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Kogarah naming rights sponsor: UOW Jubilee Oval

Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,132
Dragons' Kogarah home gets new name

The St George Illawarra Dragons and University of Wollongong on Monday announced an extended partnership for a further two years, until at least the end of 2017.

The partnership was formalised with the Club and UOW signing an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to extend their longstanding partnership which now extends to include the naming rights of Jubilee Oval, Kogarah.
The renamed UOW Jubilee Oval will host its first NRL fixture for the 2016 season when the Dragons host the Canberra Raiders on Thursday night.
"We have had a positive and progressive relationship with UOW for the past seven years and we are delighted to join forces with them and Kogarah Council on this naming rights arrangement," said Dragons CEO Peter Doust.
"UOW is respected and recognised internationally and we are delighted to continue and extend our association."
The partnership also provides for a joint community program within the St George district focused on inspiring school students to become leaders, set long term education and career goals, discover pathways to achieve them, develop study skills and build resilience to overcome challenges.
The Dragons and UOW initially formalised their association in 2009, committing under an MoU to collaboratively pursue positive outcomes for both organisations regarding research, scholarships, community programs, internships, promotions and facility use.
University of Wollongong Chief Finance Officer Damien Israel said the partnership opens up opportunities for collaboration and engagement within the wider community.
"We believe the partnership is a perfect fit and we have seen great success already through a range of initiatives, including the Graduates of League program," said Israel.
"By extending our partnership with the St George Illawarra Dragons we are reaffirming our commitment to this great club and to our shared objectives."
The Dragons currently have 17 players enrolled at the University studying a broad range of degrees as part of the acclaimed Graduates of League (GOL) program.
The GOL program was founded by the Athlete Education Foundation (AEF) in 2012 to increase university entry, retention and completion rates among elite athletes and professional sports people.
A successful pilot program run in 2012 at UOW in partnership with the Dragons, which was led by Club Captain Ben Creagh, has since been replicated across other NRL clubs, in association with universities, nationwide.
"I started playing rugby league with the University of Wollongong Club and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 2013," said Creagh.
"The Dragons and UOW are significant organisations across our region which I am proud to be associated with and the ongoing opportunities not only benefit both organisations, but so too our community."
UOW is a research-intensive university with an outstanding reputation for its learning environments across a broad range of disciplines and is presently ranked within the top two-percent of tertiary institutions worldwide.

- Dragons media release, republished on LeagueUnlimited at http://leagueunlimited.com/news/28157-dragons-kogarah-home-gets-new-name/
 

Willow

Assistant Moderator
Messages
108,132
Get out to the game and bring a friend or two.

I know it is on a Thursday night, and that sucks. But it is our first game of the year at Kogarah.... UOW Jubilee Oval!

On the upside for interstaters, flights are cheap mid-week.

I'm already locked in. We'll be at the Taj by 5pm. I've got the first shout.
 

DragonsBlood

Juniors
Messages
73
I at the Taj about 6ish I reckon. A quick feed then off to the TAB for a few cheeky Tri's and into Gate C at around 7.30 :D.
 

getsmarty

Immortal
Messages
33,485

  • Sharks circling as Cronulla enter murky waters in enemy territory
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Cronulla have drawn the battle lines with neighbours St George Illawarra over Kogarah Oval, the long-term spiritual headquarters of the Dragons but now the home of the Sharks for the next two years while their own stadium is built.

The Sharks' new sabre-rattling chief executive, Richard Munro, said of next year’s round 3 clash between the bitter rivals: “I’m looking forward to seeing Dragons in the visitors' change-room at Kogarah Oval.

55b7c9cd075d4a96d2b9b359aab198118018c664

Bronson Xerri's Sharks will be hoping their move into enemy territory pays dividends over the next two NRL seasons.Credit:Getty

“Cronulla will be the major tenant of Kogarah Oval. We’re playing 11 games there, while the Dragons are only playing five."

Pivotal in the battle is St George Leagues Club, which sits majestically across the road from what is now named Netstrata Jubilee Stadium.

Its boss, Danny Robinson, is a wily operator who has long been opposed to football fans, including Dragons supporters, filling up the spacious car park of the “Taj Mahal”.

Robinson reasons that football fans take the car spaces that could be used by poker machine players.

The “members only” sign usually goes up outside the club premises on game day. Sydney FC, who are playing 10 games at Kogarah in the current A-League season, have become accustomed to this. When the game starts, the sign comes down. If you want to park at the club, either miss the start of the A-League game or become a paid-up member of St George Leagues Club.

The Sharks' own licensed club is closed, along with their home ground, while a commercial/residential development proceeds on the site.

They have amalgamated with Kareela Golf Club, 10 minutes' drive from their old clubhouse, hoping members will patronise it until the new premises are expected to open in October 2021.

But will Sharks fans leaving Kogarah Oval divert to Kareela or cross the road, buying drinks on the St George club membership they have taken up in order to guarantee a car park space?

A more significant question is: will the Sharks fans even attend Kogarah Oval?

6baf0c42e1bbd19b5634ec5bdddd8ff45d31aec8

Cronulla will share Kogarah with the Dragons while their new NRL home is built.Credit:Getty

Cronulla have the second lowest away crowds in the NRL: that is, the total attendance at away venues for a season divided by the number of games.

An enterprising young freelance journalist, Ramy Haidar, has calculated away crowds between 1957 and 2019, for 28 clubs, including now defunct sides like North Sydney Bears, Adelaide Rams and Gold Coast Seagulls.

The Sharks (11,282) sit 19th on the table, ahead of only Penrith (10,514) among existing NRL clubs.

Interestingly, St George Illawarra (19,111) are No.1, while St George (13,857), when it was a stand-alone entity, ranks seventh.

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New Sharks boss Richard Munro is bullish but Cronulla rank above only Penrith in terms of travelling support among current NRL clubs.Credit:John Veage

While the away crowd figure captures the neutral supporter as well as the travelling one, it is a sound index of a club’s “brand”, a term former Dragons boss Peter Doust was fond of using.

So, while the Dragons have a 60-year-old record of fans following them to away games, the Sharks have a 50-year history of staying at home.

Perhaps this is why the Sharks have chosen Kogarah as their interim home, the shortest distance for their fans to travel.

Munro, who has been Cronulla chief executive since May, says: “We did a lot of work on different options, such as Bankwest at Parramatta, WIN in Wollongong. Kogarah was the best fit for our members, given its proximity.”

Yet some corporate box holders at Shark Park are already demonstrating resistance. Told that if he didn’t take a box at Kogarah he’d be on the waiting list for a suite at the new Shark Park, one Cronulla businessman said: “But I don’t want to go to Kogarah.”

The Sharks have long been considered the NRL’s endangered species. They have sold off their natural habitat - 10 hectares of land to developer Capital Bluestone who, in turn, recently formalised a deal to become part of Hong Kong-based Aoyuan International.

The development began in 2011 and has seen $57 million transfer to the Sharks, including $12m held in an escrow account specifically to deliver the Leagues Club refurbishment. But the farm has been sold. As chairman Dino Mezzatesta concedes, “The final payment has been made to us.”

Cronulla must rely on Kogarah gate takings and corporate box sales, sponsorships and NRL distributions to survive the next two years before moving to their new ground and licensed club.

“The Sharks are on the way up,” boasts Munro. “We’re happy to go into Dragons territory and upset them.”

The Dragons would say they are entering dangerous waters.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/sh...aters-in-enemy-territory-20191203-p53gdc.html
 

Old Kogarah Boy 1

First Grade
Messages
5,415
The Nulla Narks can think themselves lucky to have the use of OUR ground but the gutless barstewards who allowed the Narks to send US to the VISTORS dressing room should be sacked on the spot.

Absolutely criminal.
Yoy get comments from imbeciles like the Narks ceo .............

The Sharks' new sabre-rattling chief executive, Richard Munro, said of next year’s round 3 clash between the bitter rivals: “I’m looking forward to seeing Dragons in the visitors' change-room at Kogarah Oval.

This should never have been open for discussion.
 

Gareth67

First Grade
Messages
8,406
The Nulla Narks can think themselves lucky to have the use of OUR ground but the gutless barstewards who allowed the Narks to send US to the VISTORS dressing room should be sacked on the spot.

Absolutely criminal.
Yoy get comments from imbeciles like the Narks ceo .............

The Sharks' new sabre-rattling chief executive, Richard Munro, said of next year’s round 3 clash between the bitter rivals: “I’m looking forward to seeing Dragons in the visitors' change-room at Kogarah Oval.

This should never have been open for discussion.

Cannot believe they would be so uncaring , so bluudy ignorant. The name has gone , now the change room and one day in the not too distant future the Dragon itself - mark my words .
 

Como Connection

First Grade
Messages
5,909
The Nulla Narks can think themselves lucky to have the use of OUR ground but the gutless barstewards who allowed the Narks to send US to the VISTORS dressing room should be sacked on the spot.

Absolutely criminal.
Yoy get comments from imbeciles like the Narks ceo .............

The Sharks' new sabre-rattling chief executive, Richard Munro, said of next year’s round 3 clash between the bitter rivals: “I’m looking forward to seeing Dragons in the visitors' change-room at Kogarah Oval.

This should never have been open for discussion.
That would be a council decision, Dragons don't own the ground.
CC
 

blacksafake

First Grade
Messages
8,988
The car parking situation at the club is ridiculous. I didn’t know that was the case.
You Let the fans park there & there’s a good chance they’ll go into the club after games, would they not ?
 

redandwhite4evr

Juniors
Messages
1,816
The car parking situation at the club is ridiculous. I didn’t know that was the case.
You Let the fans park there & there’s a good chance they’ll go into the club after games, would they not ?

Well, as I pointed out in another thread, Danny Robinson is famously uninterested in Rugby League and cares only about the giant casino and money making concern that is the St George Leagues Club.
 

muzby

Village Idiot
Staff member
Messages
45,708
Why is it I can see plenty of sharts fans buying leagues club membership to get parking...

Damn tightarses..


And our leagues club decide that the rise in membership is a sign of confidence in club management...
 
Messages
21,783
Its boss, Danny Robinson, is a wily operator who has long been opposed to football fans, including Dragonssupporters, filling up the spacious car park of the “Taj Mahal”.

Robinson reasons that football fans take the car spaces that could be used by poker machine players.



That's ...that's something else.
 
Messages
14,247
Membership starts from just $13 for one year or $19 for three years for Associate Members making St George Leagues Club Membership one of the best value and most rewarding memberships in Sydney.


Cheap parking for a couple of years. I reckon Sharks fans should become members.
Take up all the car spots and stop the Taj from getting pokie customers, then leave after the game without venturing inside....... another twist in the plot to takeover the whole area.
We are evil.
 
Messages
14,247
Why is it I can see plenty of sharts fans buying leagues club membership to get parking...

Damn tightarses..


And our leagues club decide that the rise in membership is a sign of confidence in club management...
I didn’t see your post. It’s the perfect scenario! (Not the arse being tight part haha)
Personally I’ll be getting a $10 Uber or Ola to the gates of the ground as I’m not that far away.
 

possm

Coach
Messages
15,587
All part of the NRL desire to completely relocate SGI to Wollongong and splitting up the St George junior district between the Sharks, Tigers, Dogs and Rabbits.

We need a more Professional Board that is accountable to SGI members. To do this we need SGI to be a real rugby league club that invites fans to become a member and affords members a vote at its AGM. Only then will SGI management become accountable for its actins and decisions.
 
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