Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley has spoken out
Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley says he is confident in the club’s future after the Welsh Rugby Union announced it would no longer fund four regions equally.
Both Cardiff and the Dragons will be on the new Professional Rugby Agreement next season which will see increased and fixed funding for the next three years, along with significant debt relief.
On the flip side both the Ospreys and the Scarlets refused to sign after raising concerns about the WRU’s takeover of Cardiff.
This means both clubs will remain on the old PRA with less funding, while they could also face significant clawbacks by the WRU. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
But the Ospreys have decided to proceed with their move to St Helen’s and have officially submitted a planning application to redevelop the famous old ground.
“I’m slightly limited about what I can say in that respect but we are still talking to the WRU about that situation,” Bradley told BBC Radio Wales.
“If we weren’t confident of a positive outcome that would obviously make things a lot more difficult.
“The fact that we are still proceeding full steam ahead with the development and with the plans for St Helen’s does indicate a level of confidence, yes.
“In terms of the actual PRA contract there really isn’t anything to discuss.
“The issue arose around Cardiff going into administration and now being owned by the WRU.
“That’s the conversation.”
The WRU have taken the PRA 25 off the table for both the Ospreys and Scarlets and have activated the two-year notice clause on the current contract. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
As a result the WRU are seriously considering reducing to three if not two professional clubs, with United Rugby Championship CEO Martin Anayi confirming the league will back Welsh rugby whatever decision it comes to.
But Bradley remains confident the Ospreys have a bright future.
“I saw Martin Anayi’s comments and that’s what you would expect,” Bradley added.
“The WRU are a shareholder of URC so you would expect them to be talking to each other and to be supportive but I don’t think you should necessarily read into that we will definitely be going to three regions.
“As I say, the conversations are still ongoing.
“I am confident of a positive outcomes.
“We are working very closely with Scarlets and I completely understand the nervousness and the unsettling nature of where we all are at the moment.
“We try to keep fans as updated as possible and as soon as we are able to do that then we will in this situation.
“I hope that we are moving closer to a resolution.
“We are not there at the moment but I’m hoping we will be reasonably shortly.”
The Ospreys confirmed the signing of Wales and British & Irish Lions backrower Ross Moriarty from Brive yesterday and have already signed Queensland Reds captain Ryan Smith.
But Bradley did admit planning for the future is difficult given the uncertainty surrounding Welsh rugby but is confident the Ospreys will be playing at St Helen’s by December of this year. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
“Admittedly that makes planning more difficult and it’s a bit frustrating because we think this could have all been avoided,” he said.
“It is a bit frustrating but life isn’t always a smooth road and there’s sometimes road bumps in it and this is one of those road bumps.
“We are managing our way through that.”
