The Wests Tigers’ new Centre of Excellence to be finished in early 2022

The door has shut on another disappointing Wests Tigers season, and changes need to be made. Here’s the $75m ‘game-changer’ that could kickstart a revolution.

These are the first architectural images of the most expensive sporting Centre of Excellence on Australia’s east coast.

The $75m complex, being built on the old Concord Oval site and due for completion in February, will house Wests Tigers, the club’s NRLW team, West Harbour’s Shute Shield rugby union club and extensive community facilities.

This will be a game-changer for the Tigers and a huge asset to the inner west.

The two-building sporting facility will cover 18,500 sqm for community and elite use. There will be 4500 sqm of space exclusive to Wests Tigers.

The new Centre of Excellence is set to become the envy of the NRL.

“We recognise this will be an unbelievable attraction and will provide a great asset when we’re trying to retain and recruit players and staff,” said Wests Tigers chief executive Justin Pascoe.

The price tag will top every other facility being used and built by NRL and AFL clubs from Melbourne to Brisbane.

Manly’s High Performance Centre at Brookvale will cost $33.1m, Penrith’s $22m, Canberra’s $19m, Souths’ $58m, Brisbane’s $26m, Parramatta’s $40m and Newcastle’s $20m.

The NSWRL Centre of Excellence at Sydney Olympic Park cost $20m.

The new facility will have a state-of-the-art gym.

The only thing more expensive is the $110m centre for the Fremantle Dockers in Perth.

Funded by the federal and state governments, along City of Canada Bay Council, Wests Tigers players will get a state-of-the-art gym and external training terrace, aquatic recovery pools, sauna and steam room, sports science, medical, sleep and rehabilitation facilities, locker rooms and amenities for NRL and NRLW squads.

Every need will be catered for at the Wests Tigers.

There will also be a player wellness hub including education and welfare offices and consultation suites, integrated learning spaces, classrooms and lecture facilities, administration offices, meeting rooms and media studio, merchandise store and a planned museum.

The community will get a recreation centre with health and fitness facilities and multipurpose indoor sports courts.

There will be a grandstand and match day facilities including change rooms, referee rooms, coaches boxes, public plaza, landscaping, playing field redevelopment along with a cafe, community rooms and amenities.

It will include a theatre for match preparation.

An indoor 20m recovery pool will also help players be in top shape.

“The redevelopment of Concord Oval is truly an integrated precinct that caters to the needs of the community, grassroots sport, development pathways, participation, teams and, of course, professional athletes, that being Wests Tigers,” Pascoe said.

“It’s been a vision of the club to create an environment that gives the best opportunity for our athletes to be elite. It will allow us to represent an elite organisation as it should be, with an elite facility.

“It will attract members of the local community and hopefully encourage all walks of life to come and keep active by participating in sport. We know how good that is for people’s wellbeing, especially in these times.”

The new facility at Concord will be shared by Wests Tigers.

Wests Tigers and West Harbour will share a building.

“I know all the boys are pretty keen to get into the new facility,” said Wests Tigers star Adam Doueihi. “It’s been pretty exciting watching the construction take place this year and to know that it’ll be ready for us to move into next year is a massive thing for our club.

“As a local junior, I’ve always known how massive the Wests Tigers are as a team and to have this facility will add to that.

The new facility will be finished in early 2022.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys coming through who have really stepped up this year and I think that’s going to lead to a strong good future for our club and its loyal fans.”

NSW Sports Minister Natalie Ward said: “The NSW Government’s Centre of Excellence program is developing high performance facilities that are the envy of sporting administrations across the world”.

“We’re excited to provide this assistance to the Wests Tigers to drive player development to support the senior men’s side and provide the infrastructure to support a women’s team in the future.”

Wests Tigers are also looking to set up an academy in Sydney’s southwest, with Pascoe saying: “That will bookend our geographic region.”

Originally published as The Wests Tigers’ new Centre of Excellence to be finished in early 2022