Where do I even begin? The Ospreys are so much more than a rugby team to me. They are family. They are friends. They give a sense of belonging that is hard to put into words.
Before retiring, I spent many years as a palliative care nurse. It was more than a job—it was a privilege. But it was also emotional, draining, and often heart-breaking. Every weekend, the Ospreys offered me something precious: a few hours of release. Those matches gave me space to shout, to scream, to laugh—a rollercoaster of emotions that helped me cope with the realities of my work. Rugby became not just a pastime, but a form of therapy.
My connection to the team goes back decades. My dad took me to games from the time I was little. He played for the Whites, for local sides, and even refereed. Supporting rugby is woven into our family history. My husband, my daughters, and now my grandchildren have all grown up following the Ospreys. We’ve travelled to away games—Paris, Montpellier, and many others—creating memories that have become cherished family moments. Supporting the Ospreys has given us a shared passion and quality time together that nothing else quite matches.
Along the way, we’ve met so many wonderful people. Fellow supporters who have become lifelong friends. Whether at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea or at the Brewery Field in Bridgend, it has always felt like home. There is a warmth and a welcome within the Ospreys community that you simply cannot manufacture.
It’s difficult to truly capture what being part of the Ospreys family means to me. It’s history, belonging, joy, togetherness. It’s the feeling of being part of something bigger—something that has shaped my life in more ways than I can ever fully explain.
The Ospreys aren’t just a rugby team.
They are part of who I am.
Janet Powell
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