The Parramatta Eels Foundation will offer philanthropic donors, companies, and people a chance to assist the Club and its main initiatives.
The Club’s Academy & Pathway Programmes, the Centre of Excellence (COE) & Community Centre, and the Social Impact and Community programmes are the three main areas that the Foundation will assist.
The Eels Foundation message is straightforward, according to Parramatta Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos.
“To ensure we remain a force for positive social change in Western Sydney, the Foundation will play a central role in helping our Club provide world-class resources and facilities for men’s and women’s Pathways programmes and support the important work we do with our community programmes,” Jim stated.
The new COE, which is scheduled to be completed in March 2025, will be Australia’s largest rugby league facility. The facility will serve as a hub for women’s football alongside the men’s football programme from Pathways to NRL and NRLW, emphasising equal access and relevance.
An artist’s rendering of the Club’s new Community Centre and Centre of Excellence (COE), which is scheduled to open in March 2025.
The Club’s Community Centre, which will be located next to the COE, will house our pathways programmes’ facilities as well as extra community areas like cafes, multipurpose meeting rooms, and a 1500-seat grandstand. The club estimates that more than 65% of the facility’s users will be grassroots and community members.
In addition, it will host elite women’s rugby league matches, the NSW Cup, junior rugby league, touch football, and league tag teams. This will boost participation in all levels of rugby league for both boys and girls, from grassroots to elite, in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions.
An interior common area of the new Centre of Excellence (COE) as imagined by the artist.
There will be more to the new headquarters than just a training centre. It will highlight the Club’s illustrious past and serve as a venue for a celebration and welcome of the Eels’ partners, members, and supporters.
Crucially, the Foundation will support social and community involvement by funding initiatives that honour diversity, promote mental health, and encourage youth to be active members of their communities.
The Australian Sports Foundation Limited (ASF), which was founded in 1986 with the express intent of raising money for the advancement of sport, is a partner of the Club. The Australian Sports Commission Act 1989, which established the ASF, permits it to provide tax deductions for contributions of $2 or more.
