Approved: Criticism over $58m Maroubra facility to house Rabbitohs

Fresh details have been revealed about the Rabbitohs’ new HQ with the centre to be ready for the 2023 season. However, not everyone is happy with the plans.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs will move into their new home in Maroubra following the 2022 NRL season with construction set to begin on the $58 million Heffron Centre.

But not everyone is happy about the design of the massive sports complex.

The state-of-the-art centre at Heffron Park, Maroubra, will see a high-performance centre for the Rabbitohs built under the same roof as community facilities such as indoor sports halls and a new gymnastics centre.

The Rabbitohs say they “can’t wait” to move their NRL team, women’s team, administration and Souths Cares organisation into the new base following a long history at Redfern.

Artist design of the $58m Heffron Centre.

A development application for the huge project was approved by the Sydney Eastern City Planning Panel last month and construction is expected to begin around the middle of this year.

Randwick Council aims to open the centre in late 2022 which is being funded by council ($31.9 million), government grants ($21.8 million) and the Rabbitohs ($4 million).

Existing buildings will be knocked down as part of the project including a longstanding gymnastics centre, Bunnerong Gymnastics.

Bunnerong Gymnastics has operated for more than 30 years in the community and a new gymnastics facility will be built inside the Heffron Centre.

However, the not-for-profit club has started a petition for changes to be made to the new gymnastics centre to bring it up to scratch.

Bunnerong Gymnastics founder Kim Rosen and secretary Matt Spooner inside the existing gymnastics club at Heffron Park. Picture: Monique Harmer

Bunnerong Gymnastics secretary Matthew Spooner said they had been pushing for a much larger gymnastics centre for many years as their current home was an old warehouse and was far too small at 975m2.

“The new gymnastics facility will be 1300m2 however half of this increased space is used to provide compliant offices, bathrooms and viewing areas.

“Bunnerong Gymnastics and Gymnastics NSW have both advised council that additional space is required to ensure that the same quantity of equipment can be installed when installed to today’s best practice requirements,” Mr Spooner said.

“For example, the vault run-up is (currently) 5m too short ... and athletes don’t have the training pits required for skill acquisition.”

Bunnerong Gymnastics’ Matt Spooner and Kim Rosen outside the existing club. Picture: Monique Harmer

He claimed if changes were not made to the design it would hinder competitive gymnasts – in what was largely a female sport – from thriving in their chosen discipline and would also fail to meet demand for the facilities.

An online petition calling for a bigger gymnastics centre of 2300m2 had attracted 1900 signatures as of Thursday.

A Randwick Council spokesman pushed back at those claims and said the new centre would be a big upgrade to what was currently available.

“The new facility will be built to regional-level standard and will cater for all levels of participation, from grassroots pathways programs to competitive levels,” he said.

“The current facilities are in very poor condition and are in need of complete replacement.

The massive sports complex will be built in the southwest section of Heffron Park, Maroubra (in red).

“They are located in post-WWII era warehouses which have a number of issues including ongoing roof leakage, poor amenities and change room facilities, a lack of storage and no airconditioning.”

South Sydney Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly praised the work done to secure the centre which he said would be a massive boost not just for the Rabbitohs but also for the community.

“We just can’t wait for the project to start,” he said. “It is going to be a state-of-the-art centre ... and it will double the presence of Souths Cares.”

The club’s charity Souths Cares supports Indigenous education and programs for young people.

Mr Solly said Heffron Park marked the geographical centre of the South Sydney junior rugby league competitions and it would become the heart of rugby league in the area.

Artist impression of the $58m Heffron Centre.

“Heffron Park is the geographical centre and it will be the heart of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and heart of junior rugby league in the area.”

He added they will still keep a presence at Redfern Oval where many of their junior teams will be based.

Randwick Mayor Danny Said stated the Heffron Centre would be a fantastic addition to the community.

“You don’t get an opportunity like this very often, to provide a state-of-the-art sporting facility and, at the same time, deliver social benefits that tap into the proud and almost spiritual link the Rabbitohs have with our community.”

The Heffron Centre will also feature a high-performance field, cafe and car park.

The Rabbitohs’ high performance centre will mainly be funded by government grants and the Rabbitohs, while the community facilities and high-performance field will mainly be funded by council.