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Lance Bradley puts figure on extra funding needed by Wales' regions
By Liam Heagney
Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley has claimed that the regions in Wales need an additional playing budget of £2million each per annum in order to become regular knockout stage title contenders. It was 2017 when a Welsh club – Scarlets – last won the old PRO12, but they clubs have since struggled, especially in recent seasons due to financial restraints.
This past season was the first time in the three editions of the URC involving four South African franchises in a 16-team tournament that Wales had a quarter-final representative.
Ospreys pipped the Lions to an eighth-place finish, securing them a knockout stage trip to Munster, but Bradley believes additional investment is needed to ensure that Welsh representation in the title race play-offs becomes a regular thing.
Ahead of the 2024/25 season which kicks off on the weekend of September 20, Bradley has given a wide-ranging interview to walesonline.co.uk which included an emphasis on the financials required to make the Welsh regions – which currently have a £4.5m budget each – more competitive in the long term.
It’s believed that the professional rugby board in Wales will unveil a five-year plan this autumn that will deal with the multi-million-pound funding gap and ensure that none of the four regions are cut for the game to survive and thrive.
Bradley said: "In the discussions we are having with the WRU everyone is very clear that the plan is to have four pro clubs. If there were to be, and there is ongoing discussions with the clubs and union about how to close the funding gap, there is a proposal on the table that looks like it could do it but there is more detail needed on that proposal.
"It's looking positive but there are still lots of things to work out. If that does work out and we are able to either take that plan or take the best bits of that plan it looks to me as if we will have funding for four professional clubs in Wales.
"I know people have spoken about a two-tier funding model and everybody is in favour of that as long as they are one of the two that gets the most funding. We are the same, but our focus is on the plan that is on the table which is for four appropriately funded pro teams. If we can get to somewhere around £6.5m we can be regularly in the knockout stages."
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Wow. A whole 3 years difference in median age.
What’s the median age of all the top 5 teams as at 2024?
And how did you get to that figure anyway? Is it median age of the squad, or all the players capped in 2016, 2017 and 2024?
I don’t think you have your figures correct. Which means your whole argument is doubtful.
In any event. You’re focused on age. Age isn’t the issue, depth is the goal. 2-3 players per position to select from. Stated by Rassie himself. A squad of 50 at any given time good enough to compete. He’s already played 49 players this year and we have 3 games left in the year.
Let’s just pick one key position to illustrate.
In 2023 we had a problem at 10. Pollard was injured and we went in with Manie at 10 who had less than 10 caps.
Since then we have 4 options at 10. Depth. All of those options will be well on or ahead of 30 caps each by 2027.
And if hazard a guess that there’ll be at least another 2 options in the mix or tried out by 2027.
Depth. It’s not about the age profile. The age profile means nothing.
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