Ospreys CEO Lance Bradley insists Mark Jones is the right coach to take the Ospreys forward and is adamant the move to St Helen's will be "transformational" for the club.

The Ospreys decided to part ways with head coach Toby Booth in the wake of last weekend's record 59-15 thrashing by Montpellier in the Challenge Cup. This was always going to be Booth's last season in Wales with the club announcing before the campaign began that defence coach Jones would be his replacement.

But following a disappointing start to the term the club decided to part ways with midway through the season. Despite Booth turning the Ospreys into a competitive outfit once again, Bradley is confident the right decision has been made.

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"It was always going to be challenging to have this transition year but we felt it was the best thing for the club that we brought forward a decision we'd already made to appoint Mark as head coach," Bradley told WalesOnline. "We do think that will have a positive impact on the rest of the season.

"I know Mark worked very closely with Toby and Toby did a super job for us. We'll never forget the way he turned things around from what he found to what he left.

"He is and always will be welcome at the Ospreys but we are now looking forward to the new era under Mark. Mark has got a huge amount of very relevant experience in lots of different environments and I think it's a positive to have that breadth of experience.

"He's got a lot of contacts in the rugby world, from people he's worked with who he is still in touch with, which helps. I think he's a very talented coach.

"He's made a huge difference to our defence since he's arrived at the club. I think he'll be able to build on that and take us forward to where we want to go over the next three to five years."

This will be the Ospreys' final full season playing out of the Swansea.com Stadium, with a move back to St Helen's on track for late November or early December 2025. The move will include a multi-million pound investment and new stands, with Swansea Council deciding to invest in St Helen's.

But perhaps the most important factor behind the move will be the the Ospreys' ability to generate non-matchday income which they cannot currently do as tenants at the Swansea.com Stadium. "I know it has taken a long time and I've seen people ask whether it's still going to go ahead," said Bradley.

"It was always going to go ahead but it is great to have it formally signed off and ready to go. We are going to develop the ground in two phases.

"So, the first phase will be the pitch, the stands, the clubhouse, refurbishing the terrace and installing a fan zone. We think it will be fantastic for people because we want to get fans in a bit earlier to the game and to put on entertainment.

"We obviously also want to entertain them during the game and there'll be things going on in the fans' zone afterwards. It isn't just going to a game of rugby, it will be a game of entertainment. First of all we can't fill the Swansea.com Stadium so there's no exclusivity in any of the tickets because there's always loads of tickets available so people don't buy tickets early and plan to go to Ospreys games.

"That means you can make a decision at the last minute and buy tickets on the day. Due to the crowds we get the atmosphere isn't as good as it would be in a smaller stadium so moving to St Helen's, where the capacity is going to be around 8,000 there, will be a bit more exclusivity.

"Some of the seats will sell out relatively quickly so that produces a bit of excitement and people plan early. We are about to go out with the option for people to put down a refundable deposit to get priority access to season tickets when they do go on sale.

"Our current season ticket-holders will have the top priority and people who put down a deposit will have the second priority after that. That will generate a level of inclusivity and interest.

"But having your own stadium with a fans' zone that people want to be in makes a big difference because when you lease somebody else's stadium, you don't get any of the food and drink revenue but you do when it's your own stadium.

"It also means you can do things like stadium sponsorship and stand sponsorship, while you can also do non-matchday events which is very important. When you have good facilities like we will have at St Helen's with the refurbished clubhouse and fans' zone, it just opens up loads more opportunities for you."

Bradley is also confident the new Professional Rugby Agreement will be signed in the near future and that it is a good deal for the four professional clubs. The former Gloucester CEO is excited at plans to strengthen the Ospreys squad ahead of the 2025/26 season and believes the club have a big future.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't excited by the potential of the Ospreys," he said. "Since I've been here if anything that's looked even more exciting.

"I think the next stadium will be transformational for us. If fans realised just how much of a difference it will make with regards where St Helen's is, the facilities we will have there, the atmosphere that will be created there and actually the revenues we will be able to generate there will mean we can achieve a lot more as a club than we currently are."