6 Mar 08 - Camp Rabbitoh Launched at Coffs Harbour

The South Sydney Rabbitohs are to make the top-class sporting facilities at Novotel Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour their training camp for the next three years.

"We're very proud that the Rabbitohs have chosen Coffs Harbour as their future training base," said Coffs Harbour Mayor, Councillor Keith Rhoades. "Having close links with an elite team of the calibre and reputation of the Rabbitohs reinforces the city's position as the first-choice regional sporting venue in NSW.

"Not only will our relationship with the Rabbitohs give us enormous regional, national and international coverage, but it has the potential to boost local jobs - through the increased use of existing sports facilities as well as indirectly via a growth in visitors to the area.

"I hope the team will also provide an inspiration for young, local sporting talent to aim for the top," he said.

Stephen Sawtell, Council's General Manager, said one of the main attractions of the South Sydney Rabbitohs Club was their pro-active involvement in community programs that promote sport and help disadvantaged youngsters and their families.

"The Rabbitohs team - players and management - have shown themselves committed to working very closely with the communities with which they are involved," said Mr Sawtell.

"There are huge potential benefits for our local community through our association with the club. The 'Souths Cares' program, for example, focuses on Indigenous communities, promoting the benefits of education and healthy lifestyles and supporting pre-employment courses, mentoring and workplace opportunities. In addition, we will be working with the Souths on extending their scholarship program - to help disadvantaged youth achieve their goals on the sporting field and academically - into the local Coffs Harbour area."

South Sydney Football Club Executive Chairman Peter Holmes à Court said: "This partnership will not only allow us to train at one of the elite training camps in the country, it will also enable us to connect with the community and work with the people on the Coffs Coast.

"We've made ANZ Stadium our home for games for the next ten years, we're returning to Redfern as our main training base, we're looking at options to broaden the Club's appeal to the west coast, and now we can add 'Camp Rabbitoh' in Coffs Harbour as another piece of the puzzle that is going to make this Club successful again.

"We're pleased that we can work with the community members of Coffs Harbour and the surrounding areas to help promote Rugby League and help disadvantaged people of the area through our Souths Cares programs."

The corporate partnership with the club will run, initially, from March 2008 until February 2011. It will include:

• Novotel Pacific Bay Resort to be known as the 'Camp Rabbitoh'.
• The opportunity to develop a promotional campaign to promote Coffs Harbour to Australia using Rabbitohs players and coaching staff.
• Match Day Signage - 1 x full 100m face of LED signage (on rotation with other sponsors - 30 sec per exposure) at all Rabbitohs home games at ANZ Stadium. Average home crowd 15,000; average Free-to-Air audience 1 million; average Fox Sports audience 300,000. This could be used to promote events in the city such as the Buskers and Food and Wine Festivals.
• Pre-season Match - One trial match per year in Coffs Harbour against a fellow NRL team.
• Business Seminar delivered by SSFC personnel during each stay at Camp Rabbitoh.
• Primary School training and education program for schools in Coffs Harbour LGA.
• The possibility of an annual scholarship program rewarding outstanding Rugby League talent in Coffs Harbour to be developed in partnership with CHCC and others.
• Opportunity to support the Souths Cares program that provides unemployed indigenous Australians with the best possible opportunities to enter the workforce.
• A Sportsman's Dinner where Rabbitohs squad and coaching staff attend dinner, provide speeches and interviews and SSFC assistance with prizes.
• A Golf Day at Bonville International Golf Resort where players and coaching staff will participate and can be used for speeches, interviews and SSFC assistance with prizes.   

Photo above right: Council's General Manager Stephen Sawtell and South Sydney's Executive Chairman Peter Holmes à Court sign the contract for Camp Rabbitoh at the official launch on 6 March 2008, flanked by Mayor Keith Rhoades and Souths Cares Ambassador David Peachy.