Money-spinning move as Manly plays 'home' game at Suncorp Stadium in 2011

[Philip from Harbord]

Buoyed by a $300,000 windfall from playing in Gosford on Sunday, Manly bosses are looking to take more games away from Brookvale to showcase the talents of players such as in-form Jamie Lyon.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the match in Brisbane is planned to be part of a double-header, with a second game to be played between Canterbury and Gold Coast.

It is understood Manly could pocket another $300,000 to take the Broncos game from Brookvale. Manly bank about $120,000 for matches played at Brookvale.

   
An exact date and round for the two games will be released later this year.


Sea Eagles chief executive Graham Lowe will meet with Warringah Council today in another desperate bid to renovate and expand the main grandstand, the Jane Try Stand.

Manly officials claim they genuinely hate taking matches away from their spiritual home but say they have no choice while Brookvale remains dilapidated and outdated.

The Sea Eagles' home match against Wests Tigers attracted a crowd of 20,059 on Sunday – the gates being closed an hour before kick-off and the club banking $300,000.

Lowe would not discuss the probability of taking a home game to Brisbane in 2010 but admitted the general facilities at Gosford dwarfed those available at Brookvale.

If council refuses to further improve facilities at Brookvale, Manly admit they will take additional games away from Sydney's northern beaches.

"It would be purely for financial reasons," Lowe said.

"This is about survival.

"Sunday was a good example. Our last two Brookie crowds have been down but that can be attributed to bad weather and poor timeslots.

"But we need more reserve seating and better corporate facilities at Brookvale.

"Everyone wants to play at Brookvale but at the moment it just doesn't measure up. We have to look elsewhere.

"We have to weigh up the emotion of playing at Brookvale and the emotion of surviving."

Brookvale is one of the rugby league world's most famous suburban grounds.

But Warringah Council, led by a few Greens, are allowing the ground to deteriorate.

It is understood the council has refused to appoint a full-time groundkeeper.

The situation reached crisis point last month when sprinkler heads came through the playing surface.

Manly officials privately admit they could bank another $1 million a year by playing elsewhere – but it would leave loyal Sea Eagles fans without a local home ground.

The Gosford match proved that Manly can draw strong crowds away from Brookvale.

"We have to extend the Jane Try Stand – it's as simple as that," Lowe said.

"We need extra bays and more reserve seating under cover.

"The club thinks there could be community facilities under the stand. We can't see why the extension cannot be built at a modest cost."

Manly's next game at Brookvale is on Saturday week against their old rivals Melbourne Storm

 

[Ryan]

I'm torn here....I want games at Brookvale, but not at the cost of coins in the coffer....then again, I'm a season ticket holder, and refuse to go to Gosford, unlike 20,000 other odd fans, so I guess I buck the trend.

I hope Manly pays a game-by-game fee for Brookvale, and whilst Kristina Cirsch squabbles over the scraps thrown at it due to the hard work by officials at Sea Eagles Headquarters, the council is then losing more and more income by Manly taking home games away.

The Council will never learn.

 

[DSM5]

Why refuse to go to Gosford?  It's the players and the team I support, not the venue.  I go to all other grounds in Sydney to support the guys.  Even Penrith.  Brookvale is our 'home' but the playing surface is dangerous, and the facilities are antiquated.  Until the council pull their fingers out, this is the sad reality.  I note that Sydney City Council spent 20 million dollars doing Redfern oval up for a training facility for the Bunnies.  Strange days. 

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

They would make a motza by bringing a Bronco's game north.....but playing it at Suncorp is giving the Bonko's the home ground advantage, can't see Des being too interested in that...maybe Skilled Park???

 

[dowdz]

I hope Manly pays a game-by-game fee for Brookvale, and whilst Kristina Cirsch squabbles over the scraps thrown at it due to the hard work by officials at Sea Eagles Headquarters, the council is then losing more and more income by Manly taking home games away.

The Council will never learn.
[/quote]

I agree with you Ryan. The amount of money that is injected through the area on game day must be huge. How can you have a local team and not support them? Every other council seems to be able to help the clubs in their area.

 

[Ryan]

Why refuse to go to Gosford?  It's the players and the team I support, not the venue.  I go to all other grounds in Sydney to support the guys.  Even Penrith.  Brookvale is our 'home' but the playing surface is dangerous, and the facilities are antiquated.  Until the council pull their fingers out, this is the sad reality.  I note that Sydney City Council spent 20 million dollars doing Redfern oval up for a training facility for the Bunnies.  Strange days. 

For mine, a "home" is where you play. It's where you want to play. We may have games in PNG, NZ, QLD, Bluetongue etc...

It's starting to feel very un-homely.

That said, I can appreciate the monetary gain by taking games away. A business is a business.

Hopefully the extra coin means we can spend more money???

 

[The Wheel]

To be honest our only real hope of staying at Brookie long term is for the State/Federal Liberals to get into power - as above it is very hard for the club (when money is tight) to ignore the extra dollars that is available elsewhere.

I love Brookie more than anything else in footy but I dont want to love my club to death.

 

[bob dylan]

The AFL have proven that home games in small suburban grounds is an unnecessary evil.

I love Brookie and have been going there for over 30 years but I can see the day when all Sydney games will be played at the Footy Stadium or that god forsaken ANZ Stadium.

I think the Council will force Manly's hand sooner or later.

 

[MPC75]

They would make a motza by bringing a Bronco's game north.....but playing it at Suncorp is giving the Bonko's the home ground advantage, can't see Des being too interested in that...maybe Skilled Park???

Personally I would love it if they played more games on the Gold Coast, as that's where I live. They would get good crowds as I think there are more Manly supporters on the coast than titans supporters.

 

[eagles2win]

They would make a motza by bringing a Bronco's game north.....but playing it at Suncorp is giving the Bonko's the home ground advantage, can't see Des being too interested in that...maybe Skilled Park???

Always thought we had a good record at Suncorp

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

I can definitely confirm that it will be Suncorp (just off the phone from Football Club Chairman Bob Reilly).

There will be a guaranteed 10 games at BO in 2011, one TBA (and we'd assume that will be NZ) and one at Brisbane., I think the PNG thing is just hearsay.

He said the figures (roughly) to take the game north are plus $300K compared to BO, we didn't discuss the other venue as that is undecided, but you'd have to imagine if they are going to take a game to say Eden Park Auckland (and using that as an example only as I don't know any more than you guys do re this), that they'd be looking at similar numbers to do so.

He also said that due to BO being in poor condition and having such few seats to sell that financially they need to take two games away per annum so until things improve this will be the "lot" for you Sydney siders.

The positive to this is it's always a great trip to QLD, the fan base here is massive (and growing) and this time we'll "own" the Stadium and can have great seats set aside for members and MWTS.

I attended the double header in early June, there was 50100 people there and an incredible atmosphere, and the chance for the club to sell merchandise and memberships (which they can't do on a regular away game) will be a great bonus.

I know taking away games is bad for you guys that live down south but you also have to be realistic as far as the dollars go, and this is a big boost for the finances.

 

[MadMarcus]

If we have to do it we have to do it.

I don't think Council would be too concerned.  This is exactly what Kirch wants.

 

[WAMF]

Move our 'home' to the SFS for a season and tell Warringah council that they have 12 mths to rebuild the ground, to at least the level of say Kogarah. Otherwise, the council can just use the pile of dirt that it has neglected to maintain, for 2 or 3 frisbee throwing comps each year.

The more I think about this, the more I am in Lowe's corner so far as making threats to those incompetent morons in council. I just hope he has the fortitude to carry it through. Enough is enough.

 

[WAMF]

I'll also add that our ****ty home ground is doing us no favours whatsoever in attracting a major player to be front of jersey sponsor.

 

[conanu]

Maybe if we were called Warringah-Manly Sea Eagles they might be nicer. Is there a rivalry between the 2 councils? I so wish we built brooky originally on the site of Rat park that would have been great and even better if we owned the land next to it it would have been worth a mozza.

 

[ayjay007]

From a post I put on another thread here....

Just an aside to my original post.While Cent Cst Leagues probably loved the game,I wonder how Manly Leagues went for a crowd turning up for post match drinks.What about the caterers at Brookie,the Brookie Maccas,the Brookie Hotel,the bus drivers that didn't get additional shifts,Manly Travelodge,and the other businesses that got nobody at their establishments?It would be interesting to see how much revenue was lost to the Brookie area!Maybe then these figures could be shoved under the recalcitrant councillors noses as proof of what Manly does for the local economy.

 

[ayjay007]

Oh well,that's 2 games I can plan spending at home,or the local next year.No season pass for me next year.I think I'll have to go 6 match flexi,or match by match.

 

[Jethro]

Maybe if we were called Warringah-Manly Sea Eagles they might be nicer. Is there a rivalry between the 2 councils? I so wish we built brooky originally on the site of Rat park that would have been great and even better if we owned the land next to it it would have been worth a mozza.

Just for nostalgia, for those who may not know, Rat park used to be the the old Narrabeen tip years ago.

I just hope that by making Manly more a nomadic team that it doesn't send them down the same path as the North Sydney Bears as we all know what happened to them without a fixed regular home ground.

 

[MadMarcus]

From a post I put on another thread here....

Just an aside to my original post.While Cent Cst Leagues probably loved the game,I wonder how Manly Leagues went for a crowd turning up for post match drinks.What about the caterers at Brookie,the Brookie Maccas,the Brookie Hotel,the bus drivers that didn't get additional shifts,Manly Travelodge,and the other businesses that got nobody at their establishments?It would be interesting to see how much revenue was lost to the Brookie area!Maybe then these figures could be shoved under the recalcitrant councillors noses as proof of what Manly does for the local economy.

I wonder if the Club has considered making a submission containing information about the financial impact that the Club playing at Brookie has on local businesses?  I'm not sure if Maccas etc. would be inclined to disclose their revenue figures etc., but if there is a benefit in it for them (ie. keeping games at Brookie) you never know.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

More news on this....the club is not that happy that this has been released yet in the media as it's not 100% a done deal....the NRL are yet to sign off on this.

I'll advise as (if) I know more