Sea Eagles hire expert in a bid to secure a revamp of Brookvale Oval
A STADIUMS expert with a track record of turning dilapidated sporting grounds into sustainable, state-of-the-art venues is Manly’s last hope to save Brookvale Oval from falling into ruin.
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MANLY have engaged the Melbourne stadiums expert who helped the Geelong Cats secure a $210 million redevelopment of Kardinia Park to help save dilapidated Brookvale Oval.
Leading sports facility consultant Chris Dare is urgently looking for ways to revamp Brookie in what could be the Sea Eagles’ final chance to secure the future of their spiritual home, or face having to shift more games away from the Northern Beaches.
“There is a future at Brookvale, no doubt about it. But the pressure is on,” Dare said.
Dare, managing director of stadiums advisory firm Waypoint, has been heavily involved in the reconstruction of Kardinia Park — now known as GMHBA Stadium — a state-of-the-art 40,000-seat facility for Geelong AFL fans. A further $100m is set to be injected into the stadium to complete the project.
Brookvale desperately requires work, and between $50-$80 million if it is to be turned into a 23,000 seat stadium.
Manly have been promised $22.5 million from previous state and federal government grants for upgrades and, along with Waypoint, have held talks with Northern Beaches Council to somehow find a financial solution.
The NSW Government announced last week it would spend $2.3 billion on rebuilding ANZ, Allianz and Parramatta Stadiums, but offer no money to crumbling suburbans grounds.
Dare refuses to concede Brookvale will be lost to Sea Eagles fans who have attended the ground for 70 years.
“One of our key projects has been the GMHBA Stadium down there at Geelong — it’s gone from a little ground in a regional centre to a very significant venue which has driven a lot of community change,” Dare said.
“Believe me, Geelong was in a poor state when we first started — the AFL was going to pull games from them and take them to Melbourne. There is a lot of parallels with the work we have done there and the situation at Brookvale.
“The challenge is about developing partnerships. I don’t yet accept there is no government funding for Brookie. We as an organisation specialise in getting the government to invest in sporting infrastructure.
“We will look at things we have done elsewhere that we might be able to bring to Brookvale to excite the government.”
Dore suggested relocating Manly’s training base from Narrabeen and developing community centres to make Brookvale a centrepiece of the area.
“Interacting with our fans on a daily basis rather than just at matches,” he said.
“It’s got the attributes to be something special.”
Manly will run an open forum tonight where fans, members and sponsors can question the club on numerous issues, including Brookvale Oval’s future.
The club has unsuccessfully lobbied to upgrade the ground for 22 years. New chief executive Lyall Gorman has immediately started implementing his plans for future redevelopment.
“We are in very active discussions through local government,” Gorman said.
“We have also engaged Waypoint. Chris will work with all stakeholders to develop a masterplan for Brookvale.”
Dare added: “There is hope for Brookvale.
“We are only two weeks into the project so I am still getting my head around the enormous background of Brookie and all the reports.
“Having spoken to people from Council and from within the club over the last few weeks, and people who have been historically involved, there is a future for the ground.
“It’s about finding a solution that fits in with the community’s desire to see the venue continue to be used. A way that supports the club on and off the field in a sustainable way through partnerships with other groups. That’s the challenge at hand.”
Dare wouldn’t place a time frame on any possible revamp but hoped it would be “quickly”.
“But I am realistic, these things do take a bit of time,” he said.
The company has also worked with the NRL, NSWRL, Cronulla, Wests Tigers, Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters.