The Scarlets are proud to announce that former First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones is joining the club’s Board of Directors.
With strong roots in Carmarthenshire and from a Welsh-speaking family, Carwyn has a lifelong connection with West Wales and its rugby. He played while studying law at Aberystwyth University and has remained an engaged follower of the Welsh game.
His understanding of rugby reaches across the professional game to clubs and communities that sustain it as well as the links into the Super Rygbi Cymru as a director of Bridgend Ravens.
A barrister by profession, Carwyn represented Bridgend in the Senedd from 1999 to 2021 and served as First Minister of Wales from 2009 to 2018. He now sits in the House of Lords. He brings to the Scarlets Board extensive experience of leadership, governance and representing Welsh communities at the highest level.
Carwyn has worked as a Professor at Aberystwyth University as well as in media and broadcasting, having presented the S4C series Y Gem yn y Gwaed about the social history of Welsh rugby. He also sits on the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee of the Football Association of Wales.
Carwyn Jones said: “It is a privilege to join the Scarlets Board. Rugby has been part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I know what the Scarlets mean to their supporters and to the communities they represent.
“This is a club with an extraordinary history, but its case for the future rests just as firmly on what it delivers today: a pathway for young players, a first-class home at Parc y Scarlets and a place at the heart of life in west Wales. Generations of players have gone from this rugby heartland to represent Wales and the British and Irish Lions. We should be building on that strength.
“I believe Welsh rugby needs four professional teams. The proposal to leave west Wales with one licence puts two clubs with proud histories and important contributions in an impossible position. The West must stand together to secure the future of both of its teams.
“The challenges facing Welsh rugby are real, and they call for clear thinking, sound evidence, transparency and practical solutions. I look forward to working with my fellow Board members, the team at Parc y Scarlets and the wider rugby community to help secure a strong future for the Scarlets and for Welsh rugby. This great club has a huge role to play in the future of our game in Wales.”
Scarlets Executive Chairman Simon Muderack said: “Carwyn is one of the most respected figures in Welsh public life. He brings the judgement of a former First Minister, a deep understanding of Wales and its communities, and a genuine passion for rugby which will be invaluable to our Scarlets Board. We are delighted that he has chosen to join the Scarlets at such a significant time.”
Carwyn Jones joins the Scarlets Board with immediate effect (September 24, 2026).
The Scarlets Board provides a depth of experience and knowledge with leaders in business and rugby who have shown strength of purpose and unity with many who have contributed significant financial support to the professional game for the past 20 years.
Members of the Scarlets Board are: Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Jon Daniels, Philip Davies, Huw Evans, Emyr Wyn Evans, Sean Fitzpatrick, Brian Jones, Ron Jones, Carwyn Jones, Rupert Moon, Simon Muderack, Derek Quinnell Nigel Short and Glan Wise.
Founded in 1872, Scarlets has developed generations of Welsh internationals and British & Irish Lions. Scarlets honours include two league championship titles in 2004 and 2017 and the strongest EPCR record of any Welsh side reaching 12 European quarter-finals and five semi-finals. Its successful player pathway continues to bring exciting young talent through for the professional and international game.
At the heart of the club’s success is Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, Wales’ largest club and best-equipped rugby stadium and training facility with a 15,145 capacity and a home for elite training, community activity and major events. The club represents communities across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, where rugby and the Welsh language are deeply woven into everyday life.
Scarlets sits at the heart of west Wales and its community outreach via the Scarlets Community Foundation connected with more than 40,000 people last season, delivering more than 450 sessions, festivals, camps and events, worked with 45 schools and education settings and supported more than 40 community clubs and inclusion groups. Its work generated more than 1,000 hours of positive community activity across Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.