With the Scarlets season having passed the midway stage, Managing Director Jon Daniels highlights a positive first half at Parc y Scarlets and looks ahead to the final block of rugby and community activity for the 2024-25 campaign.
Q: Scarlets sit in sixth in the URC table and have reached the Round of 16 knock-out stages in the EPCR Challenge Cup. Performances are encouraging fans, sponsors, the rugby community and Wales selectors. What are your thoughts on how this last block of rugby has gone?
JD: “We’re still in the fight for the URC play-offs as well as the knockout rounds of the EPCR Challenge Cup, so it’s been another positive block of rugby for our team with a lot more to look forward to as we get to a tough but exciting business end of the season.
“Achieving a series of five home wins in a row here at Parc y Scarlets has been particularly pleasing and just reward for our most loyal fans who back our team in person at every home match. We can’t over-emphasise how important and valuable this loyalty and support is for our club and we thank all fans who commit to cheering our team on from the terrace and stands whatever the weather!
“Our rugby performances are clearly heading in the right direction. And there’s more to come from this group for sure. We appreciate there is still a lot of hard work to do before we get to where we want to be. We started the season with a commitment to compete as a minimum standard and whilst this has largely been achieved there is frustration at the number of games we have just fallen the wrong side of a one or two point margin. That is a key focus for the rugby section. We firmly believe we have room for growth and we can look forward to the future with a more positive outlook on the back of what we’ve seen emerging this season – both in terms of our rugby culture and our togetherness as a team.
“We are also working hard in the background to secure and strengthen next season’s squad including retaining key players that we have invested in as well as targeted recruitment in key areas. James Davies (Cubby) continues to do a great job in identifying players that fit into our group, our rugby culture and philosophy and ethos as a rugby team.
“The context and reality of any decision regarding squad recruitment and retention is that we still are operating within tight budget constraints and given that backdrop, we can be satisfied about what has been achieved so far this season.
“Our rugby team are giving their all this season. The hard work, commitment and energy being shown in training, preparation and on the pitch is clear to see with sheer determination, fight and pride in the jersey very evident in recent performances.
“That commitment in games is also reflected in a stronger connection and energy between our rugby team and our fans this season. Again, our thanks to our supporters who really can make that difference in tight matches.”
Q: What have been the highlights so far?
JD: “The Gloucester match with more than 2,000 away supporters singing at the top of their voices throughout the game reminded us that the spirit of Scarlets rugby for big matches is very much alive. It also reminded the wider rugby public of our standing in the game, the passion and heritage we have as a club and what it means to all of us to be a Scarlet. And while the result and performance on the field was not what we wanted, the atmosphere our fans contributed to at Kingsholm was nothing short of remarkable and will be a highlight of this season.
“Another one to mention is the fact that our outstanding stadium team were able to pull together an EPCR Challenge Cup game hosted here at Parc y Scarlets for the Ospreys in just 24 hours and two weeks before Christmas when the Swansea.com stadium was hit by storm damage. The sacrifices and dedication shown by a small team to deliver this game for the Ospreys and EPCR and the commercial boost that gave the club with such a short turnaround was again nothing short of exceptional.”
Q: With three home games left – what’s your message to Scarlets supporters?
JD: “It doesn’t come much bigger than the trio of DHL Stormers (Sat, March 22) Ospreys (Sat, March 29) and Leinster (Sat, April 26). The outcome of these will have a huge bearing on how we define our season. Not only in terms of results on the field but every pound spent by our supporters at Parc y Scarlets has a positive impact on next season. We need as many supporters at each of these games as possible to get behind the team and lift them during a crucial part of the season.
“We really hope and would encourage our entire support base, from season ticket holders living near and far, to all our local community rugby clubs and groups who we work so closely with throughout the season, our partners, stakeholders and fans across our region to join together and help ‘Pack the Parc’ and make these three games the biggest and most memorable of the season.”
Q: The Scarlets have eight players on senior Six Nations duty. How much does this mean to the club?
JD “It’s always a proud moment when we see Scarlets players lining up at the Six Nations in the jersey of Wales particularly given that there are so many of our young players making an impact on the international stage. The Scarlets group have thoroughly deserved their call-ups with some eye-catching performances this season and it says a lot about the coaching environment and pathway we have in place here. I know I am biased, but I also think there are a few who are very unlucky not to have been selected to play for Wales – they have been outstanding for us and played a big part in our progression this season.
“There are great success stories to champion – including our back three with Tom Rogers a proud home-grown player who has been with us since the age of 16, plus Blair Murray and Ellis Mee, two relative unknown Welsh-qualified players who moved to join us and achieved international rugby honours in a short space of time. This in turn helps us attract new young talent as we have a reputation and proven track record of developing international-class rugby players.”
Q: The Scarlets U18s are unbeaten in the WRU Regional Age Grade Championships after winning the title last year. How encouraging is this for the future?
JD: “It’s a real positive and gives us a lot to look forward to in the future. We have a long tradition of developing international players at Scarlets but that can only continue if our age-grade system is working. These are players that could be with our club for the next 10 years. I sincerely hope this achievement by our U18s team and their coaches isn’t going under the radar too much amid the focus on Six Nations and Wales U20s contests.
“Tom Phillips, the U18s Head Coach is doing a brilliant job at developing this squad, along with Pathway and Academy coaches Scott Sneddon, Rhodri Jones and Phil John. There is some exciting talent emerging in the group and our connected schools and colleges are going well as well which shows our pathway is in good health. The U18s have another big fixture ahead against the Ospreys on Sunday at 1.30pm at Llandovery and if anyone can get to watch, I would urge you to do so.”
Q: A lot of focused work is going on off the field – what’s been achieved this season?
JD: “Alongside improved communication and engagement with our fans and stakeholders, another commitment at the start of this season was to better the match-day experience at Parc y Scarlets. There have been huge strides made already with improved sound, music, match-day themes, activities around the stadium, social hubs pre-match as well as players meeting fans immediately post-match.
“As an off-field team we want to provide rugby fans with a vibrant five-hour entertainment package at our home games, that’s value for money and comes with a warm, welcoming atmosphere where everyone can join in. And what better example of this than our home match with Ospreys where we will have over 40 rugby teams in attendance along with Dafydd Iwan to entertain and inspire us.
“We have tried to give back to our loyal season ticket holders with the offer of discounted food and beverage offers which is going down well and an initiative we will look to continue into next season.
“I’d also highlight that we now have a popular half-time cash winning draw running plus a Scarlets lottery with prizes up to £5,000 a month in place for our fans – so register for the lottery on our website and if you are in luck you could win more than you expected this season!
“The Tanner Banc bar and the FSG indoor community Arena for supporter families continue to thrive on a match day with numerous rugby festivals built into our match days including our last two home games hosting a girls’ rugby festival and an inclusion day.
“Match-day hospitality offers continue to be a popular offer with our hospitality club initiative “Clwb Carwyn” now sold out for two of the remaining three home games this season with only limited availability for the DHL Stormers fixture on March 22. Our venue business recorded record sales for Christmas events with more than 2,000 guests attending festive themed parties and we have seen a greater volume of conference events being booked over the past 12 months, which is positive post Covid.”
Q: The Scarlets Community Rugby Foundation continues to do a great job connecting with groups, charities and clubs across the region as well as organising specialist match-day showcases – how is work progressing?
JD “Our community team is doing brilliant work. Their engagement and inclusion programmes to take rugby and its values out to clubs, schools and community groups continue to be a major cornerstone in our purpose as a club. From wheelchair rugby, to mixed ability rugby, programmes for ethnic diverse communities; the numbers engaging with our Community Foundation now is something we are very proud of and excited about. In November and December alone, the Foundation engaged with more than 5,300 people – a phenomenal amount for a small team. However, there is a lot more we could do with additional resource so if anyone would like to support through donation, fundraising or sponsorship please get in touch.”
Q: What other events can Scarlets supporters look forward to?
JD: “We are delighted to welcome Dafydd Iwan back to the Parc to perform at Scarlets v Ospreys. He’ll be entertaining the crowd pre-match leading voices in Yma O Hyd and there will be more from him post-match which we’ll announce soon. Suffice to say, we can all look forward to a healthy dose of Welsh passion and pride resounding around the stadium with a packed derby crowd to enjoy the atmosphere.
“We look forward to our second Supporters Evening here at Parc y Scarlets on Tuesday, February 11 at 6.30pm. It’s free to anyone who supports our club and together with our Executive Chairman Simon Muderack and Head Coach Dwayne Peel, we’ll answer as many questions as we can along with some exclusive updates on and off the field.”
Q: What’s the latest on the new agreement with the WRU?
JD: “There is positive progress. Simon Muderack has been working hard behind the scenes along with counterparts in the other clubs and members of the PRB (Professional Rugby Board) to secure the best possible outcome for the professional game as we look to secure, futureproof and underpin the future success of the game in Wales. We need to ensure the agreement supports four thriving and sustainable professional rugby clubs, together with a robust structure across all levels of Welsh rugby to feed into our clubs and the national team.”
Q: Final thoughts
JD: “I have said previously and would like to highlight it again – the importance of unity right across our club and region should never be underestimated. Whether we are sharing the ups or the downs, as supporters, as a rugby team, an off-field team, as stakeholders, sponsors and community partners; being a united group is our very foundation and it’s been great to see that building ever stronger this season. We want to keep the momentum going for this final block of rugby in our 2024-25 season – with everything to play for.
“And just a final last note from me to say a big thank you publicly to all the team at Scarlets both on and off the field for their continued hard work and commitment. It is making a difference.”