St Helen's ground is Ospreys preferred location for home stadium
The Welsh region is set for a change of ground for the 25/26 season.
Welsh region Ospreys have announced St Helen's Sports Ground is the club's preferred location for its new stadium from 2025 onwards.
The former cricket ground was one of two sites being looked at - the other Brewery Field in Bridgend.
The deal means Swansea RFC and Swansea University will continue to play at St Helens.
The club has thanked Bridgend Ravens and Bridgend County Borough Council for their outstanding support during their search.
A statement says: "The move to St Helen’s not only keeps us close to the majority of our supporter and sponsor bases, but also allows us to work with the City and County of Swansea Council to inject new life into the famous St Helen’s Sports Ground.
"We feel privileged to have the opportunity to make our home at the ground where Wales played their first ever international rugby match in 1882.
Our multi-million pound investment in the site will see the installation of a new 4G pitch, new stands, a refurbishment of the club house, and the introduction of a new fan zone area. The aim is to provide supporters with an unrivalled match day experience and develop new opportunities for non-match day events and revenue."
It also says that Swansea Cricket Club have been fully engaged in discussions about the redevelopment of the site.
An announcement about where they will play their games in the future will be made in due course.
Lance Bradley, CEO of Ospreys, said: “Moving to a ground we can call our own home will be transformational for everyone involved with the club – including players, staff, supporters and sponsors.
“Our investment demonstrates our confidence not only in the plans we have both on and off the pitch, but also our confidence in the future of Welsh rugby and the plans being developed by the Welsh Rugby Union.”
St Helen’s Sports Ground is owned by Swansea Council, who have ambitious plans to develop the whole area into an elite sports park.
Rob Stewart, leader of the council, was pleased with Ospreys’ decision to select Swansea as their preferred future home. He said: “We're delighted with the Ospreys announcement that they'd like to return to St Helen's; it's something many Ospreys fans will be very excited about.
"We’ve worked closely with Lance and his team throughout their search for a preferred new home, and this is really great news for the city. Swansea is a fantastic location for elite sport, with Swansea University a leader in the field of sports science.
"We have significant ambitions for a sports science park in Swansea and the Ospreys’ aim to commit their long-term future to Swansea aligns with this; we'll work hard with them and others to explore their vision over the coming weeks and months.
"There remains more work to do but we now have clarity to move forward with discussions."