A desire to return to the community is at the heart of the decision by NSW Rugby and the NSW Waratahs to relocate to a facility that will become the hub of rugby union in the State.
In a move that reverses the trend of the professional and community game being administered separately, the organisation is set to lead the way and make the team more accessible to members, fans and supporters.
The organisation’s new office at the David Phillips Sports Complex at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Daceyville, Sydney, will bring together the High Performance and community arms of the game in facilities big enough to deliver access to elite athlete resources and high performance facilities for the University and wider community.
The move will further enhance the existing partnership with the UNSW, who has been confirmed as the new Major Tertiary Education Partner of the NSW Waratahs. The association will strengthen the role of education in sport and will see the UNSW logo appear on the back of the team’s match jersey.
NSW Rugby and NSW Waratahs CEO Andrew Hore said the long-term plan is to create a community support centre that will provide services in wellbeing, health and nutrition, and charities.
“We are moving into a culturally diverse community and it’s important for us to be able to contribute and provide support in this space. Like our team, the community where we will be based represents different cultures and we want to contribute to the welfare of our support base,” Hore said.
Hore said the relocation re-enforced the organisation’s commitment to taking rugby back to the community.
“Our vision is to be more accessible to our communities and this move will help us achieve that.
“Our long-term plan is to develop a charity incubator to assist with social development, create a world-class community and High Performance hub that will better foster development of rugby in NSW and offer valuable services to the community,” Hore said.
The NSW Waratahs already have a strong partnership with UNSW and together the two organisations’ long-term plan is to roll out education and sports programmes for Indigenous players, an ASPIRE Ambassador programme to reach out to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and an elite athlete programme.
"As a sport we value the power of education and we, along with the rest of the rugby community, are about making people better on and off the field. The majority of our players are studying in addition to playing rugby and two of them, Ned Hannigan and Andrew Kellaway are actually doing courses through UNSW,” Hore said.
Hore said the partnership extends beyond the borders of NSW.
“The University is a renowned tertiary institution and like us, their goal is to grow their brand internationally and provide the best opportunities for students. We are already working closely with them to reach the strong Japanese market, where the NSW Waratahs play during the Super Rugby competition.
President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, said he was thrilled to be involved in a partnership with the NSW Waratahs.
“This is a partnership with many synergies, but probably the most important one is the focus on supporting the local communities in which we are based,” Professor Jacobs said.
“UNSW is absolutely committed to developing world class achievements at a grassroots level and facilitating a healthy lifestyle.
“Like education, sport can play a significant and positive role in the lives of so many people. Together with the NSW Waratahs we want to work to improve and enrich people’s lives both on and off the sporting field.
“We look forward to celebrating the many other achievements as our partnership develops,” Professor Jacobs said.
