The new $20 million Newcastle Knights Centre of Excellence officially opened on March 17, providing a home for the Knights team and allowing regional rugby league players the chance to develop their talent.
The new centre at District Park, Broadmeadow, provides world-class, high-performance training, administration and community facilities to foster rugby league talent in the Hunter.
Included are three full-sized training fields, a state-of-the-art gym, a multipurpose community and function area, theatrette and players’ lounge, a rehabilitation space, office areas and a cycle path.
Newcastle Knights and Wests Group Australia CEO, Philip Gardner, said the Centre of Excellence was a home for the Knights and for Rugby League in northern NSW.
“Our eight Men’s and Women’s teams, from the Harold Matthews Cup and Tarsha Gale Cup through to the NRL and NRLW, will all benefit from the Centre of Excellence’s existence,” Gardner said.
“But more so, it’s not just a home for the Knights; it’s a home for rugby league in northern NSW.”
Newcastle Knights head coach, Adam O’Brien, said the Centre of Excellence was an outstanding facility where the Knights could train, prepare and represent Newcastle.
“Our Centre of Excellence provides the highest of standards, and we are committed to living up to these standards day in day out,” O’Brien said.
The NSW Government contributed $10 million towards the project through its NRL Centres of Excellence Program, matched by Wests Group Australia on behalf of the Newcastle Knights.
Minister for Tourism and Sport Stuart Ayres said the opening of the Knights’ Centre of Excellence was a game-changer for Hunter’s rugby league.
“The Newcastle Knights Centre of Excellence is the leading rugby league facility in regional NSW,” Ayres said.
“It will improve male and female pathways and player development in the Hunter, ensuring the Knights challenge for NRL and NRLW premierships in the years to come.
“This project created 80 jobs and provided a major boost to the Hunter construction industry as it recovered from the impacts of the pandemic.”
More than $110 million has been contributed by the NSW Government towards eight Centres of Excellence projects under the NRL Centres of Excellence Program and NSW Government Centres of Excellence Program.
All Centres of Excellence include dedicated female programs and facilities to improve pathways for women and girls and multipurpose facilities that enable sporting organisations to expand community programs.
Hayley McMahon
Information source: Stuart Ayers MP