Manly to Move to Gosford????

[Canteen Worker]

BROOKIE FOREVER

RALLY - 7PM WEDNESDAY - BROOKVALE OVAL



Rally
7pm Wednesday 21st November
Brookvale Oval

With uncertainty surrounding a Government commitment of funding for Brookvale Oval, news surfaced today that the NRL has offered the club an 8 million dollar incentive to permanently move to the Central Coast.

CEO Grant Mayer today confirmed,

"There is an attractive financial commitment for any club to permanently move to the Central Coast. This option is our last option. The owners, board and entire management team want to remain at Brookvale long term, but the reality is Brookvale Oval cannot support the needs of the club or the community in its current state."

Brookvale Oval no longer complies with occupational health and safety requirements, nor does it adequately cater for disabled patrons. Due to the lack of undercover seating and corporate facilities it also leaves the club in a position where they cannot attract enough backing to compete in the NRL and it leaves us with little alternative but to investigate partial or total relocation. As a community asset owned by Warringah Council, Brookvale Oval cannot even attract private investment due to zoning restrictions.

"Brookvale is the priority for both the Delmege and Penn families. We want Manly to be in the NRL, we want Manly to be competitive in the NRL, we want Manly to win the NRL but for too many years now other NRL clubs have received millions in Government funding while Brookvale Oval crumbles before our very eyes," Chairman and owner Scott Penn explained.

Leichhardt Oval - $11 million in campaign promises for only 3 games per year!
The Sea Eagles pay in excess of $400,000 for the use of a substandard facility. Whilst other clubs train and play for free on venues like the SFS and Telstra Stadium.

We are the best team in NSW with the worst facilities and the least funding.
Brookvale Oval is rapidly becoming a black eye on the Peninsula.



We've had enough! We now call on our fans to support us and rally to keep this proud club where it belongs.

Rally
7pm Wednesday 21st November
Brookvale Oval


Bring your Family and Friends - dress in Manly colours and bring signs of support for your club.

The Coach, Players, Owners and Directors of the Sea Eagles will address the crowd and we need all Manly fans and Rugby League fans in general to attend. We had 3,000 people at our fan day last year we are asking for an even bigger turnout on Wednesday night.

We have 10 days to make our mark before the election.

Its time for Manly fans to show their hands, its time for Manly fans to show our Government representatives that the Northern Beaches Community deserves a fair go!


THE TIME IS RIGHT - WE NEED GOVERNMENT SUPPORT NOW!

We need everyone to get behind the club and contact their local member.

Government funding of over $900 Million has been spent on NRL venues over the last 10 years.

$58 Million dollars has been spent or promised to part time grounds!

Brookvale Oval - home of the 2007 NRL Premiership Runners Up - has only received $1.44 Million

Its time to act!
Lobby friends, lobby the Government - Don't let Manly be left out.

 

[Canteen Worker]

More info on this is available on http://www.mwse.com.au

If Howard can give squillions to the tigers for a last minute desperate grab to keep his seat for three lousy games, then Abbott can get the same or more for our long neglected ground.

 

[Matabele]

I would suggest that if this rally attract poor number then the ambivalent peninsula types have only themselves to blame if Manly are FORCED to relocate.

 

[byso]

Having a photo of a broken chair is pathetic. spend $50- and fix it yourselves.

Surely a pic of a more pressing problem would be more appropriate, to get the point across.

 

[ManlyBacker]

I would suggest that if this rally attract poor number then the ambivalent peninsula types have only themselves to blame if Manly are FORCED to relocate.

Typical blue-arse comment. This will be a non-event with about 100 to 200 people there, 250 if you throw on snags. In a well co-ordinated attempt by the club to pressure the governments they have enlisted the Manly Daily that runs it as their front page article, but hello - forgot to mention this rally. :naughty:

Bye-bye Brookie

Kelly Robinson
15Nov07

THE Manly Sea Eagles have begun talks with the National Rugby League to do an $8 million deal to relocate to the Central Coast.

As they continue to battle for funding to overhaul Brookvale Oval, CEO Grant Mayer told The Manly Daily the club was considering leaving the northern beaches and playing all home games at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford. Manly powerbrokers have been lobbying Warringah MP Tony Abbott and the State Government to commit $10 million to repair the run-down stadium.

Talk of the move reduced some members of the Sea Eagles board to tears yesterday, Mr Mayer said.

The club has been unable to secure a commitment for $17.5 million they say is needed to upgrade the oval and is seriously considering moving north.

While other NRL venues throughout the country have seen more than $900 million in funding in the last decade, as reported in The Manly Daily last week, Brookvale Oval has received just $1.4 million.

Prime Minister John Howard recently pledged $8 million to upgrade Leichhardt Oval in his own marginal seat of Bennelong and Penrith Football Stadium was promised $5 million for upgrading by Federal Labor.

Quad Park on the Sunshine Coast has also been promised $7.5 million from the Liberal Party and $5 million from Labor during the election campaign.

Mr Mayer told the Daily the club was exploring all options.

``This is a serious option for the club to consider,'' he said. ``We have about 10 days to convince both parties that our Brookvale Oval is in desperate need of funding and we need to see a commitment,'' he said.

``There's no secret that the stadium needs a lot of help.

``We have already moved two games to the Central Coast for season 2008.

``While our preference is, and will always be to stay here,we're seriously considering apermanent move.''

NRL chief executive David Gallop confirmed he had been in talks with the Sea Eagles.

``The offer of $8 million is on the table subject to satisfying our requirements,'' Mr Gallop said.

``One of those requirements is a true relocation and a long-term plan for the club. History shows if a club needs to relocate, it needs to truly embrace the local area.''

Mr Abbott said he was trying his hardest to secure funding.

``I am confident we will help fund the redevelopment of Brookvale Oval with federal funding,'' he said. ``It's just a question of whether the funding is secured before or after the election.'' :blah: :lol:

The Sea Eagles' lease at Brookvale Oval expires in 2009 and the club believes a complete overhaul of the ground is needed.

The club has set out a huge list of repairs needed including ground resurfacing (worth $1.5 million), a complete overhaul of dressing rooms, upgraded seating in the Southern stand, Ken Arthurson stand and Jane Try stand, building of additional toilet facilities, paved car parking, upgraded corporate facilities and new ticket booths.

 

[Ryan]

The Central Coast is a stink hole. The ground might be nice, but maybe the club can offer an incentive by way of teeth in their 2009 membership !

 

[Guest]

Having a photo of a broken chair is pathetic. spend $50- and fix it yourselves.

Surely a pic of a more pressing problem would be more appropriate, to get the point across.

Maybe a scratch and sniff picture of the blocked up toilets would do the trick.

A plumber mate of mine reckons that the residents of Warringah would go balistic if they knew the annual cost of repairing the toilets at Brookvale oval. he mentioned a figure of $60k pa is spent unblocking them and replacing broken toilets and basins. Apprantly the
pipes just cannot cope with match day use.

Maybe the club should ask everyone to go to the toilet before they get to the oval thereby reducing the pressure on the toilets at the ground. Or maybe no number 2's at the ground?
:lol:

 

[byso]

I'm all for a better ground. But they could surely be a little more specific in regards to whats not up to scratch. Complaining about a broken chair is hardly going to grab public support.

 

[Ryan]

I know this is a media beat up to attain some more financial support for the upgrade, but a permanent move to Blacktown on the Beach poses the following questions:-

1. How will Manly The Leagues Club survive? (Job Losses)
2. How will the current local sponsors feel?
3. Gosford barred Manly once. Why will it work now?
4. Manly certainly couldn't retain its name right?
5. Our state of the art training facilities will no longer be a draw card.
6. What happens to all the kids that have been locally placed?
7. Does The Central Coast Leagues club then assume an investment stake?
8. With the game currently based around night games, how do Sydney people watch Monday / Friday night games live?

My point is that even though this is probably a beat up, will it offside Nth Beaches sponsors and investors? If they are thinking of moving there in 09, how will the season ticket sales be managed? How can they justify an every day fan outlaying $180- for a MANLY jersey in 08, when they may be The Mighty Central Coast Beagles the year after?

They need to manage their current media releases VERY carefully.

 

[Canteen Worker]

The club doesn't want to go. Manly at Manly is the aim. It is below standard and Byso - who actually goes to games should be able to quote the problems:

Crap stands (except one), lack of undercover area, poor player facilities, few sponsor boxes (where the real money lies), poor media facilities, poor entrances and exits, pathetic toilet facilities, pathetic catering facilities. Compare us with Parra Stadium or Blue Tongue and Brookie is crap.

 

[Matabele]

So why would the governments throw good money after bad? Maybe they'll be happy to see a relocation to bluetongue which is currently underutilised.

 

[Canteen Worker]

Bluetongue is a lemon. It is more about John Singleton now though it was orginally about the Bears.

Leave soccer and Rugby there.

Now that Howard has been exposed today as rorting (Ros Kelly style) his own marginal electorates maybe something can be done!!!

 

[Matabele]

THE Ros Kelly Whiteboard is still in use in the applicable department and has seen use when it comes to the Regional Partnerships Program.

I kid you not.

 

[fLIP]

We all need to look at the positives of this.

For me, thats 120K less that I need to drive to see manly play a home game.

 

[Corso_Pete]

So why would the governments throw good money after bad? Maybe they'll be happy to see a relocation to bluetongue which is currently underutilised.

I guess it depends on what your definition of underutilised is. In addition the Mariners playing their 10 games a year, the Rays playing their 6 games in a mickey mouse rugby comp there are 8 NRL games planned for 2008 at Bluetongue. This excludes occasional international Rugby & Soccer games & local community events such as Carols By Candelight and the occasional concert.

With a minimum of 24 sporting events at national level or higher I doubt very much that the stadium is either underutilized or a lemon.

For anyone that seriously thinks that Manly will ever again move to the Central Coast they are so far removed from any grasp of reality as to be paranoid.

Add to the fact that the Melbourne Storm have entered into a long term agreement with the Central Coast Rugby League and will be fielding their team in the U20 comp next year from the Central Coast , to be known as the Central Coast Storm just adds credence to the fact that all Mayer is doing is rattling the cage to gain community support and apply some, albeit wasted pressure on the local Northern Beaches politicians.

 

[Canteen Worker]

I hope you are right Pete but there is talk that Manly just can't get the dollars from the top end of town at Brookie and that games at BT are more financially viable. Warringah Council are also a problem.

 

[Corso_Pete]

Any relocation to the Central Coast would mean the end of Manly. Any team that relocates will have to rid themselevs of their previous identity.

The NE venture proved that he reisdents of the CC will not support a team that is not based on and from the CC. The poor crowds that the supported the CC Rays in the recent ARC proved that whilst the team was supposedly representing the Central Coast it was seen to be what it was, a team put together from the northern area of Sydney but badged as a team from the CC. Whilst fools and their money may be easily parted the Rugby supporting public of the CC were shown not be fools.

I guess what I am trying to say if Manly go to the CC it will not be as Manly and our club will go the way of Newtown, North Sydney, Glebe, Adelaide Rams, Western Reds et al.

 

[Matabele]

I guess what I am trying to say if Manly go to the CC it will not be as Manly and our club will go the way of Newtown, North Sydney, Glebe, Adelaide Rams, Western Reds et al.

That's right. And the threat to move the "franchise" is not an idle one.

 

[Corso_Pete]

If what you say is true, then how will the club ever get a majority vote in effectively putting a sword through the club that was once known as Manly Warringah.

The current constitution will not allow it unless passed by the majority of members.

 

[Matabele]

Members have a majority share do they?