TITAN1
Juniors
- Messages
- 1,415
THIS is the $25 million project that will make the Titans the most cutting-edge club in the NRL.
Having once operated out of the back room of a local pub, the Gold Coast has become one of the most progressive outfits in Australian sport as the club prepares to start construction on its Centre of Excellence.
Artist impressions obtained by The Sunday Mail show Titans pair Scott Prince and Preston Campbell will adorn the six-level facility, which is due for completion before the 2009 season.
Titans managing director Michael Searle said the base would be used as a carrot to recruit players and was a key plank in the club's admission to the National Rugby League.
"We'll provide them with an environment where there are no excuses in our quest for excellence," Searle said.
"It's going to be a start-of-the-art facility. We're leaving no stone unturned in our goal to win the premiership.
"We've always said we wanted to be cutting edge and innovative and this is a great tool to recruit and develop our players.
"The main focus is to provide a competitive advantage over the other NRL clubs. When you have a salary cap environment where you are restricted as to what you can pay, you need to provide facilities and opportunities that differentiate one club from the next.
"It will definitely be a point of difference. The Lexus Centre in Melbourne has similar facilities but that is shared by a number of clubs.
"This venue will be exclusively ours. From the club's point of view, it's a magnificent facility to have and we can't wait for it be operational."
To be built by club sponsor DTBS, the Titans' Centre of Excellence will feature the type of facilities synonymous with American football.
The multi-purpose structure will feature a 25m indoor pool, hot and cold hydrotherapy baths, steam rooms, dining and conference rooms for players and a sports science laboratory.
The second floor has an independent medical centre, with the third level to be rented out.
The top levels will house the Titans' football and marketing operations in a facility spawned from Searle's fact-finding visit to the US in 2004.
"This concept came from our initial visit to the Miami Dolphins," he said. "We realised then that we would one day need an asset like a centre of excellence to attract players.
"If you're offering the same dollars, the player is more likely to choose us than a Sydney club without similar facilities.
"Coaching and senior management will be all under the same roof. We're also looking at getting a full medical centre as well."
The Titans are awaiting the green light from the Gold Coast City Council. The development is expected to begin next month and will be 50m from the club's new Robina stadium.
As part of the construction, two training fields will also be set up.
"We're finalising the approval with council now and it should be approved at any stage. As soon as we get the green light, we'll start digging the hole," Searle said.
"It's certainly a long way from the days of the Gold Coast Chargers."
http://www.TheSundayMail.com.au
