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The NSW Government has announced that seven NSW-based rugby league clubs are to share $50 million in funding allocated for NRL Centres of Excellence.

The NRL Centre of Excellence fund was created after the NSW Government redirected funds previously allocated as cash payments for NRL Grand Finals towards community based Centres of Excellence.

Centres of Excellence were identified as an important part of the Stadia Strategy in 2012 to maintain the link between high performance sport and community engagement.

Funding from the NSW Government must be matched dollar for dollar from NRL Clubs and/or third parties. Government investment cannot exceed more than 50% of the project costs and each club has been informed of individual conditions required to obtain a funding agreement.

Five clubs have been approved for funding:

• Canterbury Bulldogs - $2 million
• Newcastle Knights - $10 million
• South Sydney Rabbitohs - $8.696 million
• Sydney Roosters - $5.765 million
• Cronulla Sharks - $8 million

Funding reservations have been made for two more clubs while they further develop their Centreof Excellence proposals with the Office of Sport.

These are the Manly Sea Eagles, who will receive up to $10 million for a Centre of Excellence at Brookvale and the Wests Tigers, who will receive $5.5 million for Stage One of their Centre of Excellence.

Announcing the funding, NSW Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres said the development of these new centres will provide multi-purpose facilities that offer promising young athletes and high performance athletes with world-class training and development in their local area.

Minister Ayres stated “they also provide NRL Clubs an opportunity to maintain a strong presence in traditional communities as the Government prioritises capital investment into a targeted number of NSW Government venues.”

NRL Chief Executive Todd Greenberg said the new Centres of Excellence would make a difference in local communities added “we want people playing sport and the best way to do that is to provide world class facilities where people can seek to improve their skills, and that is exactly what this funding will deliver.”

Image: The South Sydney Rabbitohs' planned Centre of Excellence at Maroubra's Heffron Park.

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