Eels training center transformative milestone

Image: @TheParraEels on X

The Australian professional rugby league football club Parramatta Eels recently officially opened the $70m Parramatta Eels Centre of Excellence (COE) in Kellyville, New South Wales, Australia, and the Kellyville Memorial Park Community Centre in Kellyville, the largest rugby league training precinct in the world, marking a transformative milestone for the club and the broader Western Sydney community.

‘PARRAMATTA EELS’ stated that funded by the NSW and Australian Government, The Hills Shire Council (a local Government area in the Greater Sydney Region of Sydney) and the Parramatta Leagues Club (a premier destination for entertainment, dining and leisure for the past 59 years) the precinct features five full-sized rugby league fields and is the first gender-equal elite facility in Australia with all training facilities replicated for Men and Women across the National Rugby League (NRL), NRL Women’s Premiership (NRLW – a rugby league competition in Australasia for the female players) and the Elite Pathways programs (designed to nurture and develop high-potential players).

The Parramatta Eels are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL).

The 30,000-capacity Western Sydney Stadium, currently known as the CommBank Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multipurpose stadium in the suburb of Parramatta, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It serves as the home facility of the Parramatta Eels.

Sydney (Australia)-based the National Rugby League (NRL) is a professional rugby league competition in Oceania which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, and New Zealand.

‘PARRAMATTA EELS’ further stated that the Community Centre which stands beside the COE will be part of an international standard match venue with a 1,500-seat grandstand and
multipurpose function and community education rooms to enable the club to expand its community programs and initiatives.

Observed Jim Sarantinos, Parramatta Eels head honcho, “This marks a transformative moment for the club and our community. The Centre of Excellence will provide the Eels Men’s, Women’s and pathways programs with world-class resources and the environment they need to thrive while increasing participation across all forms of rugby league in one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. Most importantly it will be a home for the entire Parramatta Eels family, including the past players, the members, the fans, the partners and the wider Eels, and the Western Sydney community.

Added Andrew Charlton, Federal Member for Parramatta, “Nothing brings people together like sport and we’re proud to have backed the delivery of a space where connection, opportunity and community spirit can thrive. It’s inclusive, it’s local, it’s Eels – and it’s everything we’re proud of in Parramatta.”

Stated Steve Kamper, NSW Minister for Sport, “The opening of the Eels’ Centre of Excellence and the Kellyville Memorial Park Community Centre is a game-changing facility for the community. The dreams of the junior boys and girls at the Wentworthville Magpies (Australian rugby league team), or the Rouse Hill Rhinos (junior rugby league club in Castle Hill, Australia) of wearing the Eels jersey have become more attainable with the completion of this facility.”

Maintained Dr Michelle Byrne, Mayor of the Hills Shire, “The new Centre of Excellence and Community Centre is a landmark facility for our region – providing the young footballers with a world-class facility to train, compete and chase their dreams. The next Mitchell Moses (a professional rugby league footballer who captains and plays as a halfback for the Parramatta Eels) could very well begin their journey right here. This project is a great example of all three levels of Government working together with a leading sporting organization to deliver outstanding outcomes for our growing community and the ever-popular – and rapidly growing – rugby league.”

Said Greg Monaghan, Parramatta Leagues Club Chairman, “Congratulations to the Eels on the incredible achievement of launching this world-class Centre of Excellence. As the cornerstone of our Parra Group – now proudly representing 100,000 members – our shared commitment to the Rugby League, sport and community has never been stronger. Together we contribute over $1 million annually to support the local initiatives and the Centre of Excellence is a significant extension of that commitment. We are extremely proud of the positive and lasting impact this facility will have on our community. We also extend our sincere thanks to the Federal and the State Governments and The Hills Shire Council for their vision and foresight in backing a project that will benefit generations to come.”

The Parramatta Eels major sponsor James Hardie (the world’s No 1 producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement and fiber gypsum building solutions) will invest in the Centre of Excellence and Community Centre with initiatives aimed at connecting the broader Western Sydney community.

Averred John Arneil, James Hardie Asia-Pacific (APAC) President, “As a company with deep roots in the local area we believe in building a better future for all not just through our products but by investing in the communities where we live, work and play.”

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