Tickets for that game, against the Dragons, go on sale at 10am on Tuesday 22 September. The club says only an initial allocation will be released and that demand is expected to be “extremely high”.
Tickets for Swansea RFC’s fixtures go on sale the same day. Ticketing for the university games will be confirmed separately.
Why St Helen’s is opening in stages
The club says the ground will open in phases, with activity and attendance building through October.
The college, university and Swansea RFC fixtures are part of that. They allow “a series of operational milestones and remaining venue approvals to be completed” before the Ospreys’ first game.
The club singles out Swansea RFC against Cardiff RFC on Thursday 15 October, which is planned to draw the largest crowd at the ground before the Ospreys arrive.
That is also why the first ticket allocation is capped. More will follow as the milestones are met, the club says, with any extra tickets announced on its website and by email.
Swansea RFC come home in their 150th year at the ground
Swansea RFC play three Super Rygbi Cymru fixtures at St Helen’s in October: Ebbw Vale on Saturday 10 October, Cardiff RFC on Thursday 15 October, and Bridgend Ravens on Friday 30 October.
The season marks 150 years since the club first made St Helen’s its home.
Keith Colclough, Swansea RFC’s managing director, said returning “during the season that marks 150 years since Swansea RFC first made the ground its home is hugely significant for everyone associated with the club”.
Richard Lancaster, the Ospreys’ managing director for business, said the programme “isn’t simply about one Ospreys fixture”.
“Throughout October we will see schools, colleges, universities, Swansea RFC, community programmes and the Ospreys all using St Helen’s,” he said.
Kick-off times have moved
The Ospreys play the Dragons at 7pm on 24 October and Cardiff Rugby at 7.45pm on 31 October. Both were listed at 7.45pm when the URC fixtures came out in May.
Swansea Schoolboys will play Dewar Shield matches at the ground on 9 and 16 October, and will train there alongside the colleges, the university, Swansea RFC and the Ospreys.
Ospreys in the Community is running a mixed-ability match between Swansea Gladiators and Port Talbot Panthers, a girls’ rugby festival, a walking rugby festival on 25 October and a week of holiday camps.
Season members are invited to collect their membership packs on Friday 16 October, and Founders Club members on Tuesday 20 October.
The pitch, clubhouse and hospitality space will be available for community and commercial bookings. Details are to follow.
On the terrace, the club repeated this week’s announcement that the roof will not be built in this phase, and said it is working on other ways to improve the matchday experience.
October at St Helen’s: the full schedule
- Wed 7 Oct: Gower College v Cardiff and Vale College, 2.30pm
- Wed 7 Oct: Swansea University v Bath University, 6.30pm
- Fri 9 Oct: Dewar Shield, Swansea Black v Swansea White, kick-off to be confirmed
- Sat 10 Oct: Swansea RFC v Ebbw Vale, 2.30pm
- Sun 11 Oct: Swansea Gladiators v Port Talbot Panthers, closed event
- Wed 14 Oct: Gower College v Ystalyfera, 2.30pm
- Thu 15 Oct: Swansea RFC v Cardiff RFC, 7.30pm
- Fri 16 Oct: Ospreys in the Community girls’ rugby festival, closed event
- Fri 16 Oct: Dewar Shield, Swansea Black v Bridgend and Swansea White v Pembrokeshire, 6.30pm
- Fri 16 Oct: Ospreys season members’ event, from 4.30pm, closed
- Tue 20 Oct: Sporting Memories, 1.30pm to 3.30pm
- Tue 20 Oct: Founders Club event, from 3.45pm, closed
- Wed 21 Oct: Swansea University v Exeter University, 6.30pm
- Sat 24 Oct: Ospreys v Dragons, 7pm
- Sun 25 Oct: Ospreys in the Community walking rugby festival
- Mon 26 to Fri 30 Oct: Ospreys in the Community holiday camps
- Fri 30 Oct: Swansea RFC v Bridgend Ravens, 7.15pm
- Sat 31 Oct: Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby, 7.45pm
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