NRL Centres of Excellence announced
Tuesday 19 December 2017 4:43pm
Ministerial media release
Local communities across NSW are set to benefit from the recent announcement of $50 million in funding allocated towards Centres of Excellence for NSW NRL clubs.
The NRL Centre of Excellence fund was created after the NSW Government redirected funds previously allocated as cash payments for NRL Grand Finals towards community based Centres of Excellence.
Centres of Excellence were identified as an important part of the Stadia Strategy in 2012 to maintain the link between high performance sport and community engagement.
Funding from the NSW Government must be matched dollar for dollar from NRL Clubs and/or third parties. Government investment cannot exceed more than 50 per cent of the project costs and each club has been informed of individual conditions required to obtain a funding agreement.
Five clubs have been approved for funding:
Bulldogs - $2 million
Knights - $10 million
Rabbitohs - $8.696 million
Roosters - $5.765 million
Sharks - $8 million
Funding reservations have been made for two more clubs whilst they further develop their Centre of Excellence proposals with the Office of Sport.
Sea Eagles - Up to $10 million for a Centre of Excellence at Brookvale
Wests Tigers - $5.5 million for Stage One of their Centre of Excellence
Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said the development of these new centres will provide multi-purpose facilities that offer promising young athletes and high performance athletes with world-class training and development in their local area.
“They also provide NRL Clubs an opportunity to maintain a strong presence in traditional communities as the Government prioritises capital investment into a targeted number of NSW Government venues,” Mr Ayres said.
NRL CEO Todd 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.
MEDIA: Anna Hindson I Minister Ayres I 0437 094 873
