In an attempt to increase its profile in Western Sydney and promote its expanded sports majors, the University of New England has joined forces with the Parramatta Eels Rugby League team becoming a major sponsor of the team. UNE has signed with the Eels as a jersey sponsor for their 2012 NRL season.
UNE Vice-Chancellor Professor Jim Barber said it was the first time a tertiary institution had become a major partner of an NRL club.
“The sponsorship will also see the Parramatta Eels hold their pre-season training camp in Armidale early in 2012,” he said.
“Our sponsorship of the Eels will raise the awareness of our exceptional sporting facilities and the wide range of courses we offer.”
“The Parramatta Eels arrive in Armidale on Tuesday, January 31, for their four-day visit and will stay on campus to utilise our training facilities,” he said.
“Their visit will include plenty of opportunities for New England rugby league fans to interact with some of the game’s greats.”
The Armidale Dumaresq Mayor, Councillor Peter Ducat, welcomed the opportunity to be the major sponsor of this UNE initiative.
“Armidale has core strengths as a venue for sporting events that bring millions of dollars in to the Armidale economy each year,” Cr Ducat said.
“Through this sponsorship, Armidale Dumaresq Council can support the city’s efforts to increase visitation numbers – whether it be for sport, recreation or education.”
Fans will get the chance to meet the players at a civic reception and also at a dinner with the Eels.
“There will also be opportunities for local school kids to be involved in coaching clinics with the players,” Councillor Ducat said.
“I expect this association with the Parramatta Eels to draw people from throughout New England – which is great news for businesses in Armidale – in addition to strengthening the Armidale brand as an “Evocity’,” he added.
“More than 2,000 of UNE’s distance education students come from Parramatta territory, and this sponsorship will increase the brand awareness of UNE in the growing Western Sydney area,” Professor Barber said.
The Vice-Chancellor said that in 2012 UNE would offer new specialities in sports management and physical education, building on the existing programs in sports science and exercise physiology.
“The changes, outlined in UNE’s new Sports Prospectus, are about creating greater career opportunities for students in the field of sport,” Professor Barber said.
“The Sports Prospectus details UNE’s suite of courses designed to educate professionals in the sporting sphere and also the leading-edge sport and exercise infrastructure we have on hand at our Armidale campus.
“It also outlines our exciting work with the Australian College of Physical Education to expand into the undergraduate areas of sports coaching, sports development, and health and leisure, and into the postgraduate fields of sports medicine and sports management.”
