Dear Members,
What a great performance by your Parramatta Eels in Auckland over the weekend. Winning the trophy was a just reward for all the hard work Brad Arthur and the team put in during the off season. I hope as a Member you enjoyed the excitement of the win as we now prepare for our season opener against the Broncos on March 3.
To address today's news reports regarding NRL club financial losses for 2015, this article indicated that our club had a financial loss for 2015 of $8 million, which certainly warrants clarification.
$2.6 million of the total mentioned in relation to Parramatta was, in fact, an investment cost into our club's future, with $1 million injected into our Junior League, $600,000 into our junior development program, and over $1 million into the development and maintenance of our new Eels Training Centre at North Parramatta.
The benefits of the training facility were on show over the weekend, with our team surviving the entire nines tournament with just one minor injury.
Your club's group profit for 2015 will be in the vicinity of $6.5 million, which is an increase on 2014. You can read more about the club's financial performance in the upcoming annual report.
I look forward to catching up with many of you at our Blue and Gold Army festival on Sunday, February 21 on the Pirtek Stadium training field.
Stay strong, stay united, stay Blue and Gold.
Steve Sharp
Chairman
