NSW GAA and Rockdale Rugby Club hope to complete the deal before Christmas.

New South Wales GAA is hoping to finalise its deal to share grounds with Rockdale Rugby Club before Christmas, the association’s AGM heard recently.

The association has an agreement in principle with Rockdale Rugby Club to use their second field as the venue for the GAA games with the possibility of using their main pitch for camogie and B football competitions.

NSW GAA announced in March that after 25 years in the Auburn Council area, it was looking for a new home.

NSW GAA President Steve Carey told the AGM that the association was confident it could reach a formal agreement with the rugby club soon.

“[The association] had numerous meeting with the Rockdale Rugby Club committee in the past months.

“They have confirmed in writing of their agreement to share their grounds with us after they had received advice from Rockdale Council to their sub-leasing the venue.

“I am confident of having a long-term venue available to us, as long as future committees continue to honour the terms that the 2012 committee will agree on, with them,” Mr Carey revealed.

“We expect a formal agreement to be reached prior to Christmas and work on the upgrading of our field, extra toilets and change rooms to be undertaken.

“Members of the association can assist in keeping this cost at a minimum by offering and volunteering their skills and time in the coming months. For that purpose we will be setting up a sub-committee to oversee this task,” he said.

The secretary of Rockdale Rugby Club, Des Tao, said the parties are yet to agree on a fee for the use of the ground.

“I am going to draw up a contract but I have to get the finalisation from the council [in Rockdale], because there is going to be a few amendments made to the field as well as the road. They want to try make a road from the entrance down to a certain area of the field,” said Mr Tao.

Mr Tao said he was waiting on a timetable for the amount of days that the association would like to use the facilities for training and games.

“Both sides are trying to complete this before Christmas,” he said.

“For the association to play on the field, like any other organisation, they do pay a fee for the usage of the field because the responsibility is on us to maintain the field and also they have requested the [floodlights].

“There’s electricity, there’s water, there’s the sceptics so we need to conduit that all together,” Mr Tao said.