Manly Sea Eagles home Brookvale Oval to get $1.2m playing surface upgrade
Northern Beaches Council will spend $1.2 million to fix up Brookvale Oval’s troubled playing surface.
Northern Beaches Council will spend $1.2 million to fix up Brookvale Oval’s troubled playing surface.
The cash will go towards laying new turf as well as improving the drainage and irrigation system.
It has been a challenging few months for the council-owned ground with both soccer and rugby league matches having been called off due to poor pitch conditions.
It is hoped the investment will ensure Manly Sea Eagles and other sporting teams and codes continue to use the ground in the future.
Mayor Michael Regan said the cash was part of the proposed budget which is due to be sent out for public consultation.
“Council will invest $1.2 million in a complete upgrade of the surface including new turf, improved drainage and new irrigation,” he said. “It will also improve the fencing and access ramps.”
The ground was branded “Brookfail” earlier this year following injuries and cancelled fixtures.
The Sea Eagles’ pre-season trial match against Cronulla in February was moved at the eleventh-hour after concerns for the state of the pitch following a Super Rugby match.
Later the same month Sydney FC announced they were moving their highly anticipated appearance as the surface was “not up to A-League standards”.
In March, when the Roosters visited Brookvale, winger Brett Morris blamed the playing surface for a knee injury he suffered.
“I’ve been to Brookvale twice now and my knee has dug in and I’ve had an injury as a result,” he said at the time.
Manly chief executive Lyall Gorman hired independent experts Labo Sports earlier this year to assess the pitch. The council also had experts draw up a report.
The council said the works had not come as a result of the analysis, however, a spokeswoman said the investment would hopefully prevent similar problems and cancelled fixtures in the future.
Mr Gorman said he welcomed the work, adding: “We’re delighted to be working with council on a whole range of things. We see them as partners.”
The club is preparing to submit a DA for a $36.1m upgrade of the ground including a centre of excellence.
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