A historic day for Rugby in Victoria with the Andrews Government announcing the single largest investment ever made in Victorian Rugby.
The $101 million dollar investment secures the new State Rugby Centre of Excellence at La Trobe University in Bundoora, alongside the Matildas, Australia’s national women’s soccer team.
The State Rugby Centre of Excellence will provide Victoria with vital infrastructure to support the ongoing development of local Victorian talented player pathways and community impact programs.
“In 133 years, Victorian Rugby has never had such a wonderful opportunity to grow the game and share its benefits with all Victorians. We are thrilled with the State Government’s unprecedented commitment to the sport, which recognises Victorian Rugby’s proven capacity to positIvely impact our community,” Melbourne Rebels Chair and Rugby Victoria Director Paul Docherty said.
World-class high-performance rugby training and education facilities will include a new home for the semi-professional Melbourne Rebels Super-W program, all underage Victorian representative teams and the Rugby Victoria Pasifika Program and Quilt Program.
“The opportunities that the new Centre will deliver are limitless. Together with enabling more Victorian participants to enjoy the best Rugby facilities and programs available anywhere in Australia, this will be a brilliant addition to Victoria’s world class sporting and event infrastructure.
“It will be a huge boost to our bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and provide essential capacity to host the world’s best teams in Melbourne in future years, including the British and Irish Lions in 2025.
“The support of the Victorian Government, led by Minister Pakula and Minister Spence, is enormously appreciated by the entire Rugby community and will drive the continued growth of the sport for generations to come,” Docherty said.
The State Rugby Centre of Excellence will be delivered in partnership with La Trobe University, Rugby Victoria, Melbourne Rebels and Football Victoria and will see the two sports – football and rugby – co-located at new facilities at the La Trobe University Sports Park. Project delivery will commence in July 2021.
