Hopefully, given the community element and NSW Government commitment to the new $50 million high performance centre, other high level teams like the Wolves and Illawarra Hawks would have access to it when completed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NRL has invested greatly into it and as a result, of course St George Illawarra will be the main tenant, congratulations to them, it's an enormous boost to the region.
But it's also being built at the spiritual home of the Wollongong Wolves, Brandon Park, and presents an opportunity for the region's top footballers - and basketballers - to develop their careers in state-of-the-art facilities.
There are plenty of examples of how it could work.
The Wolves and Dragons both play at WIN Stadium.
Sydney FC, the Roosters, Swans and Waratahs all operate out of Moore Park and the Sydney Football Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground.
When I was playing, we'd train at the old Parramatta Stadium and share facilities with the Eels.
The era of code wars is outdated and while the NRL has shown the initiative to make the high performance centre happen, there is a chance to make the most of it and involve other sports.
It's the same with the push for new synthetic pitches in the Illawarra, it's not just about football, the surfaces can be used for multiple sports, as we see in many parts of Sydney.
Having regular access to the new high performance centre would be a huge boost to meeting A-League criteria for further expansion or into a national second division.
That day will come, but it also is a massive opportunity to develop athletes in the Illawarra from across a number of sports. Once built, the centre can also attract more major events to Wollongong as well.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.