South Wales Pirates, Wales’ first wheelchair rugby team, is to get a new name and look for 2015 after agreeing a major new tie-up with the Ospreys. The new partnership will see the team rebranded as Ospreys Wheelchair Rugby and playing and training in officially branded BLK kit featuring a newly updated version of the famous Ospreys mask.
The new Ospreys Wheelchair Rugby team’s first home match takes place at 2pm on Sunday 1st February at Llandarcy Academy of Sport, where they will take on North Wales rivals Rygbi Gogledd Cymru Wheelchair team in what will be a hotly contested Welsh derby match.
Andrew Hore, Ospreys Chief Executive, said:
“We are extremely privileged to be able to welcome Ospreys Wheelchair Rugby into the family. We have had a long relationship with the Pirates… We have enjoyed having the team as our guests at Llandarcy several times and it’s eye watering watching them in action. The obvious next step was to invite then to come under our wing with the benefits that would bring the team, and we see this as the start of something special for everybody.
David Pond, Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Chief Executive, comments:
“This is great news for the growth and development of wheelchair rugby in South Wales. This support from the Ospreys will do much to encourage more people to participate in the sport, as well as to continue the growth in volunteers and clubs around the country. We look forward to seeing the new side competing in the UK Wheelchair Rugby Super Series league in 2015.”
Paul Jenkins, Head Coach of Ospreys Wheelchair Rugby, said:
“Having coached the South Wales Pirates through some great times I am looking forward to taking the Ospreys Wheelchair Rugby team through their development, hopefully attracting some new up and coming potential GB players to take up this fantastic sport. The team will take the place of the Pirates in the second division of the Super Series for the rest of the season with the hope of progressing into division one next season.”
The full press release is available here.
