PARRAMATTA will explore hosting games at Penrith, Campbelltown, North Sydney or the Central Coast as an incomprehensible last resort to avoid remaining homeless next year.
PARRAMATTA have sensationally rejected a deal to play their home games in 2019 at the brand new $300 million Western Sydney Stadium — casting doubt over the Eels’ schedule and the future of the venue.
Eels chief executive Bernie Gurr has declared that the club is refusing to sign off on a commercial deal, which he has described as “unacceptable”, with VenuesLive — the operator of the stadium which is under construction on the site of the former Pirtek Stadium at Parramatta.
Gurr claims six months of negotiations with Venues Live have broken down due to the club refusing to accept a contract which would have adverse implications for the club financially, while also severely compromising food and beverage and ticket prices.
The stalemate will result in the NRL being forced to mark “TBC” — to be confirmed — for all of the Eels’ home game venues when the 2019 draw is released next week.
In a letter sent to Eels members on Tuesday, Gurr wrote: “Over the past six months the Board and Management of the Club have been involved in detailed negotiations regarding a commercial agreement for our Parramatta Eels Club at the WSS.
As it stands today, the Club has been offered commercial terms by the stadium operator that are not acceptable to the Board of the Parramatta Eels Club or the Parramatta Leagues Club.
“Therefore, when then NRL draw is released in the near future, the venue for the Club’s home games in 2019 will be marked as “TBC” (to be confirmed).
“Our view that the current proposal is unacceptable has been confirmed after an extensive six-month due diligence process conducted by myself and other members of the management team.
“The due diligence process has included the engagement of a reputable consulting firm.
“Together we have benchmarked the commercial terms of the current offer against offerings currently being received by NRL and other sports at a range of stadiums across multiple states of Australia.
“The current proposal if accepted would adversely affect the ability of our Club to invest in our Football Department including our NRL team and our junior elite football programs.
The current agreement at ANZ has adversely impacted the Club financially and we are not prepared to accept a new agreement that will continue to impact the Club negatively for the next 25 years.
“The Club will also not compromise on key areas that are important to our Members and supporters such as:
* Affordable food and beverage pricing and options
* A clear public transport plan for WSS to enable Members to attend games smoothly.
* Reasonable event costs to ensure affordable pricing for Members and causal ticket holders.
* Expanded opportunities for our Corporate partners to help drive revenue for the Club.
* Better technology to enhance Game Day experience.
“In the interests of arriving at a fair and reasonable deal, we are continuing our discussions with the stadium operator in an attempt to resolve this matter quickly so that our Members and supporters have a clear understanding of the WSS schedule for 2019.’’
The Eels had been told to prepare to host their first home game against the Wests Tigers at Western Sydney Stadium on Easter Monday in round six.
However, all planning has been put on hold to resolve the current contract wrangle.
