Lecture and Tour with Cronulla Sharks
This morning we departed from the Central Station to the coastal suburb of Cronulla, home of the Sharks, a team in the National Rugby League (NRL). We were given an incredible lecture about the community outreach programs the club participates in, some mandated as part of the league, but many out of a sense of giving back to the local community. The Sharks are “owned” by the public (community members can buy a stake in the club) versus the private ownership model we see in the United States, and as such there is a more significant relationship between the team and the local community members. The Sharks attempt to focus on inclusion and diversity and as such, run and fund programs to either help with community issues like bullying or reach out to local indigenous students and to offer them career advice in order to escape the cycle of poverty so often seen within their communities. It was very interesting to see a professional sports team so dedicated to their local community and genuinely concerned about the issues. Many of the most popular players on the team were the ones who were most involved with these programs and as a result these programs were actually making a difference.
After the lecture we were given a tour of the weight room used by the team and were allowed to watch their training session. One of the more unique parts about the weight room was the “altitude room” where the trainers could change the level of oxygen supplied to the room to further challenge the players. Training in high altitude conditions, or low oxygen, is beneficial to the cardio levels of the team and is often used in the rehab of injured players who are not quite ready for the contact of a game but still need to be fit. As the NRL is on a break this week, the training session for the players was less intensive and you could actually see the guys having fun with each other, playing little games while doing technical drills to stay sharp. We then had lunch at the stadium, in what they call the club (think country club but for a sports team), which is open to the community stakeholders of the Sharks. So, in theory, one could have lunch at the club and watch the team train every day, which is quite weird to think about because the US equivalent would be having lunch at Metlife Stadium and getting to watch the Giants practice. This is another reason the team has such a strong relationship with the community as the team and stadium isn’t really off limits to anyone.
The Beach at Cronulla
After our lunch at the Sharks’ club, we took a quick ride down the road to see the beautiful beaches of Cronulla. Surfers sat in the ocean waiting for the right wave to come as we walked along the coastal path. It was high tide, but when it’s low tide, Cronulla has built into the rocks on the coast swimming pools that fill with the ocean water as it recedes. Personally, I have never seen anything like this in the United States and it’s actually quite an interesting use of space for the community as well as being a safe place to swim for beginners without having to worry about the rip currents. We continued along the path, which slowly turned into large rocks and made our way out to the furthest point we could go without getting wet. We sat for a few minutes just watching the waves come in and the surfers effortlessly glide along the swells. Although it was a beautiful winter’s day in Australia, we could only imagine what the beach and town would look like on a hot summer’s day. We then departed on the train back into Sydney to all go our separate ways before we met back up for dinner and watched the Socceroos play Denmark in their second game of the World Cup.
-written by Nick