The Parramatta Eels are excited to announce that global building products group James Hardie will return as the Club’s major sponsor from 2025 in a multi-year agreement which supports NRL, NRLW, Elite Pathways and community initiatives.
The four-year sponsorship re-establishes one of rugby league’s most iconic partnerships. It will rekindle Eels fans’ memories of the Club’s golden era when Parramatta won four premierships between 1981 and 1986 with James Hardie as its major sponsor.
Welcome Home, James Hardie!
Under the new partnership, James Hardie will become the Eels front of jersey and lower back of jersey sponsor and gain access to the Eels’ fan base – one of the largest and most loyal in the NRL - through game-day, digital and stadium brand activations, as well as merchandise and hospitality rights.
Key to the partnership will be an opportunity for James Hardie to initiate a career pathways program into the construction sector for Greater Western Sydney, home to 2.7 million people and one of the fastest-growing populations in Australia.
With a strong focus on Community, the partnership will facilitate deeper support for our existing key charity partners, while supporting the Eels social impact programs which focus on mental health, respect, culture, and active kids.
It’s fantastic. We were a James Hardie family in the old days and it was just terrific. You’d win a comp and the James Hardie truck would be at the Leagues Club... it just meant so much to the community.
Steve Edge
Parramatta Eels CEO, Jim Sarantinos, welcomed the partnership, saying the Club was delighted to strengthen an iconic relationship with deep historic roots for both organisations.
“Eels fans will remember the Club’s previous association with James Hardie as major sponsor from 1981 to 1995, which coincided with the greatest period in the Club's history,” Mr Sarantinos said.
“The alignment between our two organisations is powerful. As a Club we are deeply connected to Western Sydney and its community, Australia’s third largest economy - a region that James Hardie invests in and supports as a key manufacturer, employer, and supplier.
“In addition to supporting our football programs and social impact outcomes, through this partnership, our Club and James Hardie will work together to expand skills, investment, and entrepreneurship in Western Sydney. We look forward to strengthening our Club’s foundations, providing opportunities for our community, and laying the groundwork for an era of success together again,” he said.
I think it’s amazing, it’s a great signing. It’s going to create a lot of interest. I’m very excited.
Peter Wynn
James Hardie said the Eels sponsorship aligned neatly with the company’s stated purpose - Building a Better Future for All.
“The Parramatta Eels and James Hardie have a deep historic connection, but we also have a shared passion for what this partnership can do for the community and for us to activate our purpose, Building a Better Future for All™,” said Aaron Erter, Chief Executive Officer, James Hardie Industries plc.
“We’re making a commitment to the football team, but we see this as a much greater commitment to Parramatta and Western Sydney. The Eels purpose is to ‘uplift lives, deliver unforgettable moments and bring communities together’, and this matters to James Hardie.
“James Hardie has been proudly providing Australian Made building products to Sydney and Australia for over 100 years, manufactured at our Australian sites including one in Rosehill, in Western Sydney. Western Sydney, its people and their homes are deeply important to who we are, our future and our purpose and we’re incredibly excited to have a partner in the Eels that matches that enthusiasm and purpose,” Mr Erter said.
Parramatta Eels legends Steve Edge and Peter Wynn, along with current Co-Captain Clint Gutherson, welcomed the return of the Club's iconic partnership with James Hardie.
You hear about it all the time and it’s such a proud history at the Club. Just watching all those old games and seeing the photos of the old boys winning (the premierships) and carrying that trophy around, you always saw the Hardies on the front and it’s pretty special to have them back onboard.
Clint Gutherson
Headquartered in Chicago, USA, James Hardie is one of the largest companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. In Australia James Hardie has been operating for 135 years, and providing locally-made building products to the market for over 100 years and operates a manufacturing facility in Rosehill, Western Sydney.
