Swansea City Council says it has been informed that regional rugby in Swansea will cease to exist at the end of next season if Ospreys owner Y11 Sport & Media is successful in acquiring Cardiff.
In a statement following a meeting with Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Ospreys officials, the committee said it had sent a pre-action legal letter to the WRU and Y11 warning of legal action if the restructuring of professional rugby in Wales was not suspended.
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The WRU wants to reduce the number of men’s professional teams in Wales from four to three, which could be achieved by eliminating the Ospreys as a top-flight team through a takeover of Cardiff by Ospreys owner Y11 Sport & Media.
The WRU said Swansea Council’s statement was inaccurate but confirmed it had received a pre-action legal letter.
The Ospreys said “no decision has been made regarding the future of the Ospreys beyond the 2026-27 season and Lance Bradley has not made any statement” [chief executive] Or anyone else related to Osprey to the contrary. “
Y11 was also asked for comment.
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On Wednesday night, Swansea Council hosted a public meeting to discuss the future of the Ospreys, with former Ospreys players including Alun Wyn Jones, James King, Andrew Bishop and Paul James among the attendees, and hundreds of people attending.
City council ‘deeply frustrated’
Swansea City Council had said it would publish the minutes of the meeting held on January 22, but claimed in its statement that they had not done so due to objections from the WRU, Y11 and Ospreys.
The meeting was attended by officials from Swansea Council, WRU chief executive Abi Tierney and Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley.
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In a statement, the committee set out some of the “key facts” it said were said at the meeting.
The statement included confirmation from Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley that there would be no professional Ospreys teams competing in regional rugby after 2027 if Y11 were successful in acquiring Cardiff.
Mr Bradley is also said to have suggested a possible subsequent merger with Swansea RFC would see the combined team compete in the semi-professional Super Rygbi Cymru competition rather than the United Rugby Championship (URC).
A council statement said: “Council representatives left the meeting with the clear message that a basis for future proposals from the WRU and Y11 should Y11 complete the takeover of Cardiff Rugby is that the Ospreys will not continue as a professional regional team beyond 2026-27.”
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“The committee is deeply frustrated that despite recent extensive discussions on the redevelopment of St Helen’s Church, the committee was not informed of the proposals in advance. This lack of transparency and engagement is completely unacceptable.”
The committee claims the WRU’s proposed restructuring would breach UK competition law and has sent pre-action letters to the WRU and Y11 asking them to suspend the plans.
The WRU has proposed cutting one of its four men’s professional teams – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – down to three.
The WRU said it would issue one license in Cardiff, one in the west and one in the east, with Scarlets in Llanelli and Dragons in Newport expected to receive the licenses.
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Uncertainty at St. Helens
The Ospreys will continue to compete in URC and European competition next season, but their future after the 2026-27 season looks even more in doubt.
There has been uncertainty over the progress of the £5m St Helen’s Stadium development in Swansea, which is due to be the new home of the Ospreys from next season.
Swansea Council, which funded the project, said its legal action was aimed at safeguarding the future of rugby in the city area.
In its pre-action legal letter, Swansea City Council said the decision to cut the number of zones was a “restriction on competition and was not carried out in a fair, transparent or non-discriminatory manner”.
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It also said the WRU’s ownership of Cardiff created a “clear conflict of interest”.
The committee has requested a response to its pre-action letter by February 13.
Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart told BBC Wales: “After the meeting we had a clear understanding of what we had been told and we believe the public have a right to know the implications of the meeting’s conclusions.”
“We respect parts of the meeting but there are some clear themes around the fact that these decisions appear to have been made with the intention of ending regional rugby in Swansea.
“We think the Swansea public should know what these proposals are.
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“Not all parts of the minutes were agreed between Ospreys and the WRU.
“We therefore thought it would be better to issue a statement that could not be challenged on legal grounds rather than focus on the themes and conclusions that were beyond question.
“We will continue to support the Ospreys and continue to see them play regional rugby in Swansea, but this does mean a legal challenge against the WRU and Y11.”
Asked whether a legal challenge was the best use of public funds, Stewart said: “The direct economic impact for our region here is over £12 million, with 20,000 people playing rugby in Swansea every week.”
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“All of this is at risk so it’s in the public interest and as a public body we have to stand up for what is right.
“We will continue to fight on behalf of the people of Swansea.”
What does the WRU and Osprey say?
The WRU said: “We can confirm that we have received a pre-action letter from Swansea City Council, as well as a public statement relating to a recent meeting we attended.
“As you know, we will be taking our own advice and therefore cannot comment on this at this time.
“Given the significant financial and performance issues we are all facing, the WRU Board has worked in good faith since taking office almost two years ago to forge a new way forward for Welsh rugby.
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“We realize these are difficult issues for everyone involved, but we are acting with an eye on our future long-term success.”
The Ospreys said they took note of a statement from Swansea Council regarding discussions on the future of rugby in the Welsh region.
An Ospreys statement said: “As previously stated, the Ospreys continue to operate as a professional club and are focused on supporting its players, staff and supporters while participating in the URC under existing agreements.
“No decision has been made regarding the future of the Ospreys beyond the 2026-27 season, nor has Lance Bradley or anyone else associated with the Ospreys made any statement to contradict this.
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“Given the sensitive nature of these issues, and the fact that there are multiple parties and ongoing discussions, it would be inappropriate for Ospreys Rugby to comment on interpretations of meetings, unfinalized proposals or legal correspondence.
“Ospreys Rugby remains committed to engaging constructively with all stakeholders and will communicate directly and transparently when confirmed information is available to share.”
