Council takes back management of Jubilee Oval from St George Illawarra Dragons

The recently formed Georges River Council has taken back the management of Kogarah's Jubilee Oval from the St George Illawarra Dragons as of 1st February.

The former Kogarah Council had leased the venue to the Dragons since 1989, giving the NRL club control of the historic ground and its use.

Now John Rayner, Administrator of the Georges River Council, has undertaken a review of the future management options for the former Kogarah Oval, looking at expanding it into a sporting precinct that could incorporate chiropractic, massage and physiotherapy services.

Rayner told local newspaper the St George Leader, "by reviewing the current leasing arrangements for the stadium, Council has a great opportunity to not only establish a vibrant and accessible sporting precinct in the local area but also provide wider community access to the facility.”

Rayner stressed that despite the changes the Oval will still be available to the Dragons.

He added “Council welcomes the St George Illawarra Dragons continued use of the grounds in 2017 and beyond, however, additional options are being explored to have the stadium opened up to other sporting codes.

"Council will continue to provide a commitment to the Dragons to have access to UOW Jubilee Oval for the 2017 NRL season and beyond for games and training."

With other codes and events having used the ground at times over recent years, the St George Football Association is keen to be able use the ground for local finals and some representative matches.

Dragons Chief Executive Peter Doust highlighted the club’s input over 27 years, stating “we (have) facilitated over $30 million in re-development funding since 2005, funded the ongoing maintenance costs of the venue of over $900,000 per year and funded game day costs of over $100,000 per game.”

Despite the changes, the Dragons are still looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd at the Jubilee Oval with five 2017 NRL Premiership games set to be staged at there - starting on Saturday 4th March.

Georges River Council has also commited to over $4.5 million of funding towards new community sporting amenities buildings across Kogarah and Hurstville area.