A new home for the O's?

Now this article is purely speculative, mainly because I do not know if I have my facts right.

Yesterday Swansea football club attained promotion to the English Premier football league, however they currently ground share with the Ospreys at the liberty stadium. As I understand it the Liberty Stadium is a WRU owned stadium is it not?

However as I also understand it the English permier League have legislation in place to prevent Football clubs from ground sharing with rugby clubs due to the damage any code of rugby does to the pitch.

Based on my understandings surely Swansea FC would have to move out of the stadium or Buy it from the WRU with £90'000'000 they have just won along with their promotion.

If that happens what will happen to the Ospreys?

I apologise in advance if I have this wrong but would welcome anyone shedding light on this with facts.

Didn't Wasps share with a premiership football club once?

I think the only affect it could possibly have is with the odd fixture, but the Ospreys could always temporarily use another of their feeder clubs ground to cover that.

If that is indeed the rule then it must be a new one. Reading were in the Premiership only 3 years ago and shared (still do) with London Irish

Cari wrote:Didn't Wasps share with a premiership football club once?

They used to share with QPR, but I don't think they were top flight, and now share with Wymcombe Wanderers.

But I don't think the Ospreys will have to leave unless they want to. It happened for Reading with London Irish for three years, so unless there is some Magners league rule they should be alowed to keep sharing.

I think this came into play with Wigan who used to share with Wigan Rugby league, but the Premier Football league put a stop to it due to the status of the pitch.

This only effects Premier League football teams, I think its still ok to ground share with championship football sides.

The WRU do not own the Liberty Stadium. It is owned jointly by the Swans and Ospreys.

Not sure about the rules.

I have heard this before but as mentioned above, it looks as if it has been done.

Could they make the Ospreys move out of a stadium they part own?

They could not make them, but perhaps pay them off? I'm not sure how it would work.... hence this thread

The WRU have no stake whatsoever in the Liberty Stadium, it's owned by Swansea and they let the O's play there.

Wigan and Hull share with there respective rugby league teams so I dont see how this come into place just for Union?

Hull are not an English premiership side.

Thats where the problem lies. And if what bedford says is right, i would not be surprised to see the O's handed an Eviction notice.

Actually having just looked it up, neither the Swans or the Ospreys own the stadium.

It is owned by Swansea Council and was built on council owned land formerly the Morfa Stadium and surrounding land.

http://www.premierleague.com/staticFiles/7a/20/0,,12306~139386,00.pdf

In a nutshell

SECTION I
GROUND CRITERIA
Safety Certificate
1. Subject to Rule I.2, each Club shall hold a current safety certificate issued in accordance with
the provisions of the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.
2. If a Club has a ground-sharing agreement it shall be a term thereof that either the Club or the
other party to the agreement shall hold a current safety certificate.

Ownership of Ground and Training Facilities
3. Each Club shall either own its ground and training facilities or have a legally enforceable
agreement with its owner for its use by the Club, expiring not earlier than the end of the
current Season.

Ground Sharing
4. No Club shall have or enter into a ground-sharing agreement unless the agreement contains
a legally enforceable provision to the effect that the playing of the Club’s League Matches
shall always take precedence over the activities of the other party to the agreement.

So Penfro, when does the ground sharing agreement come to an end?

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Hull are not an English premiership side.

Thats where the problem lies. And if what bedford says is right, i would not be surprised to see the O's handed an Eviction notice.

No they are not but very recently were! As were Reading!

Glas a du wrote:So Penfro, when does the ground sharing agreement come to an end?

Don't know Glas but the O's seem to think the Swans promotion will benefit them ??
http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/sport/Ospreys-Premier-League-push/article-3597545-detail/article.html

All Wrong.....All Wrong.

Fact: the Liberty is owned by a consortium made up from the Swansea council/The Swansea City FC/ The Ospreys.

There is an agreement in place that the Swans games get first priority and the three participants share in the overall profits = good for the O's.

No has to move anywhere.

The Liberty stadium is OWNED by Swansea council. However the Jacks and Ospreys have leases and part ownership there. The jacks have priority over the Ospreys because it's a requirement of being in their football division. Secondly the Ospreys have several reserve stadiums they can play in, in the event of a clash, such as the Brewery Field or the Gnoll.
Rugby and football CAN be played at the same stadium, Wigan FC in fact share their ground with their towns Rugby League team.

The prem rules are that a team in the prem cannot enter into a groundshare with a rugby club,
However it is ok for a club from the champ to be promoted with an agreement already in place, as the agreement has to be honoured.

Hence why reading could share with LI etc Swansea will be able to share with O's as the agreement was in place before the promotion.

It will only become a problem if the agreement runs out and needs renewed, and Swansea are still in the Prem, (in that case Ospreys will have to move out) however I think it's a long agreement so nothing to worry about.