Ospreys make operating loss of £243,546 for 2019, down from £2.7m

Ospreys are bottom of Pro14 Conference A having lost 10 of their 12 matches this season

Ospreys made an operating loss of £243,546 for the year ending 30 June 2019, down from an operating loss of more than £2.7m the previous year.

Chairman Rob Davies described it as a "reasonably stable year financially".

That coincided with a strong end to the 2018-19 season, with the Pro14 side the only Welsh region to qualify for the European Champions Cup.

With this season suspended due to coronavirus, all Ospreys players and staff have taken temporary pay cuts.

This has been a turbulent campaign for Ospreys, who have lost all but two of their Pro14 and European Champions Cup matches.

Allen Clarke left his post as head coach earlier this season, with former Wales boss Mike Ruddock joining the region as a consultant.

Ruddock will become performance director next season, with Toby Booth, formerly in charge of London Irish, taking over as head coach.

"The impact of the 2019 World Cup at the beginning of the season in combination with a long injury list to key players has made it difficult to regain momentum and be as competitive as we would all wish so far this season," Davies said in his report accompanying the Ospreys' accounts for the year ending 30 June 2019.

"We all understand that ultimately, future performance on the pitch is critical to the success of the club.

"There continues to be major challenges, both organisationally and financially, throughout the world of professional rugby and Covid-19 has certainly added to those challenges.

"But as society generally and rugby authorities in particular start to plan a way back towards "normality" over the months ahead, we believe that the Ospreys are well placed to be a strong and sustainable club with an exciting future."