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Sam Burgess and the South Sydney Rabbitohs are closing in on their move to a $32 million home at Maroubra, ending a 109-year tenure at Redfern. SOUTH Sydney Rabbitohs are close to completing their move to a new home at Maroubra after submitting a final funding application for a $32 million Community and High Performance Centre at Heffron Park.
Sam Burgessurgess in training. Picture: Mark Kolbe/ Getty Images
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said he was “extremely confident” the club would secure the $15.31 million it was seeking from the State Government NRL Centres of Excellence Program after lodging the papers last Friday.
The cash would be added to $4 million of the club’s own money, plus the $10 million committed by the Federal Government and another $3 million from Randwick Council.
“All NSW-based NRL clubs are bidding for the $40 million funding pot and we’re in that process,” Mr Solly said.
“We certainly feel that, given the support the Federal Government and Randwick Council have put in, and what we’ve done to make sure there will be significant value to community in building the centre, we will do well out of the State Government process.
“We just have to wait now and find out. Once we do that we can get on with the design and development application process ... everyone is very excited.”
The council discussed a draft terms document at last Tuesday’s meeting, detailing the proposed 21-year lease for the Community and High Performance Centre building.
The market value of the rent was independently valued at $110 sq m per annum, with Souths entitled to offset capital contributions, and a subsidy applied to the part of the premises used by the club’s community arm Souths Cares.
The council would also fund the construction of the 14,091sq m oval already approved in the Heffron Park Plan of Management and Masterplan, with community-based groups including Souths Cares to be given access capped at 400 hours a year.
Mr Solly said the proposed length of the lease reflected the club’s commitment to a long-term future at Maroubra.
“We have worked for almost four years to fund and build a centre that the community, club and council will be proud of for a long time,” he said.
“Council have done a wonderful job with making improvements to Heffron to make it the centre of sport for the community, and if we can contribute to that plan then that’s great.”
The Rabbitohs’ lease on their present home at Redfern Oval will expire in 2020, with construction on the Heffron centre expected to take 18 months from the date of approval.
“There’ll be some tears shed when we leave Redfern because it has been the club’s home for a long period of time,” Mr Solly said.
http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly said he was “extremely confident” the club would secure the $15.31 million it was seeking from the State Government NRL Centres of Excellence Program after lodging the papers last Friday.
The cash would be added to $4 million of the club’s own money, plus the $10 million committed by the Federal Government and another $3 million from Randwick Council.
“All NSW-based NRL clubs are bidding for the $40 million funding pot and we’re in that process,” Mr Solly said.
“We certainly feel that, given the support the Federal Government and Randwick Council have put in, and what we’ve done to make sure there will be significant value to community in building the centre, we will do well out of the State Government process.
“We just have to wait now and find out. Once we do that we can get on with the design and development application process ... everyone is very excited.”
The council discussed a draft terms document at last Tuesday’s meeting, detailing the proposed 21-year lease for the Community and High Performance Centre building.
The market value of the rent was independently valued at $110 sq m per annum, with Souths entitled to offset capital contributions, and a subsidy applied to the part of the premises used by the club’s community arm Souths Cares.
The council would also fund the construction of the 14,091sq m oval already approved in the Heffron Park Plan of Management and Masterplan, with community-based groups including Souths Cares to be given access capped at 400 hours a year.
Mr Solly said the proposed length of the lease reflected the club’s commitment to a long-term future at Maroubra.
“We have worked for almost four years to fund and build a centre that the community, club and council will be proud of for a long time,” he said.
“Council have done a wonderful job with making improvements to Heffron to make it the centre of sport for the community, and if we can contribute to that plan then that’s great.”
The Rabbitohs’ lease on their present home at Redfern Oval will expire in 2020, with construction on the Heffron centre expected to take 18 months from the date of approval.
“There’ll be some tears shed when we leave Redfern because it has been the club’s home for a long period of time,” Mr Solly said.
http://newslocal.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
