Latest news with #LanceBradley
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Swansea set to have stunning new beachside stadium built with club to leave 21,088-seater current home
The 8,000-seat venue will be built in two phases BEACH LIFE Swansea set to have stunning new beachside stadium built with club to leave 21,088-seater current home Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) OSPREYS have unveiled plans for an ambitious makeover of St Helen's stadium. The Swansea-based rugby union side are moving to the beachside venue for next season. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Ospreys are preparing to move to a new home later this year Credit: Reuters 3 Plans have been submitted for a makeover of St Helen's on the city beachfront Credit: Osprey Rugby 3 The rugby and cricket venue is located just off the sand Credit: Alamy Ospreys have been sharing with Championship side Swansea City at the 21,088-seater Liberty Stadium. But they are making the switch to St Helen's midway through the 2025/26 campaign. The venue - which hosts both rugby and cricket - is located just metres from the beach in the Welsh city. And the club are planning an ambitious makeover to create an 8,000-seater hub for elite rugby in the region. READ MORE ON SPORT AZT TO CHANGE World Cup stadium looks unrecognisable with cranes on pitch & seats ripped up Phase one of the work will see a 4G pitch installed with a cover built over the existing terrace. Three new stands will then be built, as well as a new fan zone. Following completion of the ground, state-of-the-art training facilities will follow later. Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley said: "This is a vital step toward bringing our long-term vision to life. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "It reflects our belief not only in the transformation of St Helen's, but in the strength of our future, rooted in Swansea and powered by our supporters. "This is about more than new stands or improved facilities. Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit' "It's a statement of intent about who we are, where we belong, and where we're going. "Our goal is a world-class home for elite rugby, community sport and shared experiences that inspire pride across the region." The plans come despite Ospreys being in dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union over funding. Bradley added: "We are still talking with the WRU about the situation and if we were not confident of a positive outcome that would make things a lot more difficult. "The fact we are proceeding full steam ahead with the development does shows a level of confidence." Swansea Cricket Club share the St Helen's site and will remain playing at the venue for the 2025 season. As a result, Ospreys will likely not play at the site until at least December.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Swansea set to have stunning new beachside stadium built with club to leave 21,088-seater current home
OSPREYS have unveiled plans for an ambitious makeover of St Helen's stadium. The Swansea-based rugby union side are moving to the beachside venue for next season. Advertisement 3 Ospreys are preparing to move to a new home later this year Credit: Reuters 3 Plans have been submitted for a makeover of St Helen's on the city beachfront Credit: Osprey Rugby 3 The rugby and cricket venue is located just off the sand Credit: Alamy Ospreys have been sharing with Championship side But they are making the switch to St Helen's midway through the 2025/26 campaign. The venue - which hosts both rugby and cricket - is located just metres from the beach in the Welsh city. And the club are planning an ambitious makeover to create an 8,000-seater hub for elite rugby in the region. Advertisement READ MORE ON SPORT Phase one of the work will see a 4G pitch installed with a cover built over the existing terrace. Three new stands will then be built, as well as a new fan zone. Following completion of the ground, state-of-the-art training facilities will follow later. Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley said: "This is a vital step toward bringing our long-term vision to life. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "It reflects our belief not only in the transformation of St Helen's, but in the strength of our future, rooted in Swansea and powered by our supporters. "This is about more than new stands or improved facilities. Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit' "It's a statement of intent about who we are, where we belong, and where we're going. Advertisement "Our goal is a world-class home for elite rugby, community sport and shared experiences that inspire pride across the region." The plans come despite Ospreys being in dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union over funding. Bradley added: "We are still talking with the WRU about the situation and if we were not confident of a positive outcome that would make things a lot more difficult. "The fact we are proceeding full steam ahead with the development does shows a level of confidence." Advertisement Swansea Cricket Club share the St Helen's site and will remain playing at the venue for the 2025 season. As a result, Ospreys will likely not play at the site until at least December.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Swansea set to have stunning new beachside stadium built with club to leave 21,088-seater current home
OSPREYS have unveiled plans for an ambitious makeover of St Helen's stadium. The Swansea-based rugby union side are moving to the beachside venue for next season. 3 3 3 Ospreys have been sharing with Championship side Swansea City at the 21,088-seater Liberty Stadium. But they are making the switch to St Helen's midway through the 2025/26 campaign. The venue - which hosts both rugby and cricket - is located just metres from the beach in the Welsh city. And the club are planning an ambitious makeover to create an 8,000-seater hub for elite rugby in the region. Phase one of the work will see a 4G pitch installed with a cover built over the existing terrace. Three new stands will then be built, as well as a new fan zone. Following completion of the ground, state-of-the-art training facilities will follow later. Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley said: "This is a vital step toward bringing our long-term vision to life. "It reflects our belief not only in the transformation of St Helen's, but in the strength of our future, rooted in Swansea and powered by our supporters. "This is about more than new stands or improved facilities. Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit' "It's a statement of intent about who we are, where we belong, and where we're going. "Our goal is a world-class home for elite rugby, community sport and shared experiences that inspire pride across the region." The plans come despite Ospreys being in dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union over funding. Bradley added: "We are still talking with the WRU about the situation and if we were not confident of a positive outcome that would make things a lot more difficult. "The fact we are proceeding full steam ahead with the development does shows a level of confidence." Swansea Cricket Club share the St Helen's site and will remain playing at the venue for the 2025 season. As a result, Ospreys will likely not play at the site until at least December.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ospreys pressing on with plans despite WRU dispute
Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley says pressing ahead with plans to move to a new ground shows they are confident of a positive outcome in their dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The Welsh region announced in 2024 they would be moving from Stadium to the smaller St Helen's venue for the 2025-26 season. Ospreys have made the official planning application submission for the redevelopment of St Helen's to Swansea Council which they say is a "significant milestone". The move comes at a time when Ospreys and Scarlets are involved in a dispute with the WRU about future funding. "We are still talking with the WRU about the situation and if we were not confident of a positive outcome that would make things a lot more difficult," said Bradley. "The fact we are proceeding full steam ahead with the development does shows a level of confidence." Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Bradley went on: "It [not having a deal] makes planning more difficult and frustrating because we think this could have been avoided. "Life isn't always a smooth road and there are sometimes road bumps. "This is one of those and we are managing our way through that." Ospreys sign Wales back row Moriarty from Brive URC to support WRU decision on number of regions - Anayi Ospreys apply for St Helen's stadium planning permission Ospreys and Scarlets are at loggerheads with the WRU after the two professional sides did not sign the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) by the deadline of 8 May. The WRU has since announced it will move away from a model of four evenly funded professional sides which will result in a new tiered funding system. It is a move Ospreys and Scarlets described as a U-turn that has "created more destabilising and debilitating uncertainty in our game". The agreement has been signed by Dragons and also by Cardiff, who were last month taken over by the WRU after they temporarily went into administration. The WRU insisted the new PRA offered a better deal for the regions but Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the governing body for assurances the takeover "will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs". "We were ready to sign a contract, we had agreed and confirmed to the WRU in April," said Bradley. "So in terms of the actual PRA contract there isn't anything to discuss. "The issue arose when Cardiff went into administration and now being owned by the WRU. "That's the conversation now. I am hoping we are getting closer to a resolution. "We are not there at the moment but hoping it will be reasonably shortly. There isn't another deadline and talks are ongoing." Reports have suggested the WRU are considering cutting a team from its professional tier, something the governing body has not publicly confirmed or denied is part of its plans. They have said they will "work closely with all four professional clubs to agree the way forward beyond June 2027, with an open mind to all constructive and realistic proposals" and they hope a long-term resolution will be decided by September. The four professional sides play in the United Rugby Championship (URC) with its chief executive Martin Anayi stating it would support the WRU in whatever decision was made. "I saw those comments and that's what you would expect," said Bradley "The WRU is a shareholder of URC and you would expect them to be talking to each other and be supportive. "I don't think you should necessarily read into that we will be definitely going into three regions and the conversations are ongoing." Bradley said the uncertainty was unsettling for everybody involved in the Welsh game. "I completely understand the nervousness and unsettling nature of where we all are at the moment," said Bradley. "We try to keep fans informed as much as possible and we will do that as soon as we can in this situation." Bradley says the dispute with the WRU has brought Ospreys closer with their local rivals. "We are working very closely with Scarlets and we have the same questions about the levels of fairness about what the WRU are doing with Cardiff," he added. "There is not a divide between us. We talk regularly about how jointly we can come to a good solution about this." Bradley also insisted the Ospreys have not contemplated a future without a deal with the WRU: "The WRU oversee rugby in Wales and our future will be a part of that. "Whatever it turns out to be, it will be as part of a discussion and agreement with the WRU."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ospreys pressing on with plans despite WRU dispute
Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley says pressing ahead with plans to move to a new ground shows they are confident of a positive outcome in their dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).The Welsh region announced in 2024 they would be moving from Stadium to the smaller St Helen's venue for the 2025-26 have made the official planning application submission for the redevelopment of St Helen's to Swansea Council which they say is a "significant milestone".The move comes at a time when Ospreys and Scarlets are involved in a dispute with the WRU about future funding."We are still talking with the WRU about the situation and if we were not confident of a positive outcome that would make things a lot more difficult," said Bradley."The fact we are proceeding full steam ahead with the development does shows a level of confidence." Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Bradley went on:"It [not having a deal] makes planning more difficult and frustrating because we think this could have been avoided."Life isn't always a smooth road and there are sometimes road bumps."This is one of those and we are managing our way through that." 'We were ready to sign PRA' Ospreys and Scarlets at loggerheads with the WRU after the two professional sides did not sign the new Professional Rugby Agreement (PRA) by the deadline of 8 WRU has since announced it will move away from a model of four evenly funded professional sides which will result in a new tiered funding is a move Ospreys and Scarlets described as a U-turn that has "created more destabilising and debilitating uncertainty in our game".The agreement has been signed by Dragons and also by Cardiff, who were last month taken over by the WRU after they temporarily went into WRU insisted the new PRA offered a better deal for the regions but Ospreys and Scarlets said they had asked the governing body for assurances the takeover "will not disproportionally benefit Cardiff and disadvantage the independent clubs"."We were ready to sign a contract, we had agreed and confirmed to the WRU in April," said Bradley."So in terms of the actual PRA contract there isn't anything to discuss."The issue arose when Cardiff went into administration and now being owned by the WRU. "That's the conversation now. I am hoping we are getting closer to a resolution. "We are not there at the moment but hoping it will be reasonably shortly. There isn't another deadline and talks are ongoing." 'Conversations ongoing about number of teams' Reports have suggested the WRU are considering cutting a team from its professional tier, something the governing body has not publicly confirmed or denied is part of its have said they will "work closely with all four professional clubs to agree the way forward beyond June 2027, with an open mind to all constructive and realistic proposals" and they hopes a long-term resolution will be decided by four professional sides play in the United Rugby Championship (URC) with its chief executive Martin Anayi stating it would support the WRU in whatever decision was made."I saw those comments and that's what you would expect," said Bradley"The WRU is a shareholder of URC and you would expect them to be talking to each other and be supportive."I don't think you should necessarily read into that we will be definitely going into three regions and the conversations are ongoing." Working with the Scarlets Bradley said the uncertainty was unsettling for everybody involved in the Welsh game."I completely understand the nervousness and unsettling nature of where we all are at the moment," said Bradley."We try to keep fans informed as much as possible and we will do that as soon as we can in this situation."Bradley says the dispute with the WRU has brought Ospreys closer with their local rivals."We are working very closely with Scarlets and we have the same questions about the levels of fairness about what the WRU are doing with Cardiff," said Bradley."There is not a divide between us. We talk regularly about how jointly we can come to a good solution about this."Bradley says Ospreys have not contemplated a future without a deal with the WRU."The WRU oversee rugby in Wales and our future will be a part of that," said Bradley."Whatever it turns out to be, it will be as part of a discussion and agreement with the WRU."
