From the depths of the dark hole that was 2016, the Parramatta Eels have come such a long way in an incredibly short time. Let’s consider what’s been achieved and what lies ahead in the next couple of years:
- New $300m stadium – tick
- A football team on the ascent – tick
- $120m refurbished Leagues Club with fine dining, hotel, leisure and community facilities and a car park to match – tick
- Rooftop sports bar and brewery overlooking new stadium – tick
- Game day precinct to attract more people for longer – tick
- New football board selected on merit and an industry leading CEO to manage it all – tick
- Centre of Excellence (CoE) to attract and prepare the best NRL talent and maintain our leadership in junior development – yeah nah – nah.
In TCT’s view, the long term future of the Eels training facility is one of the critical issues the new Eels NRL Board faces. (There are other issues and they will be addressed in future posts.)
Whilst acknowledging the tremendous work and achievements of the club over the past 18 months, we are urging the Board to address the need for a Centre of Excellence.
Accordingly, this post will focus on the future of our training facilities and where we will be in three to five years time in comparison to our competition – given the big news the NSW Government dropped in December.
So, what is a Centre of Excellence? This is from the NSW Government website:
The NSW NRL Centres of Excellence Program was part of the NSW Government stadia announcement of 14 April 2016. The aim of the NRL Centres of Excellence Program is to foster elite performance, talent and youth development, community engagement, innovation, sustainable business models and environmentally sustainable infrastructure. Under the Program, facility projects could include:
• training grounds and administration centres for club’s ‘home’ teams;
• hosting games from junior level professional and feeder teams;
• hosting exhibition events;
• hosting pre-season events; and
• providing playing fields for junior games
• education and training rooms with access for local communities, schools, sporting clubs and other community groups.
The Program will fund up to 50% of a successful bid’s anticipated capital costs. NSW Government expects clubs to contribute and it is a condition of the Program that NSW NRL clubs and partners provide the remaining 50%. (Partners can include Federal or Local Government, private donors or the Clubs themselves)
The Program has a two stage application process – Expression of Interest (EOI) and Final Application. The EOI phase closed 11 November 2016. NSW NRL clubs were given feedback on their EOIs and invited to consider making a formal bid for Program funding.
The full application phase closed 31 March 2017.
Sounds like a great opportunity right? Out of all the NSW based teams, only Parramatta and St George Illawarra chose not to participate in the process. Most of us will recall what our board and executives were focussed on in 2016. Personal survival, much of which was at the Club’s expense.
Penrith were excluded from the process as they opened their CoE in 2016. Amazingly, it was fully funded by the Panthers Group at a cost of $22m. Sometimes it doesn’t pay to be first! Their CoE has received plenty of media coverage and Sixties has even taken a tour of the Penrith facility after selling his soul and pretending to be a Panthers supporter.
In 2016, at a Members Council meeting, then Eels CEO John Boulous spoke about a plan to work with an organisation like Disability Sports Australia to build a business case for a $20m COE at Saleyards. The business case would be presented to the three levels of government for funding. John spoke about the challenges with that approach, mainly arising from the zoning of the land around Saleyards. If you haven’t been there before, Saleyards is in the middle of a medium density pocket of North Parramatta, surrounded by townhouses and old homes on large blocks waiting to be developed.
However, TCT understands this wasn’t the only issue with the Eels unable to secure the required 50% of the funding from Federal or Local Government, or fund it from other operations or partners. The football club has lost about $22m in the last two years and expects to lose another $5-$6m in 2018. That will be almost $30m in three years! (I will write about commercial operations in future posts)
On December 19th, the NSW Government announced it had allocated $50 million in funding to seven clubs to help finance NRL Centres of Excellence. The funding has been redirected from the budget the Government had for the NRL grand final over a number of future years.
The five clubs approved for funding are:
• Canterbury – $2 million
• Newcastle – $10 million
• Souths – $8.696 million
• Roosters – $5.765 million
• Cronulla – $8 million
Funding reservations have been made for Manly and the Tigers while they further develop and tighten up their proposals.
Manly will receive up to $10 million. The delay in their funding seems to stem from a change in their approach from redeveloping their Narrabeen site to now looking at Brookvale as a catalyst for a stadium upgrade. The Tigers will receive $5.5 million for Stage One of their redevelopment at Concord Oval once they make a few changes to their proposal.
There are several conditions on the funding including public and community access to the assets.
To be fair to the previous Eels board, they did initiate our move from the sorry days at Richie Benaud Oval. Unfortunately, if you stand still you go backwards in the NRL.
Saleyards provides two outstanding fields and a good mix of facilities housed in demountable buildings. It reminds me of my days at Northmead High School! Demountables are exactly what they look like – temporary housing. It’s a stopgap measure, not a plan for the future.
Unquestionably, the club have made the best use of the asset and the players regard it as their home. However it is small – so small in fact that when we picked up a player in January one year he was forced to change outside as there was just no room. There is no pool or spas and medical services are conducted offsite. The gym is adequate, there is a small wrestle room, a small meeting room, a kitchen/player lounge, a physio/massage room, and some offices/desks for the coaching staff. The football administration staff are currently housed in the old Masonic Club in Parramatta which is a less than ideal environment provided under a less than ideal commercial arrangement.
So, with the State Government granting $50m to our competitors, what will potential senior and junior signing targets be comparing a career at Parramatta to? Where do you think they will choose to develop and hone their skills in the future?
Canterbury $2m
There are strong rumours the Dogs would use this third government grant to pay off Des.
Rumoured Eastern stand at Belmore.
However, according to the Dogs website, the funding will go towards creating facilities to assist in the continued development of grassroots and community programs in the local area, in addition to complementing the State Government’s overall quest to create an improved network of stadia. The rumours about replacing the entire Eastern side with Australia’s largest kebab shop have proven to be false, though any business model reliant on Sam Kasiano would have fallen apart with his move to the Storm.
On a serious note, Bulldogs Chief Executive Andrew Hill was delighted with the announcement:
“The club is delighted with the approval of funding for Stage Two of the development of facilities at Belmore. The Bulldogs are looking to create a world-class training facility for our players, and this will assist us greatly in doing that. It will also be a tremendous boost for the local community. We understand the importance of providing opportunities at both a community and grassroots level and programs that are currently in operation will benefit significantly from an improved Centre of Excellence at Belmore.”
Newcastle – $10m
$10m in funding for Newcastle will be matched by their new owners, Wests Newcastle. This investment will take them from the ‘porta-loo to the penthouse’ as far as NRL facilities are concerned. Seriously, before they moved to their current facility two years ago they were forced to use porta-loos. No wonder Joey went off the rails.
The centre of excellence had been earmarked for the Newcastle International Paceway, but the Knights are now investigating land at the southern end of McDonald Jones Stadium.
Nathan Brown told the Knights website that said the CoE will be a terrific asset for the Club as it aims to recruit established players and hold onto its best juniors.
“These facilities will certainly help local juniors play rugby league and accelerate their development in such a great environment,” Brown said.
Construction will start in the middle of 2018 and be completed by November 2019. The CoE will include administration offices, a high-performance gym and training area, medical rooms, sports science division, Knights museum, four full-sized playing fields and a recovery centre for failed billionaires.
The Knights also plan to partner with Newcastle Uni around their sports science program and offer support to elite athletes across all sports. It will be a powerful combination and one which will challenge Brisbane and Melbourne for the best off field facilities in the NRL, but without the third party deals. Has anyone found Andrew Gee yet?
Souths – $8.7m
The Rabbits are going large with a $32m new home at Heffron Park at Maroubra. Perhaps the most well prepared, the Rabbits had already secured $10 million in Federal Government funding, along with $3 million from Randwick Council, and $4 million of its own money. They wanted $15.3m and look to have received a little more than half. This will mean the development is staged, but $25m will go a long way.
In a situation not dissimilar to the Eels, the Rabbitohs’ lease on their current home at Redfern Oval will expire in 2020, with the club’s entire staff to make the move to Heffron Park once the project gets the green light. Construction is expected to take around 18 months. Souths are negotiating a 21 year lease with Randwick council.
Randwick City Council is spending $5.8 million on improvements to Heffron Park in 2017-18, including a netball and tennis court upgrade.
The Rabbits plan includes a building of 5,500sq m, housing the Rabbitohs’ gym facilities, an aquatics centre, players’ development and medical treatment areas, football executive, commercial and administration offices, and media and communications facilities. A merchandise store, cafe, public toilets, lecture theatre and meeting rooms would also be made available for non-exclusive use. Souths Cares and other community groups will also have access to the facilities.
This is an extremely impressive development from Souths and it’s likely to be one of the best facilities in the country in any sport. Hopefully they also build a dental clinic for their fans. The local Centrelink office will also relocate.
Roosters – $5.765m
Roosters Famous Brown Paper Bag
The NSW Government has committed $5.765 million to the Sydney Roorters project in the Moore Park precinct. TCT cannot confirm the veracity of suggestions that the cash was delivered directly to the private bank vault of Mr Politis in 43 large, unmarked, brown paper bags.
Leveraging the redevelopment of Allianz which will be ready in 2021, the Roorters will now have an even better setup than they have been blessed with to date.
At this point, it is not known who will use the facility but we all know it wont be their local juniors.
Manly – $10m
Manly’s planned building design was inspired by the shape of a Sea Eagle and represents a major update to the club’s existing facilities and is part of a plan to transform it’s Narrabeen home on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. However, Manly are now looking to integrate this development with an upgrade to Brookvale. They also have some funding issues to work through in order to meet the 50% requirement because of the size of the front door required to allow Peter Peters to walk through. I think Perth is a better option, or maybe Gabon.
Sharks – $8m
The Shark Way?
The Sharks are a great comeback story, even if you hate systematic drug cheating. A club which was almost broke about 5 years ago, is now flush with cash from astute property development, has their first premiership and a very competitive and experienced side to cheer on each week. The downside of course is you get to cheer for Paul Gallen. Even worse, you might find yourself taking a beer shower courtesy of red cheeks Rothfield. He has the best RSL tan I have ever seen.
Tigers $5m
Lifting the bar on the magnitude of investment, the Tigers are looking to source funding for a multi stage $57m development at Concord Oval. The plan includes demolishing the grandstands on either side and creating a unique community asset.
It is recognised the Tigers have the worst training facility in the NRL. Their club will contribute in excess of $10 million. The club has also gathered financial commitments from several different bodies to fund close to $30 million needed to build the community-based section of the facility.They are partnering with the PCYC, Canada Bay Council and are also working with the West Harbour Pirates.
PCYC NSW CEO Dominic Teakle said “this model provides a joint educational, sport, recreation and vocational facility that will benefit the community through health, mentoring and educational programs and activities.”
The facility will include a Tigers-exclusive gym and a community gym, as well as three basketball courts, a boxing facility and space for a rehabilitation clinic for Campelltown’s ice community.
“The proposed development is based on an exemplar model, bringing together elite sport, a community group with impeccable credentials in delivering facilities and programs to benefit the community, and local government,” CEO Pascoe told Michael Chammas.
The Tigers believe their facility will eventually surpass the Panthers as the premium facility in the NRL, and will be bettered only by the Fremantle Dockers on a national scale.
Its a shame their team never will.
Gold Coast
Artists impression of The Gold Coast CoE Bikie Clubhouse
The Gold Coast Titans started pre-season training at their new state-of-the-art facility this off season.
It houses altitude chambers, hydrotherapy baths, a three-lane pool and gymnasium to go with their administration headquarters, training field, medical facilities and the capacity to host the local chapter of the Rebels bikie club.
Raiders
The Raiders want to build a $20 million centre of excellence at Northbourne Oval by the end of 2018, which would not only benefit their NRL side but also enable them to field a team in the new women’s competition.
Both the NSW and ACT governments were involved in discussions to help make the COE a reality. Ricky Stuart has previously said the most poorly coached team in the comp risks falling even further behind their NRL rivals if they don’t upgrade from their current headquarters at Bruce to the proposed new facility in Braddon.
Ricky told the Canberra Times that “It’s vital for our recruitment, it helps us sell the club, it helps us keep our players here and keep them happy. It’s going to be too late to do this in three years’ time, we need to do this today, we need to be moving into this facility in 2018.”
Unfortunately for Ricky, his NRL fines could have funded the first two stages of the project. Fortunately, the club should be able to provide a huge cupboard where he can store his world famous collection of dummies.
St George Illawarra
The Dragons made an initial application in the first round of submissions in March 2017.
However, like the Eels, the Dragons appear to have been unorganised at the time and didn’t have project planning to a stage of acceptance and they couldn’t solve the funding issue. The Dragons say they are working with a couple of partners to try to pull something together. They hope to save some money on Ben Hunt’s salary by linking his pay packet to catching kickoffs.
Eels
Thanks for sticking with me on this. I’ve had a bit of fun with the details for each club but it’s a serious issue. In this exciting time for NRL with so much investment taking place, the Knights and Rabbits will have awesome facilities that should see them compete for years to come. The Eels need to have similar goals to these clubs, along with the requisite plan to get us there in the medium term. At the moment, it seems like there isn’t even any consideration taking place.
Where Eels fans thought Ricky should be.
Previously there has been talk of the Eels looking at Parramatta Gaol, Memorial Drive at Kellyville and Saleyards to develop a CoE. More important than location is finding the right partners to help you fund it. For the foreseeable future, the Leagues Club will have little to no ability to fund any $20m development for the NRL Club. We will have to look elsewhere or risk falling further behind every year, because the reality is that by 2020, every NRL club will offer better training facilities for their players than the Eels, and most probably by a long way.
With everything happening around our club, we are on the verge of something monumental. Between the new stadium and the Leagues Club, almost $450m of funding is being pumped into our traditional home over three years. We have a team of people to ensure it is delivered without fault. Now we need them to leverage the momentum and publicity into a planned training facility and community asset that will be without peer.
Go the Eels!
Chris
Thanks to SMH, Telegraph, Club Websites and the internet in general.
Love your article Chris you should be do more.
Having said that his is a serious issue and I am disappointed that it has got to this stage and we have missed funding from the State governmnnt. You are right of course if nothing is done it has the potential to undo all that we have achieved in moving forward over the last couple of years.
Thanks John.
Advantages are so hard to come by in NRL or in any business for that matter and when you have one, like our junior development program and the momentum the new stadium is going to provide, you can’t allow others to catch up.
We should have found a way to make it happen. Thats in the past now so what is critical is a plan to deliver to and that is what I’m asking the new board to establish and chase.
Very good reporting Chris
Thanks Ecniv. It was good to research this subject. With the announcement being made just before Christmas, I didn’t really catch the detail and I certainly didn’t understand that every club in Sydney other than the Eels was moving forward with very substantial strategies.
Good read n good write up chris. I think on the funding from our govt teams had a choice if they wanted it & I think parra said thanks but no thanks knowing to well that the govt was already funding our new stadium. N if we took another few million other clubs will start asking questions. How come they get more n plus a new stadium.
#Eels4life#
I understand that the club was in turmoil at the time but they should have found a way to get the money. That is what consultants are for. If my memory serves me correctly, Parramatta City Council was also offering some funding
This is seperate to the Stadium funding. I think that this is a fail by the club to not chase this money
We literally did not have a board during a large portion of the proposal time. It’s just a case of wrong governance crisis, wrong time. Not much point blaming the “club” as a whole for that one. Maybe Steve Sharp can set up some squat racks in his garage for the club to use to make up for it?
John I understand we’re your coming from but I think it’s good that our club didn’t chase the $$$$.
Why you ask well it shows the NRL n other teams that we won’t n don’t need to depend on govt funding. It shows we are a strong club financel n overall.
#Eels4life#
Rev I wish that was true. We are perhaps the poorest performing NRL club from a financial point of view. In 2016 we lost $12m, in 2017 we lost close to $10m and we expect to lose $6m this year. If it wasn’t for the generosity of the Leagues Club, we would be in all sorts of trouble.
Our revenue streams and commercial performance are the other critical element this board needs to solve. There are very few costs left to cut. Resources in administration are sparse and you don’t want to mess with the football program when it looks like it is in the best shape for 20 years.
The new stadium should drive more sponsors and more paid up season ticket holders. The football club will probably never run at a profit, but everyone recognises the current financial performance is unacceptable and not sustainable.
I thought that might be a consideration as well Rev, but the Roosters are getting a new stadium and cash in this process as well.
Yes I notice that but they are money hungry …
Great stuff Chris, even if it has resulted in a near 100% chance of my visiting a kebab shop for lunch.
On our current facilities, both players and coach seem to like the setup, but I get the feeling that is because it really works with Brad’s underdogs style. His presence and attitude to the facilities probably lifts them up in the player’s eyes and goes a long way to compensating for the fact we’ve got a demountable gym and wrestling room and if you really wanted to you could go and cook up on the club BBQ outside training hours. The condition of the playing fields is excellent, but those gyms, change rooms and recovery facilities aren’t future proof. I remember how bad school was on 40 degree days in demountables, imagine a debriefing session after field work in the off season!
If worst comes to worst at some point and BA leaves, I think it would compound our problem having sub par facilities. We’ve got a setup that really needs a salesman, and luckily right now we have a decent one. Take that away and a life in the eastern suburbs with a government funded super-gym and a morning paper bag delivery is hard to compete with.
Gol you sum it up perfectly. Our current facilities do the job now and there is a great team environment that has been built. The issue will be in 3 years when everyone else shoots past us, and by a long way.
Look at our closest three neighbours – Penrith, Dogs and Wests.
Penrith – $22m facility completed in 2016.
Dogs – Final stage of CoE now funded
Wests – $57m grand plans and some years off, but they will be there before we are at this stage. They have partners and cash committed.
Chris, Gol agree with your sentiments here but at the end of the day they have to find a way to make this happen. I am sure that there is an opportunity using sponsers and government together to form an alliance and get this happening
I have only been to the Sakeyards once and the first thing that struck me was how cramped it felt.
Even if they used multi story buildings I think that they would still struggle for space. I am sure that there is an answer
Great read Chris and the topic is an interesting one. I hope /assume the board have something in place for this, and hopefully if they do the govt has parameters to allow this to occur as i am sure there will be other grants / opportunities to apply.
I also hope they look to confirming the coach before the season begins….
Great read thanks Chris. I remember that conversation with JB at the council meeting about the plans for the Saleyards. The CoE they were planning at the time was hailed to be state of the art, and from memory, they were looking to link with a university as well. Shame that things happened as they did, but I’m confident that with or without the funding, it’ll come. Just hope it doesn’t come too late.
Great to hear from you Anthony. Thanks for following TCT.
I work next door to the Raiders “20m centre of excellence” and let me tell you it is 2 fields and a shed. If the ACT government spent 20 mil on that it was a waste of money…..
I hasn’t been started yet. John Barilaro the NSW Govt Dept Premier is trying to help them even though the facility will be in the ACT. He view it as an opportunity for his electorate which is on the border.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/rugby-league/canberra-raiders/nsw-government-commits-to-canberra-raiders-centre-of-excellence-john-barilaro-20171217-h060ow.html
Chris / Sixties etc, just a query i imagine the GWS received a good handout and they have decent facilities out at Rooty Hill…..surely with the business etc in Parra we could receive something….?
Mitchy, as Chris has mentioned, we’ve had discussions, preliminary plans or ideas but it has never progressed beyond this. Right now, there isn’t really anything on the horizon. There’s so many positives to be excited about, but the Board can’t take their eye off the ball. When you plan to tread water for an extended period, you’re setting yourself up to sink.
Cheers Sixties; regards Milo. This is a superb blog, and as you said we need to strike while the iron is hot. Surely there are business partnerships waiting???
A very good and comical article Chris.
To have one of the better facilities with all the bells and whistles I believe we’ll need partners so need to share, which makes sense. No good having a $20m+ facility that sits idle for 22 hours a day. Does WSW have any facilities, can we link up with Uni NSW, can in conjunction Parra City Council or a commercial organisation it be open to public with various parts reserved for the players during certain times?
Can it be part funded by the supporters much like Broncos was?
These are all questions to be asked and answered so it can be funded sooner rather than later as we have missed the boat regarding government funding.
Obviously, the centres of excellence provide a major facility for the sport of rugby league. Glenn, the current facility at Saleyards is in action from about 6:30 in the morning till the evening. The NRL makes major use from early morning to early/mid arvo. The 20s and junior elite training program are making use after work/school. As it stands, there’s limitations even just for rugby league. Ideally the development of a facility like Saleyards would mean that the ground could also host Junior Rep matches – something that it cannot do apart from trials.
Having a facility that could cater for other community groups via meeting/lecture rooms, rehab pool, gym etc makes better use of land that the council currently controls.
Good Read Chris, keep up the good work.
This is a very detailed articles th issu of the progress e need to make on the CoE, however has this been asked of Bernie and the current board?
Their response to this matter would be of most interest, given the commercial reality of the proposed extension of club facilities, their current ideas on this initative is needed
Chris, have you pushed this question up the line, perhaps that is something that needs to be done to see where they sit currently, as you say, with all the good things happening , we need to ensure that future developments for the playing group are not ignored.
Too quick in typing , should read ” article on the issue of the progress we need to make”
Great article chris ,just like to say though back in 2014 we were training at richie benaud cow paddock and commuting to gyms ,pools physios etc ,weve come a long way driven by the coaching staff and parra minded people ,still plenty to do but were not stagnant anymore ,the best thing though now is that we have progressive people in charge finally, patience will be rewarded !
Great read- Thank you!
I don’t begin to know or understand all the plannings, proposals etc that go into funding and the development of a CoE. All I know is that getting any proposal in by March last year was virtually impossible as we did not have a board until Feb. So while we missed that opportunity, getting a skilled board and management was of more immediate concern as without this no CoE would be of any use. A rushed and poorly planned proposal and CoE would ultimately do us more harm. To be a true CoE it must be well planned.
I trust and hope this is a priority and something being looked at by the board and management, especially considering the banking, business and marketing expertise on the board. These skills on the board are what so many fans have been wanting for so long, now we need to see the benefits of these skills. If by the end of this year or early next year we as members have heard nothing, I will then be much more concerned and critical.
Shelley, this is not meant as a criticism of the current football board. Rather, it’s raising this important topic and ultimately conveying this message to them.
We can’t afford to stand still.
Terrific article Chris….agree with the comment that while ever BA is at the helm the saleyards will be the best in the eyes of the players.
Let’s hope BA stays at the helm for as long, if not longer than Brian Smith….with considerable more success.
Patiently waiting for the report on the junior trials that took place last Sat.
Had every intention of going out to watch the boys, but the heat got the better of me.
About to be posted mate.
A genuinely funny and articulate article. If this wasn’t on the new board’s radar it will be now. I m a bit surprised that the new stadium will not have all the aforementioned facilities. We will have an entire new precinct and stadium and no room for a CoE. Most new developments have a ground floor area for shops or professional suites. Maybe it’s not too late for a shared CoE at the stadium that the WSW could also use?
I believe that it would be difficult to find the space required there PT.
Saleyards may not even be the answer if a long term lease is not possible. From that perspective, with it’s current short term lease you can understand why demountables are there. We need to sort that out.
I’m not sure how many man hours it takes to put together a submission for a CoE but I reckon the amount of time it would have taken you to put together this article must have been close. A great read. My only criticism is that it should have started “Dear Bernie, …”
I do not get a sense that Bernie is the issue here more the past dysfunctional board as Gol points out. Also the club at present would be stretched given the challenge of funding the new extensions to the club.
Having said that it will become a problem should the board not move toward some sort of an outcome on the issue. But I have faith in Bermie and the current board to move toward on a resution in this matter
TCT shares your faith here. We just wanted to highlight something that probably slipped under the radar for most fans because of when it was announced.
I didn’t give it much consideration at the time.
It was an eye opener for me to see what every other team in Sydney is up to. There will some amazing facilities in three years time, some even sooner.
Hi Chris – great article. apparently Jaeman Salmon passed up Penrith (with their centre of excellence) and the Sharks (with their proposed centre of excellence) due in large part to Brad Arthur. His unassuming style along with the more laid-back, but contained facilities at the Saleyards (with two great fields) are perfect for a side looking to stay beneath the radar and emerge to top of the pack. Having also toured Penrith’s COE – yes, it’s a great facility – but its also rather impersonal. The key lies with the coaching staff supported by the back office (Bernie and his team). Bearing in mind, the Sharks want a COE because of their success not to create it. In time, no doubt a COE will be born in Parra, but it’s not a prerequisite for their success in the short to mid-term. Thanks for all your info on the team!
Very thought-provoking and comprehensive. You brought so much together in a comprehensive article Chris. Keep it up!
Cheers, Jon Hillman