Ospreys fans attend highly charged meeting to fight for region’s survival
Richard Youle, local democracy reporter
Ospreys supporters spoke of their frustration and anger at the potential demise of their club as a regional rugby team at a packed Brangwyn Hall in Swansea.
Hundreds of people attended a public meeting hosted by Swansea Council leader and Swansea West MP Torsten Bell on a day when rugby battle lines were drawn deeper in Wales.
Earlier in the day the council released minutes that its representatives compiled from a recent meeting with WRU chief executive, Abi Tierney, and Ospreys chief executive, Lance Bradley, which they claimed showed the Ospreys would no longer be a professional team beyond 2026-27 if the club’s owners, a company called Y11 Sport and Media, were successful in taking over Cardiff Rugby.
According to the minutes released by the council, the Ospreys could potentially join with Swansea RFC and compete in the semi-professional Super Rygbi Cymru rather than the United Rugby Championship (URC) as they do now. Early stage legal action is under way in the form of a pre-action letter issued to the WRU, which wants to reduce the number of professional sides in Wales from four to three, and Y11.
“We were absolutely shocked to the core with what we were told in the meeting,” said Cllr Stewart. He urged the WRU to “stop the process, pause and come back with a different plan”. Addressing supporters, he said: “We have only got one chance at this.” Lose the battle and “there is no going back”.
The WRU issued a statement confirming it had received the council’s pre-action letter and describing the council’s public statement as inaccurate. “As you will understand we will be taking our own advice and so cannot comment on this at this time,” said the WRU.
Cllr Stewart said at the Brangwyn Hall meeting that he stood by the council’s statement.
The authority has committed more than £5m to redevelop St Helen’s sports ground into a rugby venue for the Ospreys on the basis of it being repaid. Cllr Stewart said “we are not going to settle for anything less” than regional rugby.
MP Mr Bell described the events unfolding as a “stitch-up” and that a stop had to be put to them. He claimed the plan was “to force the Ospreys out of business” and that it wasn’t one “any of us could accept”.
There were several calls at the meeting for rugby clubs to vote for change at the WRU at an extraordinary general meeting sought by a Welsh district, Central Glamorgan Rugby Union. Chris Morgan, speaking on behalf of the district union, said: “The WRU are the clubs – it is our union. The (WRU) board are there to govern the game on their (the clubs) behalf.”
He said the future of Welsh rugby was at stake. “If they (WRU) get this wrong our game is gone,” he said.
‘Fighting’
Grant Berni, vice-chairman of Ospreys Supporters Trust, said he felt transparency about the WRU’s intentions for the future of the regional game had been lacking in recent months and that the intentions of Y11 weren’t clear. “We feel like we are fighting every single day for our existence,” he said.
Aberafan Maesteg MP Stephen Kinnock, also speaking on behalf of Neath and Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris, said they “stood shoulder to shoulder” with Ospreys players, staff and supporters. “Supporters should never have to wonder if their team will be here next season,” said Mr Kinnock. “Professional rugby in ‘Ospreylia’ must continue. Our history demands it. Our communities deserve it.”
Swansea Council opposition leader Chris Holley said the white, black and raven of Swansea, Neath and Bridgend respectively had been given up in 2003 to form the Ospreys to “create a brand which was the best regional rugby team in Wales”.
There are those that argue that Wales just doesn’t have the talent or finances to sustain four strong regional teams. But the prospect of reducing them to three is harrowing for some people.
Protest
Non Thomas, a Hirwaun-based Ospreys supporter, said more people in Merthyr, Aberdare, and the Cynon Valley wore Ospreys jerseys than any other region. “I will fight for you from up there,” she said.
The meeting heard that the Ospreys Supporters Club was looking into arranging a large protest ahead of the club’s home match against Ulster at Bridgend’s Brewery Field on February 28.
Another supporter, Colleen Jenkins, of Clydach, said she didn’t plan to watch Wales’ home matches in the upcoming Six Nations despite having bought tickets, such was her anger. “I don’t want the money back – they can stick it,” she said.
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The Welsh business community is NOT behind the club. The teams website https://www.ospreysrugby.com/players/24 show no major sponsor. Where is Wales billionaire when we need him? Terry Matthews would never have made his fortunate without his education in Swansea University and he chairs the Swansea Bay City Region development board. He could easily sponsor the four best players 50-100k per year and not notice the difference / have an enormous billboard advertising his hotels in return for sponsorship. Some councils would do a good old fashion side deal and give Terry some land for £1 (with future development potential such as… Read more »
This is where this country fails: ‘We can’t pay for our stuff so we want someone else to pay for it!’
Terry Matthews is a Man of Gwent, so if anyone he should support the East Wales Dragons region.
How many billionaires behind Leinster, Leicester, Toulouse, Crusaders, Rochelle? You don’t need a billionaire backer to be a successful club – that feeds success to the national team. Maybe good governance is the first priority? WRU has some explaining to do for the past 15 years -and they certainly have some explaining to do for their future proportion
The comparison wit WRU is so much like Labour party is frightening. Where Labour has held Wales development back as a nation, the WRU have built regional rugby on a foundation of sand. Since the inception of regional rugby Swansea and Neath were once fierce rivals joined together to become Wales one and only true region, where the others fought tooth to nail to retain their identity effectively becoming super-clubs rather than regions. Let’s be honest with ourselves. It happened. It’s difficult accepting change I know. What’s occurring today has happened before. Like with the Ospreys the WRU alienated a… Read more »
The WRU cannot be cast as a politcal party, especially when there are two Labour MPs attending the meeting and pushing for the WRU to keep four professional teams in Wales. However, the WRU could be compared to the former retail brand shops ‘British Home Stores’ those that sit around the executive board have sat still while the rugby world moves progressively on with rebranding the sport. There should have been a plan to bring in more competion from prospective owners of brand rugby. If you look over the border to England where SKY tv has took the English leagues… Read more »
Sorry, but their actions are similar. If you can’t see it never will. And yes, there were Labour MPs, Torsten Bell, Stephen Kinnock ect.. at the Ospreys meeting. So what. And your point? Let me remind you that those so-called concerned Labour MPs in question, Torsten Bell, Stephen Kinnock and others, all agreed with Labour denying Wales HS2 consequential. Remember that fact when you defend the Labour party when any comparison is made. Players are leaving Welsh rugby due to the ongoing chaos and uncertainty caused. And the same also could be said of historical Labour rule in Wales where… Read more »
The reason why the Ospreys are being cut is the £25 million going to women’s rugby over the next 5 years. I know it isn’t PC to mention this fact but it is true. I support having a properly funded Wales women’s rugby team but let’s have an open and honest discussion. The WRU lack sufficient funds to support 4 professional male regional teams and 2 professional female regional teams, it is as simple as that. The result is 1 male team (Ospreys) is being cut.
The only way to stop this madness is for the clubs to attend the egm and vote them out. Appealing to them to change their minds won’t work. No club in Wales is safe as long as they stay in power Ospreys are just the start. They create havoc and then disappear back to England. Legal challenges will be too late. Encourage your local club to attend the egm a simple majority of those attending is enough to dismiss them and stop the process.