More than one thousand people attended the Ospreys Kids Club Fun day at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday ahead of the pre-season fixture versus Leeds Carnegie.
Hosted in the North Stand area of the ground, the club members and their families were treated to three hours of fun, with rugby themed inflatable games, children’s entertainers, birds of prey on display and live music all helping to set the mood for the day and get everybody in the party spirit, all supported by RWE npower renewables (the club's principal sponsor) and Warburtons.
The star attractions were understandably the Ospreys players themselves who took the time to mingle with supporters, signing autographs, posing for pictures, and helping to man the inflatables. The matchday squad were present from the very start of the party at 11.30, before heading off to prepare for the game, when the non-playing members of the squad, including all seven of the Ospreys’ British & Irish Lions contingent, replaced them.
One of the Lions, Adam Jones, commented:
“It looked as though it was a great success. It was impressive to see so many families enjoying themselves before the game, there was plenty for them to do and I’m sure that with the boys winning so well against Leeds, there’ll be plenty of them coming back for the first Magners League game against Ulster next month. As a local boy, it was great to be out there getting to know some of our supporters from around the region, as it’s important that we understand who it is that we represent.”
The crowds arrived early for the party, and Ospreys Managing Director Roger Blyth says he was delighted to be greeted by the sight of queues of families snaking their way into the ground on Saturday morning:
“To see everybody arriving and making their way into the stadium was a wonderful sight, it really does give you an impression of how many youngsters have caught the Ospreys bug. It was a fantastic event, everyone seemed to have a marvellous time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thankfully, the sun was shining, the team put on a good performance and I think everybody went home with a smile on their face. To see the interaction between the players and the young fans was tremendous, we have to ensure that the children feel a part of the Ospreys family as they are the long-term future of this region, on and off the pitch.”
Some comments received from families who were in attendance:
Mary Toms wrote to us saying, "We have just returned from the Kids Fun Day and Match and would like to thank everyone at the Liberty Stadium for a wonderful day out. I came with my daughter and my nephew who will be 7 tomorrow and he was thrilled to meet so many of the players and get their autographs and photos. Everyone did a wonderful job thank you very much and we will see you later in the year. "
Rebecca Rees wrote to say, "I just had to write and say a big thank you for an amazing day at the Libery Stadium for kids club fun day! The players were excellent with all the children and our son Cian was totaly amazed by them! The rides, birds and inflatables were wonderfull and the free bread was fantastic. The food was plenty and tasty. The match was very entertaining, it was Cians first ever rugby game and he was cheering on the Ospreys wonderfully! My Husband and I cannot wait to return with Cian and look forward to the season ahead! Thank you once again, it was a credit to all involved, please pass on our sincere thanks to all the players for their time and attention.