News: Wembley in Warringah

[Dan]

The problem is that you may love the hill as a fan. However others dont

If there was no hill you would still probably go to the games. And likely more would also come to the games because there is more seating etc.

It's about expansion not being stuck in our old ways to fester and die

 

[DSM5]

Fester and die?  That's a bit much Dan.  Sitting on the hill with the kids on a Sunday arvo as my team runs around.  Call me old fashioned, but that's heaven.  If one wants more seating, then redevelop those horrible stands opposite the hill. 

 

[Matabele]

I still think they should just put a covering roof over the top of the existing Hill and hang some corporate boxes off the structure.  Retains the Hill but improves the experience on wet and sunny days.

 

[Wolfpack]

I still think they should just put a covering roof over the top of the existing Hill and hang some corporate boxes off the structure.  Retains the Hill but improves the experience on wet and sunny days.

Definately a fan of that idea. Not only is it more income for the club via the corporate boxes but I get to stop bringing my drizabone to games like the Panthers one in 09.

Fester and die?  That's a bit much Dan.  Sitting on the hill with the kids on a Sunday arvo as my team runs around.  Call me old fashioned, but that's heaven.  If one wants more seating, then redevelop those horrible stands opposite the hill. 

Absolutely. My earliest memories of supporting Manly are sitting on the hill learning how to heckle other teams. The hill offers a great level of education in that respect.

 

[Matabele]

Is Brookvale now the only NRL ground where you can still sit on the sideline (even the halfway line) for the cost of a GA ticket?  For instance at Suncorp you have to be a season ticket holder to get within a bull's roar of anything between the 20 metre lines at each end. 

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

The sad fact is $20 "hill goers" can't make up for $200 Coporate box "spongers".

I recently enjoyed 2 days at the cricket at the Gabba courtesy of two airlines, air conditioned box, corporate lunch with quality guest speaker, booze and suitable "bar wenches" doing the deliveries, a great day (two days) at $690.00 per day.

Compare that to the average joe outside in the sun who paid maybe $40 and drins 6 beers at $6.00 each.

And you wonder why the Gabba,Suncorp etc etc LOVE Corporates.

Therin lies the problem....we all LOVE the hill BUT ask the Sea Eagles financial controller what he thinks, I know him and he'd trade the hill any day for another 20 Corporate boxes!!

 

[Dan]

Dsm5 you are missing the point completely.
I love the hill as do so many others but if it were gone it wouldn't make me not go to brooky.

The reality is crowd figures could be higher with a better design. The place is old and failing. We have to accept that the place has to change or we may not as a club survive.

Let me ask you this
what would you prefer, no hill at brookie, or no games and the team moving elsewhere?

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Exactly right Dan.....sadly I see a future where we'll be playing out of the SFS or ANZ as I just can't see the Government(s) coming up with 150 Million to redevelop and that's what's needed.

Compare what we have with say Skilled Park or what the new Storm ground will be like, it's unfortunate but we are back in the 1970's and they are in the year 2010.

 

[DSM5]

Good point.  The only other one is Leichhardt.  Penrith, Cronulla and Parra which all have a small semblance of grass have it at the ends of the field.  Good to watch from there sometimes but not always.  Surely the stands that do exist at Brooky are now outdated, small and ugly.  The thing that people do is to tack structures onto the tacky stuff that is already there.  In a perfect world I'd pull it all down and start again with higher and steeper stands where the existing stuff is, extending it along to where those rancid hot dog stands are at the Northern end.  .     

 

[Dan]

In a perfect world they would look for a new location say out near the sports academy, build a stadium up there or even near rat park or something. Even with new stands the place will look outdated.

They really need to get some decent planners in there to think through the entire place not just adding additional stands

I half like the idea of leaving a 20 metre patch of of the hill from 10 metres either side of half way. So you have essentially 2 stands either side, but the main part of the hill stays in place there

 

[Duff]

Who has conducted all of this research that states people don't go to Brooky because it has a hill but they would if it was seated?

As Mata & others have said, you can always put boxes behind the hill for the corporate dollar, that's no problem.

And as far as the ground looking old fashioned goes, that's something to be proud of. It proves we have a history. It doesn't have to be daggy but it must retain character.

 

[Dan]

Duff i think all of this explains why you had long hair for a good part of the naughties.

 

[Duff]

Duff i think all of this explains why you had long hair for a good part of the naughties.

I still would if it wasn't too thin for it.

But what's wrong with that?

Isn't a sense of history akin to a sense of identity?

If you erase the past to live totally in the present, everything becomes samish & boring. We have history. A lot of clubs in the NRL don't. That is one of the great incentives to be a Manly supporter. Why would you get riled up about the Titans? They're nobody.

 

[Dan]

You are misunderstanding the entire point and argument.

Sense of history and identity are 1 thing and we all have sentimental memories of sitting on the hill. We had some great times there and lots fo great memories.

But equally why cant you build new memories and a new sense of history and identity.

if you are worried about that, we should go back to the 5 metre rule etc.

Basically if gate takings dont increase we may not have a team at all, or at least we may not have the one we currently have.

We have to grow and we have to try things. full stop

 

[Jatz Crackers]

And as far as the ground looking old fashioned goes, that's something to be proud of. It proves we have a history. It doesn't have to be daggy but it must retain character.

A good example is the member stands at the SCG.

 

[Duff]

You are misunderstanding the entire point and argument.

Sense of history and identity are 1 thing and we all have sentimental memories of sitting on the hill. We had some great times there and lots fo great memories.

But equally why cant you build new memories and a new sense of history and identity.

if you are worried about that, we should go back to the 5 metre rule etc.

Basically if gate takings dont increase we may not have a team at all, or at least we may not have the one we currently have.

We have to grow and we have to try things. full stop

Yeah but getting rid of the hill will reduce gate takings.

The people who only go for the fun of it wont be there any more. It'll be less appealing to families if the kids have nowhere to run around & slide on beer-box toboggans. There's even a risk of losing regulars if you take away their fun. They can go to a pub & have a better time watching it on TV.

We need to add drawcards, like corporate boxes, not take drawcards away.

I'm all in favour of progress, just not at the expence of what we already have. We have to make things better. Not take THE best bit of real estate in the NRL & replace it with something inferior, like so many other clubs have done.

Ask Souths fans if their "new memories" are as fond as those of the Redfern days.

 

[Dan]

Comparing changing from redfern oval to Aussie stadium is completely different from removing the hill.

I really doubt you will lose the family draw car, in fact you would probably end up with MORE families there, because it is easier to sit them down in a seat and easier to keep track of them. There is more chance the Mrs will come etc.

You might lose a handful of drunk yobbo's and it will be sad to see the hill go, but it will make the place better.

I personally don't really like plastic seating and i prefer to sit on the benches to be honest.

I think you will be hard pressed convincing any business person that the hill is better for brookie than a bran spanking new stand.

I use to be all for the hill but that has changed someone over the past couple of years.

Believe it or not, i go there now to watch the footy rather than drink and catch the occasional glimpse of the game

 

[Corso_Pete]

The Roosters have not lost their history in moving from the Sportsground to the SFS, I don't hear too many Eels supporters complaining about losing Cumberland Oval. and the same could I am sure be said about Roosters fans. Those grounds will always be part of those clubs history and both were crap in terms of comfort & facilities, in fact I would go as far to say that the Sports Ground was probably better than what Brookie is today and it was demolished, what 20 years ago! They have both moved into Stadia that is needed to be finanacially viable.

Reminincising about the good old days will not see Manly survive too much longer into the future whilst ever we play out of what we have now.

 

[Duff]

The only way in which I can in any way agree with making Brookie an all seater venue is that it may be a necessary evil to keep our team there.

My point though is that it would be evil, it would be awful, it would definitely lose something. How much passion could the fans possibly lose? Who knows.

If survival means less people through the gates but more sponsors then obviously it has to happen. But this is nothing to welcome, this is something that must be fought until every single other option is ruled out.

At the moment, putting boxes & amenities in the unused area behind the hill has to be the leading option. It's the best of both worlds.

Maybe Parra & Easts fans have got used to what they've been dumped with. It has been a long time. That doesn't mean they're having a better experience than they otherwise would be.
And for Parra it's their own fault anyway. They burned their clubs traditions. It just shows the mentality of their supporters.

How can you say the Roosters haven't lost their history Pete? They don't have any interest in it. Name changes, letting their juniors die out etc, etc.

 

[Dan]

so Duff are you saying if it became and all seater you would no longer go to games?

and be honest