Council and Ospreys confirm talks about possible relocation to Bridgend County Borough
Poster information
Posted on: Thursday 23 May 2024
Bridgend County Borough Council can confirm that talks are ongoing with the Ospreys about the team potentially relocating to the Dunraven Brewery Field from the 2025/26 season onwards.
Earlier this year, the Ospreys announced plans to relocate to a new stadium and their search has now been narrowed down to the Dunraven Brewery Field in Bridgend and St Helens in Swansea.
The move would represent a boost to the local economy by offering many mutual benefits to both the Ospreys and the county borough as a whole.
Bridgend County Borough has been part of the Ospreys region since 2004 and has played host to the team on a number of occasions, including this season’s derby clash against Cardiff Rugby and the memorable European Challenge Cup win over Sale Sharks.
We are fully supportive of the Ospreys’ plans to potentially relocate to Bridgend County Borough and we are looking forward to further talks as we continue to discuss the many mutual benefits of any such move, including the massive economic boost that it would bring to the entire area.
The Dunraven Brewery Field would offer the Ospreys a unique opportunity to base themselves in the heart of a town centre, with Bridgend being perfectly placed on the M4 corridor and having lots of public transport options with nearby train and bus stations.
The Ospreys already have lots of strong community links throughout the county borough and it’s fantastic that many of their current players are from Bridgend and started their rugby journeys by playing for our local teams.
Cllr Neelo Farr, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Development and Housing
Ospreys CEO, Lance Bradley said: “I am happy to share that we have narrowed down our decision to two fantastic grounds, each offering unique opportunities and we are confident that either choice would be more than suitable as the Ospreys new home.
“It’s been a pleasure working with both the City and County of Swansea Council and Bridgend County Borough Council to get to this point. Both councils have really come to the party and been more than accommodating in our requests, and open to work together to ensure our new stadium is not just a suitable top-flight rugby stadium but offers further opportunities to enrich the local community.
“I look to being able to share our preferred option in the coming weeks and working in partnership with the relevant Council to ensure our new home becomes the hub of the community.”
The Ospreys will remain at the Swansea.com Stadium for the 24/25 season, using this time for initial redevelopments to ensure the selected stadium is fit for purpose for the following 25/26 season.
Further updates will follow in due course.