The St George Illawarra Dragons have unveiled plans for their new $50 million headquarters and high-performance centre on the campus of the University of Wollongong.
The centre will include two new training fields at the university's innovation campus as well as state-of-the art sporting and education facilities.
St George Illawarra chairman Andrew Lancaster, who started in the role last month, said the centre would be a home for Dragons staff in the Illawarra.
"It's about building a better Dragons and having all our staff in one location for the first time in the Dragons' history," he said.
"The divide of having administration up in Kogarah and football operations in Wollongong will no longer be there and we will be one."
University of Wollongong Deputy Vice Chancellor Alex Frino said when the funding was first announced in June the ambition was to open the facility to other sporting codes.
The project was lodged with Wollongong City Council in October and because of its value will be determined by the Southern Regional Planning Panel.
The club said the centre would "act as a catalyst" for increased female participation in sport, forecasting 6,000 women playing in the region over the next decade.
Mr Lancaster said women would be "an extremely strong focus", but there were no set targets for female participation.
The club said it expected the facility would boost Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in rugby league by more than 2,500 players over the next 10 years.
In documentation supporting its development application, the club said University of Wollongong students could gain access to the centre for 30-45 hours per week.
That included opportunities for work experience and internships with the Dragons, PhD scholarships focused on direct collaboration with the Dragons' sports, business and community.
Better opportunities for women
The inaugural coach of the Illawarra Steelers women's side, Alicia-Kate Hawke, welcomed the opportunity to grow the women's game.
The NSWRL has accepted the Steelers' proposal to join the Women’s Premiership for the 2023 season.
"That is providing more pathways for our girls to stay within our area and stay within our brand," Hawke said.
She said partnering with the university meant the centre would also have an impact off the field.
"I know there is a lot of research into women's sport, particularly on contact impact and the implications for women's health," she said.
"The coach in me and player in me see the idea of access to elite facilities for the women's game as phenomenal."
She also welcomed the focus on amenities for women.
"Some things I am really excited about in seeing the plans so far is seeing allocated resources and changing rooms and resources for the women's game specifically," she said.
"That makes it clear moving forward there is a valued space for the women's game and the NRLW."
