Parramatta plan to play in Seattle

Parramatta Eels are planning on playing an exhibition game in Seattle, in the north-western USA, possiblty within the next year.

The club have been enjoying a preseason training tour in Seattle over the last few days, and having a close look at some of the facilities in the region.

These include the Starfire Sports Stadium, where Major League soccer team the Seattle Sounders play.

The squad have also trained on the pitch at the Husky Stadium, where the University of Washington American football team play.

“It’s a very impressive facility, and our first session back for pre-season while we’re over here, and there are definitely a few tired boys out there, but it’s great to get one under our belt,” said Eels forward David Gower.

“It’s just on a completely different level and scale to what we’ve got back in Australia.

“It’s a 70,000 seat stadium and the gym is like nothing we’ve ever seen before, so just impressive, I don’t know another word for it!

“My jaw dropped a lot, actually. It’s a college game, it’s amateur; and they get 70,000 here as a crowd and the gym is three times the size of ours in Parramatta, it’s incredible.”

Parramatta chief executive Scott Seward confirmed that he would be meeting with Seattle Sounders officials, as well as the NRL, in an attempt to ink in a trial game in Seattle for the 2016 preseason schedule.

The Eels would probably play another NRL side.

“You look at what we’ve done already with our training camp in Seattle and that began as a question of why not,?’’ Seward said.

“This is no different. Why can’t the Parramatta Eels play a game here (Seattle), why can’t we broaden our reach, I can’t see why not.

“The facilities have a real wow factor about them, I thought it was extremely impressive.”