A $28 million centre of excellence and an all-weather Shark Park for both NRL and A-League matches is the bold vision for newly appointed Cronulla chairman Dino Mezzatesta.
In his first interview since taking over from a crestfallen Damian Keogh last month, the highly regarded Mezzatesta has revealed his goal to drive stability and ensure repeated NRL premiership success on the field, while off it, securing the Sharks future for another 50-years.
A $28 million centre of excellence and an all-weather Shark Park for both NRL and A-League matches is the bold vision for newly appointed Cronulla chairman Dino Mezzatesta.
In his first interview since taking over from a crestfallen Damian Keogh last month, the highly regarded Mezzatesta has revealed his goal to drive stability and ensure repeated NRL premiership success on the field, while off it, securing the Sharks future for another 50-years.
SHIRE BOY
Appointed as the chief operating officer of The Star Casino last November, Mezzatesta has key connections to Sydney’s top end of town while his phone book also stretches internationally having previously spent 11-years as the CEO of Accor Asia-Pacific.
The 49-year old father of two daughters was born and bred in the Sutherland Shire and attended a traditional rugby league school, De La Salle College Cronulla.
“I’ve always been a Shire resident, a Cronulla supporter,’’ Mezzatesta said.
“One of my best friends is John Gibson (Jack’s youngest son) and that family is renowned for rugby league.
“Andrew Ettingshausen was a couple of years above me at school and people like Jason Stevens and Brett Kimmorley are close friends and I’ve always had a love of the game.’’
KEOGH
Mezzatesta was an original member of Keogh’s ticket which saw a complete clean-out of the previous board in the wake of the ASADA scandal almost four-years ago.
Ahead of Sunday’s important home-clash with Manly, Mezzatesta never envisioned standing where he is today — chairing the club, following Keogh’s resignation as a result of an illicit drug charge.
“You just can’t ignore the contribution that Damian has made to the Sharks,’’ Mezzatesta said.
“He certainly should be congratulated for his contribution. He was pivotal to the club’s position at this point in time and he’s always welcome back to the club.
“Now, it’s all about stability. We’ve had our little ups and downs and now it’s all about focusing on the remainder of the season.
“It’s about focusing on the future, focusing on our developments, making sure we build on the foundations that have been laid for the years to come.’’
NEW STADIUM
Cronulla are approaching the third stage of a $750 million development on the land they own adjacent to Shark Park.
Once the residential phase is complete, construction of a retail precinct, described as the Shire’s answer to Barangaroo and connected to the Leagues Club, is slated to begin at the end of this season.
Further, Mezzatesta said the Sharks have recently applied for a slice of a promised $40 million in NSW government funding put aside for club’s to develop centre’s of excellence.
The Sharks also want to invest in plans to rejuvenate Shark Park into an all-seated stadium.
“The centre of excellence is about looking after our football club in the future, but it will also have extremely positive implications for our community,’’ Mezzatesta said.
“We need to get through the development stage and then we’ll look at the retail stage and not too long after that we’ll be looking at the stadium.
“We need to make sure it’s sustainable long-term. But we’ve certainly got an appetite to have more undercover seating.’’
ROUND-BALL
In a rare position of owning their land which overlooks Botany Bay, CEO Lyall Gorman has spent the past six months working in conjunction with the Sharks board on a pitch to the FFA.
The goal? To see a new Southern Sydney A-League team call Shark Park home.
“To use our asset well we’d like to think that maybe we’ve got more than just a football team running around on our ground,’’ Mezzatesta said.
“The A-League continually talks about another franchise and we’d welcome the opportunity to look at that.
“It seems like a logical fit (given record soccer participation numbers in the Shire), but at the same time we’re focusing on rugby league at the moment.’’.
CENTURY OF SHARKS
Sitting third on the NRL ladder, Cronulla are in the middle of celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Mezzatesta said that while the re-signing of club leaders Paul Gallen and Luke Lewis were immediate goals for the footy department, ensuring the club remained a game leader in a further 50-years was the board’s ultimate ambition.
“We’re committed to making Cronulla the powerhouse it should be as one of the top NRL performers,’’ Mezzatesta said.
“But also at all levels, not just football, but also game-day experience, our digital space and our work within the community.
“I’d like to think we’ll lead that charge, that’s our ambition and passion.’’
