CEO Email
A message from the CEO, Jim Sarantinos, reflecting on the Club's 2024 NRLW program and sharing some exciting Club updates for the months ahead.
www.parraeels.com.au
Message from the CEO: 2024 NRLW Season
Wed 2 Oct 2024, 10:55 AM
Dear Members, Fans, and Supporters,
As we conclude the 2024 NRLW season, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what has been a strong year of renewal for our Parramatta Eels NRLW program and share some exciting Club updates for the months ahead.
This season, under the leadership of Steve Georgallis, our NRLW team delivered their best regular season performance since joining the competition in 2021. With five wins from nine matches, we narrowly missed out on a spot in the Finals, but it’s clear the hard work and belief within the squad is stronger than ever.
I want to extend my congratulations to all the winners at last night’s NRLW Awards, especially Elsie Albert, who was named NRLW Player of the Year, one club stand-out Abbi Church who won the Player’s Player Award and became the first NRLW player to achieve 25 games for the Parramatta Eels. Rory Owen earned Rookie of the Year honours, topping off a wonderful season where she also won the RLPA Rookie of the Year Award.
I am pleased to confirm that the core group of our NRLW squad will return next year, and many of them have signed on for 2025 and beyond. This is important for our program as the NRLW competition expands by two extra teams next year meaning the competition for players has been stronger than ever. I also look forward to confirming some additional signings over the coming weeks.
This year also marked the introduction of our Harvey Norman Women’s Premiership team, completing our women’s Pathways program, and strengthening our development of elite female talent from grassroots to NRLW.
The achievements of our NRLW players go beyond the field, with many excelling in community work and education, including Rachael Pearson, Kennedy Cherrington, and Mahalia Murphy, who have all received prestigious awards.
A huge thank you to our Head Coach Steve Georgallis, Assistant Coach Kate Mullaly, and the entire NRLW support team. Their dedication has reignited a winning mentality and built a great connection within the team and we’re excited to build on this year’s progress with a successful 2025.
We also extend our thanks to the Parramatta Eels women’s program sponsors for their support including ALAND Developments, McDonald’s, Trivett Subaru Parramatta, City of Parramatta, and Lite n’ Easy. We’re very grateful for the contribution our sponsors make to ensure that our women’s teams have the opportunity to succeed.
I also want to provide a special mention to Cumberland Council for their ongoing support of our women’s program. Two NRLW homes games were played and broadcast at Eric Tweedale Stadium (Granville Park) as part of a commitment to take games to the wider community. We appreciate the support and effort from Cumberland Council.
A new era begins
While we wrap up the NRLW season, there’s a lot to look forward to as we begin preparations for our NRL pre-season in November. Our new Head Coach Jason Ryles has been preparing for the season ahead with the healthy return of our full squad, some key additions to the roster (Zac Lomax and Isaiah Iongi), re-signing of some key players, the emergence of players from our elite pathways programs and new faces in the coaching and athletic performance teams.
We’re looking forward to introducing you to our new coaching staff and you will be hearing from them when we commence pre-season training with the NRL squad.
Centre of Excellence progress
Our Centre of Excellence and Community Centre in Kellyville is set to open in March 2025, uniting our men’s and women’s programs for the first time in our Club’s history. This state-of-the-art facility will be a home for all our elite pathways, bringing together the next generation of Eels players as they pursue excellence on and off the field.
Please see below an updated video of the buildings’ progress.
Replay
Centre of Excellence Progress Update
Open Training sessions
We are committed to driving deeper engagement with the Eels Community and connecting with Members and fans in more meaningful ways.
We are excited to be taking some of our NRL training sessions back into the community. The first open training session for fans will be held at Fairfield in November and the second open training session for Members only will be held at Granville Park in December. We will also be hosting a fan day in Parramatta in the new year in the lead up to the new NRL season. Please keep an eye out for details to these events which we will send to our Members closer to the date.
Membership
One of the areas we are committed to improving is providing greater value for our Members. All Memberships for 2025 will maintain Membership pricing at 2024 levels.
In addition, all Memberships for the 2025 season will include free public transport for all Members across train, bus and light rail when travelling to home games at CommBank Stadium.
We will also be holding a Members Forum before the start of the 2025 season. This event will offer Members a Q&A session with our key decision-makers. We will provide more details on the Members Forum including details on how you can be involved before the end of this year.
Thank you for your unwavering support throughout this season. Your passion is the driving force behind everything we do, and together, we are building something special at our great Club. I look forward to seeing you at our upcoming pre-season events as we prepare for a new era for our Club, kicking off with an exciting 2025 season.
Go the Eels!
Warm regards,
Jim Sarantinos
CEO, Parramatta Eels
