Swansea Council say they 'were told Ospreys wouldn't exist'

Swansea Council says it has been told that regional rugby in Swansea will not exist beyond the end of next season if a takeover of Cardiff by Ospreys' owners Y11 Sport & Media is successful.

In a statement after a meeting with Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Ospreys officials, the council said it had issued a pre-action legal letter to the WRU and Y11, warning of legal action if the restructure of Welsh professional rugby was not paused.

The WRU wants to reduce the number of men's professional teams in Wales from four to three, which could be achieved by eliminating Ospreys as a top-tier side through a takeover process of Cardiff by Ospreys' owners Y11 Sport & Media.

The WRU said the Swansea Council statement was inaccurate, but confirmed it had received the pre-action legal letter.

Ospreys say "no decisions have been made regarding Ospreys' future after the 2026-27 season, and no statements have been made by Lance Bradley or anyone else associated with Ospreys which contradict that."

Y11 have also been asked to comment.

Council's 'deep frustration'

Swansea Council had said it would publish the minutes of the meeting, which took place on 22 January, but in its statement claimed they had not done so because the WRU, Y11, and Ospreys objected to it.

The meeting included officials from Swansea Council, the WRU chief executive Abi Tierney, and Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley.

In a statement, the council listed a number of what it called "key facts" that it claims were said at the meeting.

The statement includes that the Ospreys chief executive Lance Bradley confirmed that there would not be a professional Ospreys team playing regional rugby after 2027 if the takeover of Cardiff by Y11 went through.

It is claimed that Mr Bradley also said a merger with Swansea RFC could follow, which would see a merged team competing in the semi professional Super Rygbi Cymru instead of the United Rugby Championship (URC).

The council statement said: "Council representatives left the meeting with a clear understanding that the basis of the WRU's and Y11's proposals for the future, if the acquisition of Cardiff Rugby by Y11 is completed, was that the Ospreys would not continue as a professional regional team after 2026-27."

"The council expressed deep frustration that, despite extensive and recent discussions about the redevelopment of St Helen's, it had not been informed earlier of these proposals. This lack of transparency and engagement is wholly unacceptable."

The council claim that the WRU's restructuring proposals would breach UK competition law and has issued pre-action letters to the WRU and Y11 requesting that they pause their plans.

The WRU has proposed cutting one of its four men's professional sides - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - to three.

The WRU has stated there will be one licence in Cardiff, one in the west and one in the east, with Llanelli-based Scarlets, and Dragons in Newport, expected to be handed those.

Ospreys will continue playing in the URC and Europe next season, but their future beyond the end of the 2026-27 campaign looks even more in doubt.

There has been ongoing uncertainty around what will happen with the £5m development St Helen's ground in Swansea, that was set to be the Ospreys' new home from the start of next season.

Swansea Council, which is funding the project, said its legal action would be aimed at safeguarding the future of regional rugby in the city.

In its pre-action legal letter, Swansea Council said the decision to cut the number of regions was "a restriction of competition and has not been carried out in a fair, transparent or non-discriminatory way."

It also said that the WRU's ownership of Cardiff created a "clear conflict of interest."

The council has asked for a response to its pre-action letter by 13 February.

What the WRU and Ospreys say

The WRU said: "We can confirm that we have received a pre-action letter from Swansea Council, alongside a public statement which is inaccurate in reference to a recent meeting we attended.

"As you will understand we will be taking our own advice and so cannot comment on this at this time.

"This WRU board has worked in good faith since it took office some two years ago to create a new way forward for Welsh rugby given the significant financial and performance issues we are all facing.

"We appreciate that these are difficult issues for everyone concerned, but we have conducted ourselves with future long term success in mind."

Ospreys sat they noted the statement from Swansea Council regarding discussions on the future of regional rugby in Wales.

The Ospreys statement said: "As has been stated previously, Ospreys continues to operate as a professional club and is focused on supporting its players, staff, and supporters while competing in the URC under existing agreements.

"No decisions have been made regarding Ospreys' future after the 2026-27 season, and no statements have been made by Lance Bradley or anyone else associated with Ospreys which contradict that.

"Given the sensitivity of these matters, and the fact that they involve multiple parties and ongoing discussions, it would be inappropriate for Ospreys Rugby to comment on interpretations of meetings, unfinalised proposals, or legal correspondence.

"Ospreys Rugby remains committed to constructive engagement with all stakeholders and will communicate directly and transparently when there is confirmed information to share."

A public meeting will also be held on Wednesday evening, 4 February, hosted by Swansea Council, which is expected to include former Ospreys players and fans.