The WRU have confirmed its intention to reduce the professional game in Wales from four regions to three from the 2028-29 season.
The Leader of Llanelli Town Council, Councillor Sean Rees, has called on the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to protect the future of the Scarlets, warning that any decision which undermines the region would damage not only Welsh rugby but also the economy, identity and pride of communities across West Wales.
Councillor Rees said:
“We continue to stand at a pivotal moment for Welsh rugby.If the WRU wants to build a successful and sustainable future, it must invest in and protect regions like the Scarlets.
“As someone who has supported the Scarlets all my life, I know first-hand what this club means to generations of people across Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and West Wales. It is part of who we are.
“The Scarlets represent far more than a professional rugby team. They embody generations of sporting heritage, a passionate supporter base and a proven pathway that has produced many of Wales’ greatest players.
“The region has a clear identity built on proud heritage, established infrastructure and a deeply loyal fan base. Those strengths provide firm foundations for future growth, on-field success and continued contribution to the Welsh national team.
“Any future model for Welsh rugby must both recognise and respect that legacy, rather than place it at risk.”
Councillor Rees said the debate extended well beyond rugby, with the Scarlets playing a vital role in supporting the economy of Llanelli and communities across West Wales.
He added:
“The Scarlets generate millions of pounds each year for businesses across West Wales, support hundreds of jobs and attract thousands of visitors who spend money in our shops, hotels, restaurants and local attractions.
“Any proposal that threatens the future of the Scarlets would also put those economic benefits at risk and have significant consequences for our communities.
“Llanelli Town Council will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with supporters, local businesses and the wider community in defending the future of the region. We call on the WRU and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the Scarlets remain an integral part of Welsh rugby’s future.
“They owe it to the supporters, the players and the history of our national game.”
They both should stay
Get rid can’t keep getting bailed out by the council for loses at our expense
Leighton Williams correct 👏
Leighton Williams the club generates over £17 million per annum for the local economy. A lot more than they owe the council and the council know this. Lose the club and the town suffers and it affects everyone of us.
Catherine Davies yet they don’t pay rent but charge grassroots clubs to hire the barn. They’ve lost support, it’s over.
Catherine Davies don’t bother, these comments usually come from football fans that dislike rugby and Farage Fanboys that dislike everything except Nigel.
Andrew Rees yes, that’s true. Thank you! But people in Llanelli really need to wake up to what could be lost. Those who harp on about how much the club owe the council – it’s really nothing in comparison to the money the club brings to the area.
Michael Bassett what rent should they be paying on a Leasehold property ?
They were issued a 150year lease based on meeting certain criteria around achieving certain turnover thereby bringing income into the local economy.
The estimated benefit to the counties economy is over £17 million annually, though that will drop to zero if the WRU have their way which is why Swansea City council were suing the WRU when it looked as though the Ospreys were the ones to lose out.
Andrew Rees nope, there’s a rental agreement in place where they have to reach £1.5m rugby related turnover (ticket sales alone), they’ve never reached it (deliberately).
Michael Bassett not reaching a ticket sale turnover is certainly not deliberate, the gate receipts were building annually until 2019 before Covid crippled the turnover.
Andrew Rees 🤦🏼♂️🥴
Michael Bassett well you where the one claiming they’ve never reached 1.5, a simple search shows gate receipts as varying between 1 & 1.8 mil. 🤷🏻♂️👋👋
Andrew Rees because they haven’t, put an FOIA in like I did
Andrew Rees as usual you are miles off the truth 😂 https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/FfjUyIY_VDUZK1e0Ql9YqMqaUwOS-i2HEUrJyc1WKeI/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3CNL37B4N%2F20260801%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260801T192143Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEAEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIFI5SkuDFjcoVHjnIo6mNSgDZpUm50oH0HT9xtdX6AMdAiA8yVi9ayeBXUBKO%2FBDSDXVzgehIMmQ4A3h8xlu6DtqDyqKBAjK%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAUaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIM5Xldv%2FZzqce4tXk2Kt4Dyg%2FDNzyI9scVAKPNKdvplohH%2FZuWvZpVEs2BzGqbezEBVUB%2FdDsCIN1IMID1ACGKomRfrEnqqqBUv3yixdN3TvKLnX2A6oCG7sqgN9WReyHQy8%2F%2FxYYm0h%2BMWMjvBDr7petlU3qDMphxbsrud3T5oIkXxdYCgXk3e%2BTJbz%2B3s%2BmENjDUg2zerOTDUPiithEgtOYTv18elgzAKHkyp9ceE%2FEbilSag0dO2J%2FA1TANUcbno1PDT24F6d35wUvNpKjFiIUzOtEaZzPuqaxCQ4%2BO5HX7CPDyZNx%2BKc1CGSIXmel%2B%2FfPxnBq9AgivtyzJ%2F3gmrf6FFM45hk7OmpKPRnmw8U8aJhf3up8GW6ImtYs7dOdqRoFGnK1uOAMHmr%2FZIfkd6vSEP2t8QaP6nvtQ1BLRnlAGnWhxgmmO27J5RlCTSzT7R86t4ycV4HH%2F8g5802tXDQRXn4z37wL5ro1%2FzZJIbmHoM%2BxLRlblqB%2BUC1%2BT8UxKpiPmkIgxUrddi9VCn34LZFjBta9foen5iBvo2kPVqouPoVVyNJaszBI4k2tW5V9Q59dm7dW61V84zjnVU8zGGHFxfHGF490gf%2BND7euHvgksufwYThCJycyvSdvCQDeDjGmL7BdtDI6GWtyaujD3y7jTBjqmAZWpTPeHkLCsE5DM1OulphSLbRgsxlgLvqYXYo%2BEDo6Xn5KoWxBWQ2mDjASYwHPejX5xOginL0DDqi1rLMBrcxzym%2BWW1Cj7RmsHfqNRQWGWx3EHHrXceURw3GmAFo3lqb%2BkIti3BS97eOwb2D6%2BeTbIIGyibAe54kz2%2Bk9byeYYji9PQfkgxVJsUaadjnVZouNlzyViVmSz5U%2B0KxdUc9uRow4rLcw%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%2203389199_aa_2026-06-30.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=aa496adb7d830d8a034241bfcad16f89bef1028e82ee8ed808e39a45bbe50456
Media: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10242740494879083&set=p.10242740494879083&type=3
Leighton Williams loses or losess?
Matthew Edwards 🤣🤣
I don’t like rugby resent the money going to a childish ball game, fix the potholes
Gary Daniels do u like football?
Matthew Edwards not much but think football gets a bad deal in Llanelli compared to the vast amounts of cash that goes to the scarlets
Shut up you melts ,they in debt more than the stadium and land worth,sell it to taylor wimpey put houses on it like strady.
Why ?? Oh yeah they still owe Carmarthenshire council money for the stadium . They have not paid it
Andrew Williams and they never will
Andrew Williams nearly every top team in the top 14 in France are owned by the Municipal . That is council owned the same as the Scarlets . The team bring in 17 million a season to the local economy . If they closed the Scarlets ? It would be the final nail in Welsh rugbys coffin .CRAZY !
Mark Thomas Also the final nail in Llanelli’s coffin, but sadly, people are so tunnel visioned.
Andrew Williams at leastvwe got a stadium
Colin Probert so have the ospreys now . You don’t own the stadium anyway so you’re just renting it off the council. Duh 🙄
Andrew Williams not even renting thats hos much you know
Colin Probert scarlets need to go. They have been bailed out 2 many times and can’t even fill the stadium a quarter full for big games. Joke of a region
Let the football team use their stadium
Sean Hogan what happens to Stebo then
Sean Hogan If the WRU force the Scarlets out of existence then CCC should be offering the ground to the FAW as a Home for the Ladies and Age Grade teams.
The WRU will believe they can pick it up on the cheap after abolishing the Scarlets to do that for themselves so that option needs to be removed from the table.
Should have never left the strady grounds it’s all gone tits up since thay moved
Susan Cole yet the crowds are now far larger than they ever were at Stradey with a peak in 2017/18 of over 9k average attendance.
Stradey park simply looked fuller due to being a far smaller ground
Leighton Williams what’s the 🤣 for without a comment ?
I guess you simply have neither the intelligence or the spine to say something then ?
The crowds are simple facts, feel free to check if you’re capable of using a search engine.
Leighton Williams and there is the confirmation, spineless keyboard warrior. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 what a w⚓️
Andrew Rees shut up you Fukin fat Fukin mouthy dwarf ffs look like some extra from lord of the rings you Fukin melt
Leighton Williams ho ho, there goes the keyboard warrior, hiding behind a private profile. Don’t act tough online w⚓️. Feel free to look me up.
Andrew Rees fuk off you bellend shitting my shorts 😱
Llanelli Pride you clearly have no idea of the amount of work local councillors have done to protect the others on your list. Maybe you should try actually watching what goes on at council and the work the councillors put in personally.
Llanelli Pride exactly
Llanelli Pride The Scarlets bring in £17 million a year to the local economy which supports local employment and businesses. Last season, three games had over a 9,000 attendance. Hardly comparable to the 200 that turn up to watch games at Stebo.
Llanelli Pride I know a lot of people who stay and spend money in the town when they come to watch the rugby. The Scarlets have hospitality/hotel packages in conjunction with the Diplomat and the Premier Inn in Pemberton is being expanded due to the demand for rooms. Why do you have to be so negative about an institution that puts Llanelli on the map?