Latest news with #JimSarantinos
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Parramatta Eels unveil $70m centre of excellence in Kellyville
Parramatta has officially launched its centre of excellence in Kellyville with the Eels opening the doors on the largest facility of its kind in rugby league on Thursday morning. The $70 million site is spread across 11 hectares and includes five full-size rugby league fields, a community centre, an indoor training centre, a gym and infrared sauna, rehabilitation pools, the club's offices and NRLW-standard match facilities with a capacity of 5,000. The venue is the first fully integrated NRL and NRLW training facility in Australia and a far cry from the Old Saleyards the club used as a training base when CEO Jim Sarantinos first joined the club back in 2016. "The gym was spread across three small little demountable modulars, the ice baths were out on the balcony, the first space I walked into was a team meeting room … but the chairs that were in there were plastic chairs from Bunnings, and it was so tight that players were kind of falling off and stumbling off the chairs," Sarantinos said. "Credit to them, the coaches and the players never used it as an excuse for performance but at some point it does have an impact. Funded by the NSW and federal government, the Hills Shire Council and Parramatta Leagues club, the Eels searched far and wide across professional sport, touring Premier League and NFL facilities to hone the design of the facility. There was also a special focus on integrating the club's history. The theatre room is named Jack's Bus, after the bus coach Jack Gibson used as a meeting place during the club's premiership years in the 80s. Former Eels from those premiership sides like Brett Kenny, Peter Sterling, Peter Wynn, Mick Cronin, Eric Grothe and Ray Price all donated memorabilia to the club to give the new building a true blue and gold feel. "We brought a number of players along for tours at different stages of the build and the biggest thing they were blown away by was just the size and the scale, particularly compared to the facilities that we were operating in," Sarantinos said. "We picked up a lot of ideas from looking at facilities in Australia, the US and Europe as well. "When you're going overseas, you're dealing with organisations that are on a different scale from a financial perspective, but it is about picking up things, different ideas that can be applied in our context." The accompanying community centre and grandstand will allow the Eels to play NSW Cup, junior representative and NRLW trial games at the venue. Sarantinos is hopeful the club could also host NRLW competition games in the future. "Once we set the facility up and we're up and running we'll be able to have the capacity to accommodate somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000 people for a game," he said. "Obviously, we'd love for the NRLW to grow where facilities like this are too small to accommodate NRLW games, but whilst we're still going on that growth trajectory … there's no reason why our facility wouldn't be able to accommodate games."
The Advertiser
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
How Liverpool and the Cowboys inspired Eels' NRL oasis
Parramatta have officially opened the biggest oasis in rugby league history, inspired by English football giants Liverpool and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. The Eels' centre of excellence is built on 11 hectares of land in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Kellyville, boasting five footy fields at a cost a hefty $70 million tipped in by three levels of government and the Parramatta Leagues Club. Inside, there's a 1000 sqm state-of-the-art gymnasium, a 60-seat theatre, an aquatic recovery centre with saunas - added at the players' request - and even a podcast studio. It's a far cry from the Old Saleyards Reserve in North Parramatta, the public park where the Eels trained when Jim Sarantinos first became chief executive. Sarantinos remembers walking into the team meeting room for the first time in 2016. "The chairs that were in there were plastic chairs from Bunnings and it was so tight that players were kind of falling off and stumbling off the chairs," he said ahead of Friday's clash with Manly. "Credit to them, the coaches and the players never used it as an excuse for performance, but at some point it does have an impact." As the Eels began dreaming of a new home, Sarantinos travelled far and wide to visit similar facilities at elite sporting clubs. NRL rivals North Queensland had been building their centre of excellence about the same time the Eels were finalising their plans, so they became a sounding board for Parramatta. Sarantinos also dropped into Premier League facilities in England - including those of his favourite team Liverpool - and the Dallas Cowboys' centre, which opened in 2016 at the staggering cost of $US1.5 billion. Two things became clear on his travels. First, the Eels' major challenge would be creating a similar sanctuary on a smaller budget. "It is about picking up things, different ideas that can be applied in our context," Sarantinos said. One such touch was to include American sports-style premiership banners in the gymnasium to commemorate the club's four grand-final wins. Secondly, it was important to pay homage to the club's history in this kind of building. "That was a pretty common theme for a lot of the facilities that we visited. Each organisation has done it in their own different way," Sarantinos said. For the Eels, the centre of excellence features a wall that displays the name of every player to represent the club at either NRL and NRLW level. Eels champion Peter Sterling spent about half an hour making his way across it on his visit to the club, and was one of a number of club legends to donate historic gear to display at the centre. The centre's theatre has been christened "Jack's Bus" - a reference to three-time premiership-winning coach Jack Gibson, who used to gather his team for meetings on a decommissioned bus during his tenure in charge. The Eels are also looking to the future. Sarantinos's hope is NRLW games could be held at the centre from 2026, with a 1500-seat grandstand helping the club host more than 3000 fans if required. "Obviously we'd love for the NRLW to grow where facilities like this are too small to accommodate NRLW games, but while we're still going on that growth trajectory ... there's no reason why our facility wouldn't be able to accommodate games," Sarantinos said. Parramatta have officially opened the biggest oasis in rugby league history, inspired by English football giants Liverpool and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. The Eels' centre of excellence is built on 11 hectares of land in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Kellyville, boasting five footy fields at a cost a hefty $70 million tipped in by three levels of government and the Parramatta Leagues Club. Inside, there's a 1000 sqm state-of-the-art gymnasium, a 60-seat theatre, an aquatic recovery centre with saunas - added at the players' request - and even a podcast studio. It's a far cry from the Old Saleyards Reserve in North Parramatta, the public park where the Eels trained when Jim Sarantinos first became chief executive. Sarantinos remembers walking into the team meeting room for the first time in 2016. "The chairs that were in there were plastic chairs from Bunnings and it was so tight that players were kind of falling off and stumbling off the chairs," he said ahead of Friday's clash with Manly. "Credit to them, the coaches and the players never used it as an excuse for performance, but at some point it does have an impact." As the Eels began dreaming of a new home, Sarantinos travelled far and wide to visit similar facilities at elite sporting clubs. NRL rivals North Queensland had been building their centre of excellence about the same time the Eels were finalising their plans, so they became a sounding board for Parramatta. Sarantinos also dropped into Premier League facilities in England - including those of his favourite team Liverpool - and the Dallas Cowboys' centre, which opened in 2016 at the staggering cost of $US1.5 billion. Two things became clear on his travels. First, the Eels' major challenge would be creating a similar sanctuary on a smaller budget. "It is about picking up things, different ideas that can be applied in our context," Sarantinos said. One such touch was to include American sports-style premiership banners in the gymnasium to commemorate the club's four grand-final wins. Secondly, it was important to pay homage to the club's history in this kind of building. "That was a pretty common theme for a lot of the facilities that we visited. Each organisation has done it in their own different way," Sarantinos said. For the Eels, the centre of excellence features a wall that displays the name of every player to represent the club at either NRL and NRLW level. Eels champion Peter Sterling spent about half an hour making his way across it on his visit to the club, and was one of a number of club legends to donate historic gear to display at the centre. The centre's theatre has been christened "Jack's Bus" - a reference to three-time premiership-winning coach Jack Gibson, who used to gather his team for meetings on a decommissioned bus during his tenure in charge. The Eels are also looking to the future. Sarantinos's hope is NRLW games could be held at the centre from 2026, with a 1500-seat grandstand helping the club host more than 3000 fans if required. "Obviously we'd love for the NRLW to grow where facilities like this are too small to accommodate NRLW games, but while we're still going on that growth trajectory ... there's no reason why our facility wouldn't be able to accommodate games," Sarantinos said. Parramatta have officially opened the biggest oasis in rugby league history, inspired by English football giants Liverpool and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. The Eels' centre of excellence is built on 11 hectares of land in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Kellyville, boasting five footy fields at a cost a hefty $70 million tipped in by three levels of government and the Parramatta Leagues Club. Inside, there's a 1000 sqm state-of-the-art gymnasium, a 60-seat theatre, an aquatic recovery centre with saunas - added at the players' request - and even a podcast studio. It's a far cry from the Old Saleyards Reserve in North Parramatta, the public park where the Eels trained when Jim Sarantinos first became chief executive. Sarantinos remembers walking into the team meeting room for the first time in 2016. "The chairs that were in there were plastic chairs from Bunnings and it was so tight that players were kind of falling off and stumbling off the chairs," he said ahead of Friday's clash with Manly. "Credit to them, the coaches and the players never used it as an excuse for performance, but at some point it does have an impact." As the Eels began dreaming of a new home, Sarantinos travelled far and wide to visit similar facilities at elite sporting clubs. NRL rivals North Queensland had been building their centre of excellence about the same time the Eels were finalising their plans, so they became a sounding board for Parramatta. Sarantinos also dropped into Premier League facilities in England - including those of his favourite team Liverpool - and the Dallas Cowboys' centre, which opened in 2016 at the staggering cost of $US1.5 billion. Two things became clear on his travels. First, the Eels' major challenge would be creating a similar sanctuary on a smaller budget. "It is about picking up things, different ideas that can be applied in our context," Sarantinos said. One such touch was to include American sports-style premiership banners in the gymnasium to commemorate the club's four grand-final wins. Secondly, it was important to pay homage to the club's history in this kind of building. "That was a pretty common theme for a lot of the facilities that we visited. Each organisation has done it in their own different way," Sarantinos said. For the Eels, the centre of excellence features a wall that displays the name of every player to represent the club at either NRL and NRLW level. Eels champion Peter Sterling spent about half an hour making his way across it on his visit to the club, and was one of a number of club legends to donate historic gear to display at the centre. The centre's theatre has been christened "Jack's Bus" - a reference to three-time premiership-winning coach Jack Gibson, who used to gather his team for meetings on a decommissioned bus during his tenure in charge. The Eels are also looking to the future. Sarantinos's hope is NRLW games could be held at the centre from 2026, with a 1500-seat grandstand helping the club host more than 3000 fans if required. "Obviously we'd love for the NRLW to grow where facilities like this are too small to accommodate NRLW games, but while we're still going on that growth trajectory ... there's no reason why our facility wouldn't be able to accommodate games," Sarantinos said.
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
How Liverpool and the Cowboys inspired Eels' NRL oasis
Parramatta have officially opened the biggest oasis in rugby league history, inspired by English football giants Liverpool and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. The Eels' centre of excellence is built on 11 hectares of land in the northwestern Sydney suburb of Kellyville, boasting five footy fields at a cost a hefty $70 million tipped in by three levels of government and the Parramatta Leagues Club. Inside, there's a 1000 sqm state-of-the-art gymnasium, a 60-seat theatre, an aquatic recovery centre with saunas - added at the players' request - and even a podcast studio. It's a far cry from the Old Saleyards Reserve in North Parramatta, the public park where the Eels trained when Jim Sarantinos first became chief executive. Sarantinos remembers walking into the team meeting room for the first time in 2016. "The chairs that were in there were plastic chairs from Bunnings and it was so tight that players were kind of falling off and stumbling off the chairs," he said ahead of Friday's clash with Manly. "Credit to them, the coaches and the players never used it as an excuse for performance, but at some point it does have an impact." As the Eels began dreaming of a new home, Sarantinos travelled far and wide to visit similar facilities at elite sporting clubs. NRL rivals North Queensland had been building their centre of excellence about the same time the Eels were finalising their plans, so they became a sounding board for Parramatta. Sarantinos also dropped into Premier League facilities in England - including those of his favourite team Liverpool - and the Dallas Cowboys' centre, which opened in 2016 at the staggering cost of $US1.5 billion. Two things became clear on his travels. First, the Eels' major challenge would be creating a similar sanctuary on a smaller budget. "It is about picking up things, different ideas that can be applied in our context," Sarantinos said. One such touch was to include American sports-style premiership banners in the gymnasium to commemorate the club's four grand-final wins. Secondly, it was important to pay homage to the club's history in this kind of building. "That was a pretty common theme for a lot of the facilities that we visited. Each organisation has done it in their own different way," Sarantinos said. For the Eels, the centre of excellence features a wall that displays the name of every player to represent the club at either NRL and NRLW level. Eels champion Peter Sterling spent about half an hour making his way across it on his visit to the club, and was one of a number of club legends to donate historic gear to display at the centre. The centre's theatre has been christened "Jack's Bus" - a reference to three-time premiership-winning coach Jack Gibson, who used to gather his team for meetings on a decommissioned bus during his tenure in charge. The Eels are also looking to the future. Sarantinos's hope is NRLW games could be held at the centre from 2026, with a 1500-seat grandstand helping the club host more than 3000 fans if required. "Obviously we'd love for the NRLW to grow where facilities like this are too small to accommodate NRLW games, but while we're still going on that growth trajectory ... there's no reason why our facility wouldn't be able to accommodate games," Sarantinos said.
