Parramatta Eels centre of excellence: $40m Kellyville training ground announced
The Parramatta Eels will move away from their North Parramatta training base to a new $40 million high-performance rugby league facility in Sydney’s north west.
- Parent outrage over council’s school road ban
- Blueprint for Sydney’s future
- Travel cost increase for Sydney metro users
- Sydney Metro opening date set
The Parramatta Eels will move away from their North Parramatta training base to a new $40 million high-performance rugby league facility in Sydney’s north west.
Plans for a NRL centre of excellence, to be built at Kellyville Park, were unveiled by the Federal Government today.
The facility will include a 5000sq m community and high-performance centre and an NRL-standard match venue with a 1000 seat grandstand.
It will also be home to junior rugby league, touch football and league tag teams, the Canterbury Cup and host elite women’s rugby league fixtures.
The Hills Shire Times can announce stage one of the project will see the club transfer its elite programs to a modular training facility in December 2019, while the construction of the match venue will start within 18 to 24 months.
MORE FROM THE EELS
FANS REACT TO FIRST NRL MATCH AT BANKWEST STADIUM
BUZZ ROTHFIELD’S FIRST LOOK INSIDE SYDNEY’S $340M BANKWEST STADIUM
The construction of the community and high-performance facility will begin after the completion of the Memorial Ave widening project.
Parramatta Eels Club chief executive Bernie Gurr assured fans that moving their training base to The Hills from Old Saleyards Reserve in North Parramatta was in the long-term best interests of the club.
PIC HERE
“The reality is this is still in the Parramatta district, it’s been that way since 1947,” Mr Gurr said.
“We have a lot of junior league teams out here. A large number of our members reside in The Hills district.
“I think fans and members would be very comfortable knowing that: number one, we’re in the Parramatta district, and number two, that we’re going to get a ... world-class sporting facility that will enable our NRL team and our youth academy programs to be housed in one state-of-the-art venue and enhance our capacity to give back to the community,”
Mr Gurr said the facility would support community groups including Wheelchair Rugby League, Try Time and Physical Disability Rugby League, as well as NRL School to Work program.
“Through our discussions with The Hills Shire Council it quickly became clear that we had an opportunity to build something really special, a place that could cater to the changing needs of one of the fast-growing regions in Australia and increase participation in rugby league and touch football from grassroots all the way up to NRL and NRLW level,” he said.
For Eels coach Brad Arthur, the new facility will provide a boost to not only the NRL side, but junior players across the Parramatta district.
“We’ve got a lot of local juniors that play right throughout our competition in the rep programs, (so) it’s going to be great for us all to be at the one facility,” Arthur said.
“We can have our young kids come through and train and play out of the same facility as the NRL boys, so I’m sure it’s going to be a boost for them.
“I can’t wait to get here and I’m looking forward to having the space.”
A total of $15 million worth of Federal Government funding has been secured by Mitchell federal Liberal MP Alex Hawke.
Mr Hawke said the allocated funding was the largest Federal Government commitment The Hills had ever seen.
“One of the biggest issues for The Hills is the lack of sporting social infrastructure, this is the number one issue for families in our electorate,” he said.
“I have been working on this with the Eels for several years and the reason the government has funded the initiative is because of the opportunities it will bring with the youth academy and disability programs.”
It is understood Mr Hawke worked heavily with the Opposition to ensure that the initiative received bipartisan support.
“I am grateful to the opposition for coming on board and knowing it will go ahead with whoever wins government,” he said.
Along with the Parramatta Eels, the Kellyville Bushrangers JRLFC is also looking forward to calling the re-developed Kellyville Park home.
“It’s really exciting and a massive bonus for us,” club secretary James Power said.
“Our kids will benefit from seeing (the NRL players) training next door and our coaches will be able to sit down and watch how professional coaches handle dealing with high-calibre athletes.
“We paint ourselves as a community club, so that also ties in very nicely with what the Eels are doing with their community focus.”
The Parramatta Eels are finalising the proposal for the first stage of the project, which will be submitted to The Hills Shire Council for assessment.
A total of $5 million in funding has been requested from The Hills Shire Council towards the creation of the sports field, while the Eels have also requested about $15 million in funding from the NSW State Government.
Baulkham Hills state Liberal MP David Elliott said discussions have been initiated with the Sports Minister, requesting State Government support in stages for the development of the facility.
Up to $5 million in funding will be provided from the Eels Foundation.
IN OTHER NEWS
The Hills Shire Times understands the long-proposed Kellyville Sports Club neighbouring the Kellyville Metro Station will be run by The Parramatta Eels, providing a “double whammy for Eels supporters”, according to a NSW Government source.
The profits from the club will go to a range of sporting codes across The Hills.
The sports club has just received initial support from the NSW Planning Department.
Hills Shire Mayor Michelle Byrne said the facilty was a fantastic opportunity for the Hills, “thanks to significant investment from the Parramatta Eels and the Federal Government”.
“We look forward to finalising the designs of the project, and working together with the Eels and all levels of Government to deliver this great vision,” she said.
“Council have been working collaboratively with the Parramatta Eels on the vision for a Community and High Performance Centre that will provide opportunities for our residents to play sport at the highest levels and ensure grassroots rugby league receives the highest standard facilities possible without costing the rate payer.”
Women’s U18s Brewer Shield: Season preview, players to watch
The future of women’s cricket is set to kick off a new season of the Brewer Shield. With more than 200 of the state’s best U18 players on show, we preview each club and 40+ stars to watch.
Stars, standouts as Waratahs continue march in Super Rugby U19s
The Waratahs have continued their match towards the decider of the Super Rugby U19s but there’s still things that need to be sorted. Stars, standouts, great photos from battle with Reds.