From CEO Dino Mezzatesta, a May 2021 update for Sharks members and fans.
Dear Members,
Welcome to the May edition of the CEO’s update as we cover off on a range of topics and issues relevant to your Cronulla Sharks.
Two consecutive wins to finish the month has seen the NRL team regain some confidence as we approach the halfway point of the season, while again off the field, highlighted by an extremely successful venture in taking our game against the Titans to Coffs Harbour, has culminated in a positive period for the Club on a number of fronts.
Our Sharks Women, although suffering their first loss just last weekend, continued to perform strongly, the Jersey Flegg Sharks and Newtown Jets are in and around the top eight and have some work to do over the back end of the year, while the trucks and heavy machinery have been active as our development partners work towards delivering on the timelines of an early to mid-2023 completion of the Town Centre and our new Sharks Leagues Club.
I say it consistently, however it must be noted that Sharks at Kareela continues to trade above and beyond our expectations and we thank those members and guests for their patronage.
The Sharks Have Heart team did some outstanding community engagement work in Coffs Harbour and locally during May, as we complemented Reconciliation Week activities and the NRL’s efforts surrounding Indigenous Round and our merchandise shop and retail operations were again well supported. With how much Sharks gear was purchased from the people of Coffs, the NSW north coast will be black, white and blue for some time to come.
Again, a lot to report from the month of May and plenty to come, both on and off the field, for the remainder of the 2021 season.
And while the event is at capacity, I do look forward to addressing our members at our Information Night tomorrow (Wednesday, June 2) at Sharks at Kareela. There is a lot to go through and we trust those who attend will be pleased with the direction the Club is heading.
Thank you for taking the time to read this update, where we endeavour to keep you up to speed with all the latest happenings here at the Sharks.
Woolooware Bay Development
Nothing new to report, with the construction of the final stage of Woolooware Bay continuing to forge ahead.
The strip out of the Sharks Leagues club building was completed a month or so ago, with the construction of the new Bay Central shopping centre surrounding soon to take shape.
The residential sales have been strong over the past few months, with those interested in exploring the possibilities and perhaps looking to buy that first or last home, encouraged to visit the display centre in the Cronulla Mall.
As for PointsBet Stadium, stay tuned!
Work has continued behind the scenes as we address the critical areas and challenges. We continue to push for that proposed 2022 return and can assure our members and fans that we are committed to achieving the goal of being back ‘home’ next season. We hope to soon have some positive announcements on this front.
Sharks at Kareela
As mentioned in my intro, we are overwhelmed and again pleasantly surprised by the continued support and patronage of Sharks at Kareela, which experienced another bumper trading month.
Anzac Day towards the end of April, then Mother’s Day in early May were extremely successful, showing us once again that Sharks at Kareela is a first-class events venue, one which is well supported by our members and guests.
With COVID restrictions easing somewhat, Sharks at Kareela can cater for events, functions and the like, big and small, and we encourage not just our Members but also Shire families, businesses and anyone looking to take advantage of the outstanding service and facilities on offer to contact us at [email protected] and book that next event.
This update is also a good opportunity to thank the team at Sharks at Kareela who go over and above in servicing our Members and Club patrons, while not forgetting Scott in the golf shop and Gina and her staff in The Cove Bistro for their support and the excellent work they do.
That was May and we look forward to more of the same in the months ahead. The Live and Loud game days will continue in the main bar area and we have plenty of activity planned around the State of Origin, with prizes for guess the score, as well as Corona bucket and food specials.
Drop into the Club and pick up the new What’s On guide which will be available later this week, highlighting all the exciting events, shows and initiatives, including our $1000 Thursday’s, raffles and the member promotions coming up.
And yes, we have been promising this for some time, but we have made some headway with Council and it finally looks like works will commence on the car park resurfacing. We hope for that to happen soon, in improving your overall experience when visiting us at Sharks at Kareela.
Come on down, enjoy all the facilities and for more information, go to our website www.sharksatkareela.com.au
Commercial
The highlights for the Club in relation to our Commercial operations have largely centred around game days and catering for our hospitality partners.
We sold out all corporate areas at the Dragons game, then went to Coffs where we played in front of a full house at the C.ex Stadium.
The community activations, engagement and sponsor involvement surrounding One Disease and Zambrero, our visit and Aramex donation to the Clontarf Foundation, as well as match day where the Legend’s Lounge area on the eastern side provided a great experience, all added up to Coffs Harbour being a huge success.
Coffs Council are already wanting to commence negotiations for a multiyear agreement soon which will be considered at a Board and management level.
Our high-quality portfolio of partners continues to embrace the involvement with the Sharks, Aramex and Zambrero were on deck in Coffs and enjoyed the experience, will all very pleased with the delivery of activations and campaigns to members and fans.
Our highly efficient commercial department work tirelessly on securing, then delivering to both our major sponsors and hospitality partners, with congratulations and thanks to Rebecca Hughes, Kylie Lucas, John Day, Brett Kimmorley and the team for their efforts.
Corporate hospitality is still available for our upcoming home games at Netstrata Jubilee, so if you would like to attend a game in comfort, or perhaps entertain a client at the football, John Day will do his best to accommodate you. You can contact John at [email protected] and he will respond to all enquiries.
Membership
Memberships for the 2021 season are still on sale, with Ben Ross and his team also planning ahead with an eye to 2022 and our potential return to PointsBet Stadium.
The Membership team have begun seat planning and allocation for PointsBet, with those loyal members having first options on seating.
For those yet to renew, we are launching two smaller memberships this month, giving unrenewed members the opportunity to get back on board ready for our 2022 return.
We have planned Member meet and greets, Captains run and Diamond/Platinum events to begin mid to late June, while we thank those members who have signed on for 2021 for their continued support.
And for those yet to join, as pointed out above, it is certainly not too late to get on board this season.
Merchandise
In some exciting news, the home jerseys featuring the Aramex branding will be here during the month of June, adding to the large range of 2021 Sharks merchandise which is available both in-store and on-line.
The Indigenous jersey, designed with input from Andrew Fifita and our indigenous NRL team members, was a big seller with stocks almost exhausted, however for those looking for that special gift or unique piece of memorabilia, we now have an Auction featuring the game worn jerseys from the Sharks big win over the Titans.
The player worn jersey auction runs through until Sunday, June 6. Go to the link to make a bid to own a one-of-a-kind piece of Sharks merchandise – CLICK HERE
While looking ahead to 2022, design and sampling is complete and due to having full complement of jersey partners on board for next year, we anticipate stocks to be available well in advance of Christmas.
So get on down to the Sharks Store, located at Sharks at Kareela, and grab some winter gear with the colder months now upon us. Store hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, you can now also purchase merchandise from club reception at Sharks at Kareela or online by going to the following link - CLICK HERE.
Also, always stay tuned to the Sharks website and media channels for specials and exclusive member offerings.
Community
The big focus towards the back end of the month was around Indigenous Round and our activations in Coffs Harbour ahead of the regional game against the Gold Coast.
We had an extensive plan for Coffs, which was embraced by the community in and around the region and included a Clontarf Academy activation at Orara High School, an initiative with One Disease and our corporate partners Zambrero, as well as hospital, school and junior league visits. The feedback we received was very positive and the activities conducted a big success.
The boys also wore Deadly Choices shirts at the final training session before the Titans game to raise awareness for the indigenous health checks and the valuable work they do in the community.
In relation to Indigenous Round, the jersey design, which represented the local Sutherland Shire and Cronulla areas as well as the mobs of each of our Indigenous NRL players, was extremely well received by the players, fans and wider community and in addition a jersey presentation event with Endeavour High School Clontarf students was a fantastic lead into the week’s activities.
Earlier in May we hosted the Australian Defence Force for a career’s information day, also targeting indigenous students from around the Sutherland Shire.
All Indigenous visits and activations tied in with our commitment to National Reconciliation Week.
And our extremely successful Skills Development Program, which this year attracted record numbers, came to an end during what was once again a big month for Sharks Have Heart.
Football
After six losses in succession the NRL team has enjoyed a change of fortune, registering two wins in succession against the Dragons then Titans.
The football staff, led by Josh Hannay, along with the playing group, continued to work hard, kept a positive attitude through some challenging times and have been justly rewarded with two victories to put us back on track heading into the second half of the season.
We now have a bye coming up to rest and recharge and look likely to have 31 of our 34 full time players available before a huge game against the undefeated competition leaders the Penrith Panthers in our next match.
In other developments during the month of May, we were able to announce two extremely talented and popular members of our NRL squad in Toby Rudolf and Will Kennedy have re-signed for three and two years respectively, which is great news for our Club.
We have also celebrated a couple of significant milestones in recent weeks, with Shaun Johnson playing his 200th top grade game, Franklin Pele, a young man to have come through our development system making his NRL debut, on top of Matt Moylan running out for his 50th Sharks appearance and Briton Nikora his 50th NRL match. Congratulations to all.
While on the recruitment front, incoming coach Craig Fitzgibbon is working diligently behind the scenes with our General Manager of Football Darren Mooney to build a strong and competitive roster for 2022 and beyond and no doubt there will be more exciting announcements to come.
Away from what is taking place at an NRL level, our NSW Cup partner club the Newtown Jets have begun to show some form, linked somewhat to our NRL squad becoming healthy and our ability to supply them with quality players, while the Jersey Flegg Sharks have lost a couple of games where they certainly had winning opportunity, but they remain well and truly in the race to secure a finals berth with half the season yet to be played.
As for the Sharks Harvey Norman Women’s team, they suffered their first loss just last weekend however are still in third place and there is plenty to like about their chances of bringing the trophy home at season’s end.
In closing
A thank you to those who have registered for our member information night, we look forward to seeing you at Sharks at Kareela tomorrow evening.
Myself and our Board of Directors certainly appreciate the interest you show in your club and we trust we can provide you answers to your questions and offer as much information as we can in relation to matters on and off the field.
On behalf of our Board, Management, staff and players, we thank you for your ongoing support and hope it continues throughout the 2021 season.
Up Up Cronulla!
Dino Mezzatesta
CEO
