For as long as the Young Ospreys Academy has been in place they have had and continue to build on a working relationship with the British Army.
The buzz word that surrounds the Welsh Rugby media at this present moment is Mental Toughness; and the need for players to have that quality in order to succeed. The Young Ospreys Academy identified that quality as an essential part of the make up of an elite performer at its inception and hence the building of a partnership with the British Army. The British Army moto is To Be the Best and that is also the clear aim of the Academy and its players. As gratitude for the relationship that the Academy has with the British Army the Young Ospreys Age Grade teams has the British Army logo emblazoned on its jersey. In order to Be the Best the Osprey Academy identified the need to use the expertise of the British Army in organising Team Building Challenges (photographs). The Academy believe that these courses help develop a mental toughness in individual performers which leads to a collective team ethic and the production of winning teams. Some of the earliest beneficiaries of this support are now involved in senior rugby and seem to be coping well with the demands despite their tender age. Such players as seventeen year old centres Kristian Phillips at Neath and Ashley Beck at Aberavaon; eighteen year old outside half Daniel Bigger at Swansea and similarly prop Ryan Bevington at Bridgend. The British Army also benefits as it gives them the opportunity to make elite young men aware of the opportunities that are available to them in the Army and also their rugby teams get the chance to pitch themselves against the best with fixtures between the two groups (picture). As a way of showing their gratitude for the support they receive from the British Army, Osprey Academy Staff Garin Jenkins, Gethin Watts and David Arthur went along to the Army Careers office in Swansea to present Lt Colonel Chris Kilminster, Warrant Officer George Carter and Warrant Officer Dai Davies with a framed jersey (main picture).