Knights CEO Philip Gardner on club's new Centre of Excellence
NRL CEO Todd Greenberg believes the NSW Government's multimillion-dollar injection into centres of excellence will help rugby league reach its goal of delivering world-class facilities.
The Newcastle Knights, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Cronulla Sharks, Sydney Roosters, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Wests Tigers have welcomed the government's commitment to provide funding for development at club bases.
All grants from the government will be matched through private investments or local or federal government grants.
Greenberg said the new centres of excellence would make a difference in local communities.
"We want people playing sport and the best way to do that is to provide world class facilities where people can seek to improve their skills, and that is exactly what this funding will deliver," he said.
The Knights received a $10 million boost, which will be matched by a $10 million commitment from the Wests Group.
"We're delighted that this project has been given the go-ahead," Knights and Wests Group CEO Philip Gardner said.
"It will not only provide an additional four fields for grassroots football and NRL training, but will also prove to be the catalyst for the further development of the Broadmeadow sports precinct, which the wider Hunter community will benefit from."
For the Rabbitohs, they will receive $8.696 million for a community and high performance centre at Heffron Park in Maroubra.
"We've had our plans ready for this project for a long time now and the NSW Government funding was the last piece of the puzzle for us to get underway," Souths CEO Blake Solly said.
"We're keen to get started on the next phase of the project now and we're aiming to have our Community and High Performance Centre in operation by 2020."
The Sharks have been allocated $8 million for their multi-purpose facility.
"A Centre of Excellence is a key part of our strategy to grow grassroots participation, community programs, to deliver better outcomes for our junior pathways and elite programs and to provide facilities of the highest possible standard to support our NRL team. It will also be the first time the club is housed in a single facility," interim Sharks CEO Paul Eriksson said.
The Roosters will receive $5.765 million for a facility at Moore Park, which complements the upgrade of Allianz Stadium from 2021.
"This also ensures that the Roosters will have a permanent home within the Moore Park precinct, which is terrific for our members, supporters and wider community who will enjoy an even greater connection to the club," Roosters CEO Joe Kelly said.
The Bulldogs will receive $2 million for stage two of their centre of excellence at Belmore Sportsground.
"The Bulldogs are looking to create a world-class training facility for our players, and this will assist us greatly in doing this. It will also be a tremendous boost for the local community," Bulldogs CEO Andrew Hill said.
The Wests Tigers have received a commitment for $5.5 million for their proposal of a project at Concord Oval.
"We've been working closely with the Minister and the NSW Office of Sport over a period of time to develop a proposal that we believe will create an exemplar facility that will benefit both Wests Tigers and the community," Wests Tigers chair Marina Go said.
