Parramatta Eels reveal new $60m home for rugby league in Sydney’s west
The Parramatta Eels have unveiled plans for a $60 million high-performance rugby league facility that will ensure the club remains a long-term powerhouse in Sydney’s west.
This is the magnificent $60 million high-performance facility that will ensure the Parramatta Eels remain a long-term premiership powerhouse in Sydney’s west.
It is also heavily focused on rugby league’s fastest growing development area – women’s pathways and participation.
Work will begin on the project next year.
“It sets the club up for generations to come for boys, girls, men and women,” says Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos. “This is a huge investment for our NRL and NRLW teams but also for elite pathways and participation across all forms of the game.
“It will even be an after-hours facility on the five playing fields for touch and tag, like a home seven days a week for rugby league.
“This isn’t about creating on-field success tomorrow or next year. This is a 40-year investment to ensure the Parramatta Eels’ long-term success.”
The Eels are moving from the centre of Parramatta to Kellyville in Sydney’s northwest corridor — the fastest growing catchment area in the city that has thriving junior league numbers.
The $60 million project is being jointly funded by the Eels, Hills Council and the Federal Government and will be the biggest in the southern hemisphere for a sporting outfit.
Talks are continuing with the State government for extra funding. It will be:
• The first NRL Centre of Excellence with NRL and NRLW teams having the same state of-the-art high performance facilities.
• The first NRL Centre of Excellence with a dedicated match venue that can hold stand-alone NRLW and junior representative games.
• The first NRL Centre of Excellence with junior academy facilities for boys and girls.
This is a major weapon in growing rugby league participation in Western Sydney against other codes.
“Soccer and other sports will always be strong,” Sarantinos said. “GWS have gone about it very aggressively over the last 10 years. We’re still incredibly strong in western Sydney.
“We have a fan base of half a million. Our membership has grown 33 per cent in three years. This is part of maintaining that.”
A small grandstand with function rooms on match-day for NRLW games and junior rep football will have the capacity to host up to 5000 fans and create a club-rugby style feel.
Local schools and the community groups will have use of the facility.
It is also about ensuring the NRL team stays ahead of its rivals on the premiership table.
“Having a state of the art facility like this one is critical from a performance perspective,” Sarantinos said. “Everyone is looking for those marginal gains in these areas.”
This is such a far cry from four decades ago when the Eels won their first premiership under legendary coach Jack Gibson, who was considered a leader in the preparation of footy teams.
“We used to do the Mount Pritchard fun run before the start of the season,” recalls old club legend Peter Wynn. “Then we’d be at Cumberland to train a few nights a week.
“There were no weights. You’d just go straight onto the field.
“You’d do 2x20m, 4x40m, 8x100m. Then we’d do eight laps that they’d time to see how our fitness was improving.
“We’d do weights once a week at Parramatta Police Boys club. Recovery was basically a bag of ice.
“On Mondays if you were injured you’d turn up to the Leagues club and report to our trainer Alfie Richards and our doctor, Peter Manollaras.
“The players moving into this new facility are lucky boys.”
Replies
Great stuff. Heading in the right direction.
I swear we are building a high performance training joint every second year. What do we do build them and then lease them out to our opposition or something ? We are like the housing commission of high tech training facility's
Ikr I was thinking same thing when read it earlier - we have unveiled it like half a dozen times
That's correct but I'm guessing they are talking about what the final plans will look like and a definite time frame. This is very positive news so I don't know why you two are trying to be funny
And in tomorrow's news The Parramatta Eels are building a new stadium.
They have the ground at Kelly illegal but have not built the centre yet. This is the final piece.
Right on the eve of the Penrith match..... ours is bigger than yours lol
GREAT STUFF PARRA
Lol