Parramatta Eels Centre of Excellence: $53m Kellyville Park training ground set to open by 2025

The Parramatta Eels’ move to a new $53m high-performance rugby league facility in The Hills finally has an opening date. Find out when here.

North-west Sydney will soon be home to Australia’s largest community rugby league precinct, after the NSW Government approved the construction of the Parramatta Eels Centre of Excellence and Community Facility at Kellyville Memorial Park.

The Parramatta Eels’ $53m high-performance rugby league facility in Sydney’s north west will welcome players and the public as soon as March 2025, as the first phase of construction begins.

Parramatta Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos said the new training grounds would strengthen the club’s connection with its more than 35,000 members and 800,000 fans - as well as boost youth participation.

“It will increase participation across all forms of rugby league for boys and girls from grassroots to elite in one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia,” Mr Sarantinos said.

The club announced in 2019 it had partnered with the Hills Shire Council to move away from their North Parramatta training base to a new location at Kellyville Park, with the project unveiled by the Federal government.

North-west Sydney will soon be home to Australia’s largest community rugby league precinct, with the opening of the Parramatta Eels Centre of Excellence and Community Facility at Kellyville Memorial Park.

Artists impressions of the Parramatta Eels Centre of Excellence and Community Facility at Kellyville Memorial Park.

The facility will include a 5000sq m community and high-performance recreation training centre, including gym and rehab facilities, community facilities including a 1500-seat grandstand and multi-purpose function room.

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 fixture.

A total of $15 million worth of federal government funding was secured by Mitchell federal Liberal MP Alex Hawke, who claimed it as 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 at the time of the announcement.

Parramatta Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos. Picture: supplied.

The club appointed Kane Constructions NSW to deliver the centre and excavation work has commenced.

Additional community facilities including cafes, multi purpose meeting rooms and cultural meeting areas will service the more than 700 players and staff elite and community set to use the facility weekly with the club estimating over 65 per cent of the people using the facility will be community and grassroots participants.

Mr Sarantinos said this was core to the club’s investment in the area.

“This facility will be one of the largest sports infrastructure projects in NSW and will see the Hills District become home to the largest rugby league precinct in Australia,” he said.

Hills Shire mayor Dr Peter Gangemi said the council welcomed the chance to be part of creating the next generation of rugby league superstars.

“This partnership will see one of Australia’s biggest and most recognised sporting clubs based in The Hills right next door to community sporting fields that are open to locals,” Mr Gangemi said.

“I’m proud to see this project get underway and look forward to seeing this vision turn into a reality.”