SOUTH Sydney Rabbitohs are preparing to make their case for the last piece of the funding puzzle to push ahead with building a $32 million new home at Heffron Park.

After submitting an application for a $15.10 million slice of the State Government NRL Centres of Excellence funding in March, Rabbitohs chief executive Blake Solly will present to the project’s committee in person later this month.

“Our aim is to present the best possible submission,” Mr Solly said.

“In effect every club gets 30 minutes to bring their application to life, and cover off the most important things about why their facility is needed, what the outcomes will be and why the funding requested is important.”

media_camera Artist’s impression of South Sydney Rabbitohs High Performance Community Centre at Heffron Park in Maroubra.

The club has already secured $10 million in Federal Government funding for the proposed Community and High Performance Centre, along with $3 million from Randwick Council, and $4 million of its own money.

The Rabbitohs’ lease on their current home at Redfern Oval will expire in 2020, with the club’s entire staff to make the move to Heffron Park once the project gets the green light. Construction is expected to take around 18 months.

A representative from Randwick Council will accompany Mr Solly when he fronts the panel chaired by former NSW Premier John Fahey in the next fortnight.

media_camera The area of Heffron park that will be the site of the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ new development. Picture: John Appleyard

“We feel as confident as we did when we submitted the application,” Mr Solly said.

“We’ve got excellent support from council and the Federal Government, which will put us in a really strong position when we stand in front of the State Government.

“This is a huge opportunity for the NSW government to fund a centre that will not only be good for the club, but great for the community around Heffron.

media_camera Randwick City Council is spending $5.8 million on improvements to Heffron Park in 2017-18, including a netball and tennis court upgrade. Picture: Randwick City Council.

“We hope to have an answer some time in June — it will be the final piece of the puzzle for us.”

Heffron Park is a continued focus for council, with $5.8 million in upgrades earmarked for the precinct in its 2017-18 draft budget, released late last month.

The cash will fund the continued rollout of council’s Heffron Park Management Plan, and comes in addition to the money promised to the Rabbitohs.

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