Waratahs looking at move away from eastern suburbs headquarters
February 13 2017 - 7:30PM
Georgina Robinson
The Waratahs are on the hunt for a new home and have not ruled out heading west of Anzac Parade in search of a better fit for their high-performance and administrative headquarters.
Macquarie University, which also houses Sydney FC, looms as an option, with top-quality facilities and training grounds at the North Ryde campus.
The Super Rugby club has also been linked to a move north to the Sydney Academy of Sports and Recreation in Narrabeen, which currently houses the Australian sevens squads. Speculation has also linked them to Parramatta Stadium, which is undergoing a $300 million redevelopment.
Waratahs chief executive Andrew Hore confirmed Macquarie University's $20 million sports and aquatic centre was "one of many" sites the club was looking at, but distanced himself from Narrabeen and Parramatta.
The Waratahs were originally slated to join the Australian Rugby Union and the men's and women's sevens squads in the multimillion-dollar Australian Rugby Development Centre, which will be ready to move into in September.
Hore's predecessor Greg Harris canned that deal, concerned that a move into the same facility as the national union could impinge on the Waratahs' independence. Super Rugby administrators SANZAAR are now being linked to a possible move there.
The Waratahs' current headquarters, in the Allianz Stadium and SCG precinct, is only 10 years old, and they have a licence to stay there until 2022. They also signed a 16-year agreement to play all their regular season games at Allianz Stadium last year, which will not be affected by any potential move.
It is understood high rental costs – in the vicinity of $800,000 a year – and a desire to better integrate with the community, have presented an opportunity to look at moving the club's training and office facilities. The club has a draft version of its strategic view with the Waratahs board right now, which canvases improving community and elite facilities.
"Part of what we want to achieve is greater integration with the community," Hore said.
"The West Coast Eagles, for example, have a very strong community flavour to their elite end of the game and they mix it very well by having the fields around [their offices], lecture theatres and meeting rooms for community groups and programs.
"We're investigating whether we can have the elite and community-type centre like that, because we see ourselves as the hinge between Australian rugby and the community.
NSW coach Daryl Gibson said he was aware of the plan and was open to a move but hinted the playing group would not favour a move away from Moore Park.
"It's certainly on the horizon, we are keen to look at options around getting ourselves a permanent base, but in saying that we really like Moore Park, it suits our purposes well," Gibson said.
"I think we're keen to retain our identity in the eastern suburbs, but what the coach wants and what's economically and financially viable is a different thing. It's looking at how we partner with another organisation to find a facility that fits our purposes.
Hore said the move was by no means a certainty and staying at Moore Park was an option, but the club believed the time was right to test the market.
"All facilities need an upgrade but it's not going to happen overnight, we've got it on the agenda to have a look now at what options are out there," he said.
"Everything is open for discussion, we know what we want to achieve, the foundations have been laid with regard to bringing the Waratahs and NSW Rugby back together, and there are sports out there that are doing it very well, so we want to test the water to see what we can come up with."
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/un...13-gubg7w.html
