Ospreys supporters who bought a place on the terrace at St Helen’s will be standing in the open air when the ground opens next month.
The club has confirmed the roof over the terrace will not be part of the first phase of the rebuild. A covered terrace is now an “ambition” for a future phase, and no date has been given.
The first two games at the new ground are against the Dragons on Saturday 24 October and Cardiff a week later. That means late autumn, on the seafront, with no roof.
Any season member with a terrace place can move to the Family Stand for the coming season. The club says its ticket office will make the switch simple, and members should email ticketing@ospreysrugby.com.
What the Ospreys say about the St Helen’s terrace roof
The club says the timescale for Phase 1 forced it to put the work needed to get the stadium open first, and to move some elements into later phases.
“A terrace roof has to withstand everything the weather can throw at it, and we will not compromise on getting the design and safety standards right,” it said.
It acknowledged the disappointment. “We know some supporters were looking forward to a covered terrace from day one, and we wanted to be clear about this ahead of the move.”
“A covered terrace remains part of our longer-term plan for St Helen’s, and we will continue working with our partners to deliver it in future phases.”
What supporters were told in July
The plans looked different in the summer. Swansea Council is paying for most of the rebuild, and its leader Rob Stewart put the detail on the record in a written answer to councillors.
When he set out the full plans for the £7.6m rebuild in July, that answer said the new artificial pitch would be moved closer to a newly covered terrace, to improve the atmosphere.
By last week, when the council named 24 October as the opening date, the same terrace was being described as refurbished.
The club’s statement does not say when the roof will follow, or what it will cost. “Phase 1 is the start of St Helen’s development, not the finished product,” it said.
What will be ready for the Dragons on 24 October
The club says the terrace “will remain an important part of the matchday experience, putting supporters close to the action and creating the atmosphere we want at our new home”.
The artificial pitch has been laid and floodlights stand in each corner. The wider plan moves the existing stand to the Mumbles end, builds a new stand on the seafront side and puts a fan zone at the Guildhall end, for a finished capacity of just under 7,000.
The statement does not set out which of those will be complete for the opening game. The club says it is also working on entertainment and activities before, during and after matches.
The council is putting £7.6m into the ground. The Ospreys are investing £2.6m of their own and taking a 50-year lease.
The stakes go beyond comfort. The Welsh Rugby Union is cutting Wales from four professional teams to three, and the Ospreys and the Scarlets are contesting a single west Wales licence in a process that begins in December.
The club says more detail on the matchday experience will follow closer to the first fixture.
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