Founding Ospreys chairman James named president
Mike James has given nearly six decades of service to rugby in Swansea
- Published
Ospreys have appointed founding chairman and long-standing benefactor Mike James as president.
James guided Swansea RFC through a turbulent period before becoming Ospreys' founding chairman in 2003, helping fund the new region alongside business partner Robert Davies.
The region say his appointment as president "recognises a lifetime of loyalty" with his service to rugby in Swansea, on and off the pitch, spanning nearly six decades.
"From my first game for the All Whites, to the Ospreys and, today, the return to St Helen's, this club has figured hugely in my life and that of my family," said Jones.
"It is an honour to be made president in this modern era. Helping Y11 to shape the future has been very satisfying, and I thank them and everyone for this honour."
James Davies-Yandle, chairman and chief executive of Ospreys owner's Y11, added: "Mike James is Swansea rugby.
"He chaired the club through the hardest years of the professional era, and then he put his own money and his reputation on the line to build the Ospreys into the most successful region Wales has ever produced."