NRL news: 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.

Images for the proposed $60 million Centre of Excellence facility.

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.

Extraordinary figures from Parramatta juniors reveal an 85 per cent growth in the number of women playing rugby league over the last two years, despite the Covid disruptions.

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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.

An artist’s impression of the Eels’ proposed state-of-the-art training facility.

“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 Centre of Excellence will include junior academy facilities for boys and girls.

• 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.

Eels stars Clint Gutherson and Junior Paulo will relish the state-of-the-art facilities at the Cntre of Excellence. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

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.”

Originally published as NRL news: Parramatta Eels reveal new $60m home for rugby league in Sydney’s west