Training Grounds /

Our Training Venues

Cumberland Oval

Cumberland Oval remains the heartland of the Parramatta District Rugby League Club.  
 
After several meetings with the Parramatta National Park Trust, the newly formed Parramatta District Rugby League Club were successful in obtaining the use of Cumberland Oval for nine Saturdays in 1947. 
 
Training access was restricted to nights other than Tuesday and Thursday, as the Parramatta Rugby Union Club had retained exclusive rights to the Oval on those nights.  
 
About 150 players attended the Club’s trial session at Parramatta Oval (Cumberland) on Monday evening, February 17, 1947. Club President, Mr J. N. Argent said, “The Attendance was beyond our expectations. If enthusiasm means anything the new club is bound to succeed from the start.” 
 
The Club would eventually be granted permission to train on Tuesday and Thursdays which made more sense in relation to their weekend games. 

Granville - Our 80s Training ground  

Players trained on Cumberland Oval from 1947 until supporters burnt down the old grandstand and its facilities following the club’s first premiership win. The Club was left without a home ground and training venue.  
 
It was decided to move their training set up to Granville where some junior teams were already using as a home base.  
 
The facilities were limited so the club installed lighting and a generator. Master coach, Jack Gibson bought a 1960s Leyland Worldmaster bus to conduct his team meetings. Jack’s bus became legendary and for players, if they were called onto the bus, they knew they would be playing first grade that week.  
 
The firsts, reserves and under 23s would train together on the main field at Granville on Tuesday nights. On Thursdays, they would be split with the players selected for first grade training on the main field, with Reserve and Under 23s on the top field.  
 
Despite the primitive facilities, the Eels made-do and would go on to win two more consecutive premierships during this time. 

Parramatta Stadium 

In 1986, a training ground was set aside as part of the build of the new Parramatta Stadium.  
 
Located in an external area to the south of the stadium, the ground provided players with a welcome base close to the changeroom facilities of their new home. 
 
Players needed to adjust to new dimensions as the training field was narrower than the standard football field and only 80 metres long. The club contributed with floodlights and funding for the turf.  
 
The field was used for training on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. 
  
It also became the warmup area on game days where fans could look across from the grandstands and watch the players prepare for the big game. 
 
It would be their home until the club moved for larger facilities.  

Parramatta Sales Yards – North

The position of Parramatta Stadium as a multi-use venue resulted in the club juggling access to the changerooms and the training field on non-match days.  
 
When the government decided to demolish the stadium, the club need to find a new training base. 
 
The Old Sales Yard Reserve and Dan Mahoney Reserves at North Parramatta was the Club’s first attempt at establishing a high-performance centre and training facilities for all grades.  
 
Supported by Parramatta City Council, the Eels established two A-grade fields, flood lighting, a sprint track, and an array of indoor training facilities for gym work, wrestling and contact drills, and a suite of recovery tools.  
 
North Parramatta remained the Eels’ training headquarters from 2014 until their relocation to Kellyville in 2019.  

Kellyville HQ 

In 2019, the Parramatta Eels partnered with the Hills Shire Council to move away from their North Parramatta training base to a new location at Kellyville Park.  
 
The two-stage move included the club administration and football operations together for the first time in temporary demountable premises and included four football fields.  
 
Construction of the permanent Kellyville Park Centre of Excellence (COE) and Community Centre commenced in late 2023. 
 
A partnership with Hills Shire Council and the Federal and State Governments, and Parramatta Leagues Club, it will be Australia’s largest community rugby league precinct housing a world-class performance facility for the Parramatta Eels NRL, NRLW, and Elite Pathways teams. 
 
It will be a precinct that will enable the Club to connect with the community and the next generation of players and fans.  

Eric Tweedle Reserve (Granville) - Home to the NRLW and Women’s League and junior programs

On Friday 30 Jun 2023, the Parramatta Eels confirmed that the NRLW team and women’s rugby league programs would be based out of Eric Tweedale Stadium (ETS) for at least the next two seasons, in a new partnership with Cumberland Council. 
 
It was the first time that the Club had training facilities at Granville since the golden era of the 80s.  
 
ETS is a new $11.3m sporting facility which opened in November 2021 and is part of the extensive Granville Park sports precinct in the heart of Western Sydney. As part of the agreement with Cumberland Council, ETS will be the training base for our NRLW program in 2023 and 2024 while the Eels’ new Centre of Excellence is being constructed at Kellyville Park. 
 
The facility has new dressing and locker rooms, medical facilities, a fully equipped gym and multi-million dollar player surface that is one of the best in Western Sydney.  
 
The partnership with Cumberland Council will also see the Eels women’s rugby league development programs based out of ETS to enable greater integration with the Eels wider Western Sydney catchment.