Parramatta Eels

The Parramatta Eels are a professional rugby league football club based in the Western Sydney suburb of Parramatta, in New South Wales, Australia. The club was formed in 1947 as the Parramatta District Rugby League Football Club and plays in the National Rugby League, the premier club competition of the sport in Australia. Its first home ground was Cumberland Oval, later replaced on the same site by Parramatta Stadium, and since the rebuild of that ground in 2019 the club has shared Western Sydney Stadium. The Eels spent their early decades near the bottom of the ladder, finishing last eight times between 1952 and 1961, and did not reach a grand final until 1976. Under coach Jack Gibson the club won four premierships in the early 1980s, in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1986, the most successful period in its history. Players of that era included Peter Sterling, Ray Price, Steve Ella, Mick Cronin and Brett Kenny.