If you weren’t quite sure which team to barrack for in the National Rugby League competition last year, you do now!
Last week’s visit by the Parramatta Eels to Armidale created a huge buzz in the city and has created a whole new legion of fans for the Eels. The team was here to complete a Pre-season Training Camp at the University of New England’s Sporting Facilities at SportUNE which was part of UNE’s sponsorship arrangement, which also sees the University as a jersey sponsor of the Parramatta Eels for the 2012 NRL season.
The visit concluded on Thursday night with a “Dinner with the Eels’ event at the Armidale Ex-Services Club that attracted over 400 people who had the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favourite Eels players.
“We have had such a great week and to have the Eels here for the community and the University has been fantastic,” said David Schmude from SportUNE.
“You can see here tonight, and at the civic reception, the support and the happy faces. It’s been phenomenal.
“I was talking to the Eels coach, Stephen Kearney, yesterday that when a corporation like the University of New England, which is heavily involved in the community and is a large employer in the region, sponsors a team, the team becomes a real member of the family.
“It’s not just a business that supports them but an entire community and the region.
“Even though it will have UNE on the back of the jersey it will also say Armidale and the region.”
The first round of the NRL season kicks off for the Parramatta Eels on Friday night March 2 at Parramatta Stadium against the Brisbane Broncos.
Story: Jo Harrison
