IT HAS been rugby league heartland for 65 years, but Jubilee Oval at Kogarah could be on the verge of transforming into a base for a different code of football.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) boss David Gallop has held preliminary discussions with Kogarah Council and St George Illawarra chief Peter Doust about using the ground for training and administration.
Fairfax Media has revealed St George District Rugby League owes Kogarah Council $130,000 for the use of the oval, and the NRL club is struggling to keep up with the costs associated with holding games at the venue.
Doust approached Gallop about the FFA becoming primary users of the oval to ease the financial burden on the club.
Doust's action is sure to anger some already disgruntled fans (see back page), however the club maintains it cannot afford to play all 12 of its home games in an even share between WIN Stadium Wollongong and Jubilee Oval.
It is understood the Dragons, who play four games a year at Kogarah, want to share some of the costs with the FFA.
The Socceroos and Matildas use Kogarah as a training base when they play international fixtures in Australia, but there are further opportunities to get more use out of the ground given the Dragons predominantly train at Wollongong.
"We have had discussions around using the facility more broadly, but those are very much at an early stage. But the St George district has a rich history in football and we are conscious of that," Gallop said.
‘‘We’ve used Kogarah Oval for the Socceroos and the Matildas and found it to be an excellent facility, particularly because the pitch is hardly used these days.’’
Gallop recently met Wollongong Council, Sutherland Shire Council and Kogarah Council to discuss the logistics of a potential A-League expansion team based in southern Sydney and the south coast area.
FFA is keen to unite the Sutherland, Wollongong and St George regions as part of an expansion team, however they are unclear about where the team will be mainly based.
Jubilee Oval is one place being discussed.
Fairfax Media also revealed last year that Cronulla Sharks chief executive Lyall Gorman was exploring the possibility of a Sharks-associated A-League franchise.
The Dragons pay more than $140,000 in rent and costs to Kogarah Council each year and individual game-day costs are greater there than at most venues because of inadequate infrastructure.
The Dragons will play two home games at ANZ Stadium (Bulldogs and Tigers), one home game at Allianz Stadium (Roosters) and one home game at Sydney Cricket Ground (Rabbitohs) this year.
The club insists moving the four games away from the suburban venues will be worth about $250,000 more than a game at Kogarah or Wollongong. A Kogarah Council spokeswoman said there had been no decisions made on the future use of the oval.
‘‘The council has had no formal approach or submitted any plans to the FFA in regards to the use of Jubilee Oval,’’ she said.
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