The Ospreys and Swansea University have today confirmed a new three-year commercial agreement, extending the long running strategic partnership between two of Wales’ best known organisations.
The two organisations work collaboratively across a huge number of projects, practical and research based, utilising the unique combination of sporting and academic excellence.
Richard Lancaster, Head of Development and Engagement, Swansea University, said:
“We have a deep rooted relationship with the Ospreys that started back when they were first established in 2003. As two organisations with firm Welsh roots, who compete with the world’s best, we have much in common.
“The relationship manifests in obvious ways such as support for the University rugby team through Hugh Gustafson (Head Coach), education for current and past players like Will Jones and Alun Wyn Jones, ticket incentives for our student body and some conventional and unconventional research with our Sport and Exercise Science team, to the less obvious such as scholarships within our Media, Communications and Public Relations courses, and even research with our computer science team.”
The tie-up means that the University’s logo will continue to feature on the left sleeve of the Ospreys senior team jersey, the age-grade teams and Ospreys Women. It first appeared on the Ospreys shirt for the 2013/14 season
Andrew Millward, Managing Director, Ospreys Rugby, said:
“This is a long running strategic partnership which is continuing to thrive and go from strength to strength. The Ospreys and Swansea University are two Welsh organisations that are recognised as leaders in their field around the world but our roots are firmly in this region.
“It makes absolute sense for us to pool our resources, Ospreys staff across every area of our business working in collaboration with University staff on wide ranging projects from the most specialist of research through to assisting the ongoing development and education of the next generation.
“This exchange of knowledge and expertise benefits everybody and I can only see our two organisations growing even closer in the years to come.”
Swansea University is a world-class, research-led, dual campus university. The University was established in 1920 and was the first campus university in the UK. It currently offers around 350 undergraduate courses and 350 postgraduate courses to circa 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Swansea was named ‘Welsh University of the Year’ in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017. The University is in the top 300 best universities in the world, ranked in the 251-300 group in The Times Higher Education World University rankings 2018.
The results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 showed the University has achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK, with the ‘biggest leap among research-intensive institutions’ (Times Higher Education, December 2014) in the UK.
The University has ambitious expansion plans as it moves towards its centenary in 2020, as it continues to extend its global reach and realising its domestic and international ambitions.
PICTURE: HUGH GUSTAFSON, ALUN WYN JONES AND WILL JONES ARE PICTURED WITH PROFESSOR GARETH STRATTON, HEAD OF THE RESEARCH CENTRE IN APPLIED SPORTS, TECHNOLOGY, EXERCISE AND MEDICINE, AND RICHARD LANCASTER, HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT AND ENGAGEMENT, SWANSEA UNIVERSITY