Sea Eagles set to take more NRL matches away from Brookvale Oval
MANLY is struggling to turn a profit at their Brookvale Oval matches so the club is planning to move a fourth home match away... possibly in NZ.
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MANLY hit the jackpot when they signed a lucrative deal for Brookvale Oval to be renamed Lottoland this year but the club is still battling to turn a profit at the ageing venue.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Sea Eagles are set to take a third home game away from Brookvale next season after four home matches this season failed to post a profit.
Manly have played 10 home games a season at their spiritual home for the past decade with two being taken away for commercial reasons.
They are likely to play only nine at Brookie in 2018 with Auckland or Christchurch joining Brisbane and Perth as Manly’s homes away from home.
Manly’s reduction in matches on the northern beaches is another blow for Sydney’s much-maligned NRL venues with Allianz Stadium under fire after a building assessment labelled it “a potential deathtrap ... ill-equipped to cope with a serious emergency”.
Sea Eagles majority owner Scott Penn assured fans the club wanted to play as many games at Brookvale as possible but they needed to find extra revenue to cover the financial losses.
“Next year, we may need to take more than the two games away, yes,” the chairman said.
“We are in a loss-making position at the moment. If we need to take more games away to make sure we are financially viable, so be it.
“The back end of this year (at Brookvale) had been terrific but some fans of teams don’t travel, therefore it doesn’t make it financially viable for us at Brookie. We have to look at alternatives.
“There would be two reasons for it. One is a financial reason, the second is to increase our supporter base. We love Brookie, we love a packed Brookie.
“This is about keeping great games at Brookie and the marginal games, they give us an opportunity to take them somewhere else.”
The Sea Eagles board, including two members of the district club, will need to sign off on the deal.
The Sea Eagles, who are continuing to work on a redevelopment plan for the venue, still have contracts to play another year in Perth and Brisbane. Profits from the three home games on the road will offset the loss-making matches at Brookvale.
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To compensate for staging fewer home matches, the Sea Eagles hope to offer deals to fans and members at rival venues in Sydney.
Reminded the club’s constitution states Manly must play 10 games a year at their Brookvale base, Penn said: “That is in place but it can’t be to the detriment of the company.”
Meanwhile, Sea Eagles are still weeks away from announcing their new CEO and the club has ruled out promoting an existing staff member to the top job.
Originally published as Sea Eagles set to take more NRL matches away from Brookvale Oval
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