The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS have unveiled the first images of their new elite training facility at Sydney Olympic Park.
The multi-staged development will include an AFL training oval, a rectangular community training field and a high performance centre on the site of the current golf driving range at Sydney Olympic Park.
Work on the training facility is scheduled to commence in August and field works are expected to be completed later in the year as the GIANTS prepare for the 2013 AFL season. Building works are expected to be completed late in 2013.
GIANTS Chief Executive David Matthews said the new facility would also include a Multicultural and Community Education Centre (MCEC) to be accessible to the local community.
“Together with our ongoing partnership with Blacktown and the ACT, this development will enlarge our footprint across Western Sydney and ensure we remain an integral and vibrant part of the community for decades to come,’ he said.
Matthews acknowledged the Federal Government, Sydney Olympic Park Authority and the AFL for their involvement in assisting in the development of a state of the art training, administration and community facility in Sydney's Olympic precinct and in close proximity to the GIANTS home ground, Skoda Stadium.
‘It has been widely known that the absence of a permanent summer training oval has been a major issue as the team prepared for its entry into the AFL competition in 2012 and the club needed to find a long term solution,’ he said.
‘This centre will provide our talented young playing list with elite training facilities the equal of any other AFL club as well as access to the elite support services available to them in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct. It will help ensure our exciting players have long term futures with the GIANTS, and most importantly, it will give the club the very best opportunity to compete for premierships.’
Matthews said the AFL's long term partnership with the Blacktown City Council had been crucial to the successful establishment of the GIANTS. "Based on a strong relationship with Blacktown City Council, led by Mayor Alan Pendleton and Ron Moore, the GIANTS have reiterated our ongoing commitment to be an integral part of the local community," he said.
"This year we played the first ever AFL match for premiership points against the West Coast Eagles at Blacktown on 15 April and we are very grateful for the council’s ongoing support and delighted that we will continue to enjoy a constructive working relationship that will deliver economic, sporting and social benefits to the people of Greater Western Sydney."
As part of their partnership, Matthews said the GIANTS and the Blacktown City Council were discussing a range of future initiatives. They include:
· More NAB Cup matches at Blacktown International Sportspark (BISP)
· Maintaining the GIANTS Academy at Blacktown to develop local talent in Western Sydney
· Basing AFL and GIANTS staff at Blacktown for a range of community programs to deliver benefits to the local region
· Regular NEAFL matches at BISP featuring UWS GIANTS and other teams
· Staging of elite under age matches at BISP
"We want the GIANTS to be a great football club on and off the field. A club that is innovative, engages with the community and is committed to excellence. This new facility at Sydney Olympic Park together with our long term partnership with Blacktown will help us achieve that ambition," he said.
