Scott Johnson and Andrew Hore have this week been spending time meeting with corporate supporters of the Ospreys to preview the coming season and outline their hopes and aspirations for the region over the course of the campaign.
OSPREYS HOST SEASON PREVIEW EVENINGS FOR BUSINESS COMMUNITY
The duo met with more than 200 invited guests at the Liberty Stadium over two nights this week, with a further session pencilled in for later this month.
Hosted by the Ospreys commercial department, the evenings have been designed to be informative and lighthearted, providing an insight into behind the scenes operations within the organisation and, also, an opportunity for local businesses to understand exactly what the rugby management team hope to achieve over the coming twelve months and beyond, and the hard work being done to enable the players to achieve those goals.
Andrew Hore opened proceedings by providing a brief synopsis of his qualifications and rugby career path to date, outlining the scope and breadth of the task that he is undertaking at the Ospreys in his role of Elite Performance Director. With much of his work being carried out well away from the public glare, he took the opportunity to outline the many systems and structures that he has been putting into place that will benefit rugby in the region over the long term with a view to ensuring a successful conveyor belt of home grown rugby talent. In addition, he also discussed the need to provide world class support systems for our elite players and coaches, and what he and the Ospreys Directors are setting about providing those facilities, as well as revealing the levels of investment required.
He was followed by Director of Coaching Scott Johnson, who provided an insight into the playing squad and the areas where he will be focusing for improvement during the pre-season and beyond, as well as discussing the recruitment of Jerry Collins, who arrived in the region this week.
Ashley Donlan from the Ospreys commercial department said the evenings had been very successful:
"We have had a great response from the business community of Ospreylia, with more than 200 people attending the two events held so far, and another 100 attending a similar event we are hosting next week. I think it was definitely something of an eye opener for a lot of people, who didn't realise the extent of the work that is being done behind the scenes to ensure that the Ospreys remain at the forefront of European rugby. Similarly, I think the levels of investment needed each season also came as something of a shock to many attendees.
"I think that it is fair to say that all in attendance were impressed with what Scott and Andrew had to say. Their talks were followed by a question and answer session that allowed guests to put their thoughts, views and concerns to the pair, and there was definitely no shirking the questions from the floor.
"The 2009/10 season is shaping up as a watershed year for the Ospreys, and I have no doubt that off the back of these events, the local business community have a far better understanding of the Ospreys ambitions, and what it will take to achieve them, and will want to help us in achieving these goals."
Any businesses interested in attending the next event should contact Gary Quick at the Ospreys on 0870 990 9175.