The St George Illawarra Dragons would like to make comment regarding the New South Wales Government's collective $50 million funding of NRL Centres of Excellence.
The Dragons were aware of the State Government's intention to provide some funding to support the development of Centre of Excellence facilities for NRL clubs.
This process was communicated by the Government in late 2016, and the Dragons made an initial application in the first round of submissions due by the end of March 2017.
Through our discussions with Government representatives during this process it became apparent that the funds being allocated were not to the level that would support the requirements of all the clubs who were likely to apply.
There were also specific requirements about project readiness and cooperative funding that were to be considered.
The Dragons chose not to move forward with an application in the final round of applications and advised Government representatives accordingly at the time.
This has not in any way diminished our aspiration to develop a world class training, administration and community facility for the Dragons. Our plans are advanced and we have been working closely with two specific partners on a planning process over the last 12 months.
The funds being made available by the State Government, and shared between multiple clubs, would not provide us with sufficient capital to develop the facility we require which is why the Dragons continue to pursue alternate options.
It is also noted that the Dragons were successful in receiving $60 million in Government funding over recent years for our WIN Stadium and Jubilee Oval facilities.
