Sydney council strikes sponsorship deal worth up to $2.4 million with Parramatta Eels

The logo of Parramatta Council will adorn the jerseys of Parramatta Eels players in a sponsorship deal worth up to $2.4 million that has been derided by its mayor as an unwise use of ratepayer funds.

A late-night closed council meeting on Monday voted to strike a three-year partnership with the powerhouse NRL club for advertising and community sports clinics. A report given to councillors indicated the total cost of the agreement would be worth up to $2.47 million. In the first year, $383,500 has been committed to the deal, with the rest to be confirmed in 2024.

The council logo will be on the back of the Parramatta Eels jersey.Credit: Getty

Labor mayor Pierre Esber, who voted against the arrangement, said the sponsorship was “not the best use of council money when people are struggling to put food on the table”.

“Spending this kind of money right now … is this value for the City of Parramatta?” he said. “But that was the will of the chamber, which I accept.”

Along with the mayor, four councillors voted against the deal and nine supported it.

Parramatta Council’s $383,500 will be spent on “shared strategic areas” of community, brand and visitation in the first year of the agreement, according to a recommendation in the report. The council, however, could amend the spending breakdown for the second and third years of the deal.

Parramatta Lord Mayor Pierre Esber voted against his council’s motion.Credit: Kate Geraghty

The council’s logo will be displayed on the bottom of the back of player jerseys, as well as on screens and signage during home games at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta. Funding will also be invested in local women’s sport scholarships, player clinics, holiday camps and community events around the stadium on game day.

Councillors voted to reject one portion of the agreement that offered a 20-person “director’s table” at each home game for $79,600 after Our Local Community councillor Michelle Garrard moved an amendment to ditch it.

The report warned of “reputational risk” to the council if the recommendation was accepted.

Independent councillor Kellie Darley voted against the deal, saying she felt rushed to approve it ahead of the February launch of the NRL season.

“It doesn’t pass the pub test, whether it’s a pub full of Eels fans or not,” she said. “We actually don’t have the money and we have a backlog of [infrastructure projects].”

Garrard, who voted for the Eels sponsorship, said the deal was most focused on community benefit, not council branding.

“I don’t understand why there is so much backlash to this when we go out and sponsor the [arts show] Sydney Festival,” she said. “Why is the arts OK, but sport is not OK?”

She said the Eels’ school holiday programs were already full and the council’s funding would help increase the capacity for local programs.

“We want to become a global city, we want to be international. There’s no actual benefit in this agreement [to] the elected body, which is what usually causes a scandal.”

The council has a long history of financial partnership with its local NRL club. In 2015, the Herald revealed plans to pay club stars Tim Mannah, William Hopoate and Nathan Peats $25,000 each to be council ambassadors. The plans were ultimately scuppered amid extensive community backlash.

A spokesperson for the Eels referred the Herald’s questions to the council.

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