14 January 1999 - Illawarra Mercury

Canterbury is expected to say goodbye to Belmore Sports Ground today and make the main Olympic stadium at Homebush Bay its home ground for the 1999 National Rugby League season. While the club has refused to confirm the move, it says an official announcement will be made today.

When asked if the Bulldogs were moving to the Olympic site, a club spokeswoman said yesterday: “You won't get any comment on that until tomorrow. There's an official announcement tomorrow, so it would be quite foolish to say anything ahead of that.” A media conference will be held at the stadium at 2pm, with a training session afterwards.

The Homebush Bay transfer puts in doubt the Bulldogs' move to the new multi-purpose centre at Liverpool, which would combine a rugby league ground with the home of the Sydney Razorbacks National Basketball League club. But Bulldogs' chief executive Bob Hagan said the 1998 rugby league premiership runner-up still planned to relocate to Liverpool in 2001. The Bulldogs had their first speed training session at Homebush last week under the guidance of NSW Institute of Sport athletics coach Keith Connor.

Canterbury has been based at Belmore since it joined the Sydney premiership in 1935 but in 1995 it was decided the club should share Parramatta Stadium. The Bulldogs stayed one season before returning to Belmore and becoming 1996 premiers. Canterbury's new home stadium will be the athletics venue for the 2000 Olympics.