Ospreys choose St Helen's as new stadium home

Ospreys person announced their caller stadium will beryllium based astatine St Helen’s successful Swansea, pinch nan Welsh region hoping to move successful clip for nan commencement of nan 2025-26 season.

Ospreys opportunity nan move will impact a "multi-million lb investment" successful St Helen's, which will see nan installation of a 4G transportation and caller stands.

The rugby broadside person opted for nan Swansea venue alternatively than Bridgend's Brewery Field, which had besides been successful nan moving aft they opted to time off their long-time Swansea.com Stadium home.

Ospreys said successful a connection they consciousness "privileged to person nan opportunity to make our location astatine nan crushed wherever Wales played their first ever world rugby lucifer successful 1882".

"The move to St Helen’s not only keeps america adjacent to nan mostly of our protagonist and sponsor bases, but besides allows america to activity pinch nan City and County of Swansea Council to inject caller life into nan celebrated St Helen’s Sports Ground," nan connection added.

"Our multi-million lb finance successful nan tract will spot nan installation of a caller 4G pitch, caller stands, a refurbishment of nan nine house, and nan preamble of a caller instrumentality area area.

"The purpose is to supply supporters pinch an unrivalled lucifer time acquisition and create caller opportunities for non-match time events and revenue."

Ospreys person mostly ground-shared pinch shot broadside Swansea City astatine nan 21,000-capacity Swansea.com Stadium since 2005, pinch nan squad having formed successful 2003 arsenic nan Neath-Swansea Ospreys.

But Ospreys main executive Lance Bradley announced successful January nan region would beryllium leaving for a smaller venue.

Ospreys hosted 2 matches astatine nan Brewery Field during nan 2023-24 run - a United Rugby Championship (URC) triumph against Cardiff connected New Year's Day and nan Challenge Cup triumph complete Sale successful April.

They thanked Bridgend Ravens RFC and Bridgend County Borough Council for "their outstanding support" during what they called an "extensive search" for a caller home.

But Ospreys main executive Lance Bradley is excited by nan imaginable of a caller era for nan squad successful Swansea.

“Moving to a crushed we tin telephone our ain location will beryllium transformational for everyone progressive pinch nan nine – including players, staff, supporters and sponsors," he said.

“Our finance demonstrates our assurance not only successful nan plans we person some connected and disconnected nan pitch, but besides our assurance successful nan early of Welsh rugby and nan plans being developed by nan Welsh Rugby Union.”

The existent capacity astatine St Helen's is listed arsenic 4,500, but a redevelopment of nan historical crushed could good spot that number increase.

The grounds crowd astatine nan venue topped 30,000 for a rugby convention world betwixt Wales and England successful 1945, albeit successful a very different stadium.

St Helen's is owned by Swansea Council. Council leader Rob Stewart hailed Ospreys' determination to group up a caller location successful Swansea arsenic "really awesome news for nan city".

"Swansea is simply a awesome location for elite sport, pinch Swansea University a leader successful nan section of sports science," Stewart said.

"We person important ambitions for a sports subject parkland successful Swansea and nan Ospreys’ purpose to perpetrate their semipermanent early to Swansea aligns pinch this. We'll activity difficult pinch them and others to research their imagination complete nan coming weeks and months.

"There remains much activity to do but we now person clarity to move guardant pinch discussions."

Swansea RFC and Swansea University will proceed to play astatine St Helen’s, pinch Ospreys saying their "ambition" is for nan crushed to big an accrued number of organization matches.

Swansea Cricket Club person besides been portion of discussions complete nan Ospreys' move.

Ospreys opportunity an announcement astir wherever Swansea CC will play successful nan early will travel successful owed course.

In May, Stewart said immoderate scheme would accommodate nan relocation of Swansea CC, who person played astatine nan venue since 1875, though Glamorgan person not played a fixture location since 2019.

The presence of Ospreys could awesome nan extremity of cricket's 150-year relation pinch nan crushed overlooking Swansea Bay.

In 2021, Glamorgan main executive Hugh Morris warned that nan surface, outfield and accommodation would not meet required first-class cricket standards that were introduced successful 2023.

In 1968, Sir Garfield Sobers famously deed six sixes successful an over - which has since been described arsenic nan astir celebrated successful cricket history - while playing for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan astatine St Helen's.