County 'locked in' at Rodney Parade even if relegated

Dragons say they will help ensure Newport County remain at Rodney Parade even if they are relegated from the football league.

The Exiles have played at Rodney Parade since 2012 and have a rolling 10-year lease at the ground under EFL regulations that is updated each year.

They are currently bottom of League Two - three points from safety - with 13 games of the season remaining.

There is no clause in their agreement with ground owners Dragons to reduce the rent should they return to the National League.

But Dragons have said they would look to help the club reduce costs in order to remain at the city centre stadium.

"Legally Newport County are tied in long-term [but] it [relegation] would have an impact," Dragons chief executive Rhys Blumberg told a meeting of Dragons supporters this week.

"They are optimistic about staying up, but should that not work out then we will have to think about what comes next.

"They won't go anywhere, they will still play here, but it would just be about how we operate their games and how it works commercially."

County owner Huw Jenkins, who took over the club in January 2024, has regularly spoken of the club's financial challenges.

The club decided in 2024 to only open the north terrace when there was enough demand in a bid to reduce matchday costs.

Dragons are facing their own uncertainties given the chaos around the upheaval in regional rugby with the Welsh Rugby Union intent on cutting the number of professional teams from four to three. Those plans include one team based in east Wales.

Dragons signed a new Professional Rugby Agreement - PRA25 - with the governing body last year along with Cardiff but Ospreys and Scarlets refused.

Blumberg said: "There is a lot going on with the other teams but we're still in the background poking the bear around what the next five of 10 years looks like for the Dragons.

"It's not panic stations because we have PRA locked in with a five-year term and know our funding for the next two years. We are recruiting and retaining players on a budget we know we have got under PRA25."

There is a two-year notice period for terminating Dragons' PRA which would have to be served by the WRU on 1 June.

Blumberg added: "The Union desperately need us to be stable and involved in the future plans. We have a solid foundation and they don't want us to go off track."

Developing land alongside the rugby pitch on the Rodney Parade site has long been an ambition of the owners David Buttress, David Wright and Hoyoung Huh.

Blumberg told supporters the club is in talks with Newport Council and Welsh government over plans for a full-size 4G pitch with 2,000-seater stand as well as padel courts and a new clubhouse.