Construction is now underway on the $16.9 million hub, which will be home to rugby league youth development squads and in time, a base for NRL powerhouse Melbourne Storm’s women’s team.

The giant step forward for rugby league in Victoria has been made possible due to a $12 million investment by the Victorian Government, with the NRL contributing $1.4 million and Melbourne Storm $1 million. The City of Hume is contributing $2.5 million to develop facilities for local club Northern Thunder as part of the project.

The Rugby League State and Community Centre will boast a female-friendly pavilion including high-performance training and recovery facilities, a show pitch and two additional competition/training pitches. The centre will also include administrative facilities for NRL Victoria and Touch Victoria.

The Victorian Government has invested more than $150 million to support women’s and girl’s facilities and opportunities on and off the field since 2018.

Seabrook Reserve is home to the Northern Thunder Rugby League Club, which has several successful women’s teams and will benefit from the improved training and playing facilities.

The project is due to be completed in mid-2022 and will create upwards of 35 jobs in construction.