MANLY chief executive Grant Mayer has gone cap in hand to New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma in a desperate bid to keep NRL matches on the northern peninsula.
Mayer said the club urgently needed a minimum $5 million to upgrade Brookvale Oval, with the embarrassing blackout during the match against Canberra Saturday night "the last straw".
Mayher issued his plea as Mr Iemma pledged to grant $30 million for a new grandstand at EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle as he continued on the campaign trail ahead of Saturday's State election.
Mr Iemma's pledge to Newcastle was conditional on the grant being matched by the Federal Government.
EnergyAustralia Stadium only last season saw the completion of a $22 million government-funded grandstand.
"It's great to hear sporting teams and in particular rugby league teams getting extra funding," Mayer said.
"Good luck to Newcastle if that's true.
"I've also heard that Leichhardt Oval has picked up some money, and some other venues.
"All we're saying is it's our turn.
"$5 million dollars will give us the seating we need and do the capital improvement we need to bring it back to where it should be."
Asked whether a lack of support from either federal or state level could result in Brookvale losing home games, Mayer said: "That's the last thing you want to contemplate.
"We're going to exhaust every avenue to ensure that we get some form of funding from either the Federal Government or State Government to bring Brookie back to where it needs to be.
"We're ready.
"And Saturday night - even though it was exceptionally embarrassing on the night - has given us a little bit of leverage to speak to the right people and try and get the money we really do deserve.
"'ve written to Morris Iemma yesterday in light of what happened regarding the lights, and simply said our approach to the State Government is not about getting a brand-new facility.
"It's about upgrading what we've got to make it suitable for the 15,000 people we have here."
Newcastle - a former Labor heartland - is expected to be hotly-contested between former Labor Party member, now Independent, Bryce Gaudry; Independent Newcastle Lord Mayor John Tate; and Labor candidate Jodi McKay.
Manly on the other hand is expected to be battled out between Independent sitting member David Barr and Liberal candidate Mike Baird, meaning Labor-backed funding could be hard to come by for the Sea Eagles.
"There's a top-four side that the club's worked very hard to put together and now all of a sudden that we're winning football games regularly we're getting 15,000 people there," Mayer said.
"Quite simply, 15,000 people at a venue like that makes it very uncomfortable for most people, and the lights going out the other night just made it more uncomfortable."
AAP
By Steve Jancetic
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21416408-23214,00.html
March 20, 2007
Mayer said the club urgently needed a minimum $5 million to upgrade Brookvale Oval, with the embarrassing blackout during the match against Canberra Saturday night "the last straw".
Mayher issued his plea as Mr Iemma pledged to grant $30 million for a new grandstand at EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle as he continued on the campaign trail ahead of Saturday's State election.
Mr Iemma's pledge to Newcastle was conditional on the grant being matched by the Federal Government.
EnergyAustralia Stadium only last season saw the completion of a $22 million government-funded grandstand.
"It's great to hear sporting teams and in particular rugby league teams getting extra funding," Mayer said.
"Good luck to Newcastle if that's true.
"I've also heard that Leichhardt Oval has picked up some money, and some other venues.
"All we're saying is it's our turn.
"$5 million dollars will give us the seating we need and do the capital improvement we need to bring it back to where it should be."
Asked whether a lack of support from either federal or state level could result in Brookvale losing home games, Mayer said: "That's the last thing you want to contemplate.
"We're going to exhaust every avenue to ensure that we get some form of funding from either the Federal Government or State Government to bring Brookie back to where it needs to be.
"We're ready.
"And Saturday night - even though it was exceptionally embarrassing on the night - has given us a little bit of leverage to speak to the right people and try and get the money we really do deserve.
"'ve written to Morris Iemma yesterday in light of what happened regarding the lights, and simply said our approach to the State Government is not about getting a brand-new facility.
"It's about upgrading what we've got to make it suitable for the 15,000 people we have here."
Newcastle - a former Labor heartland - is expected to be hotly-contested between former Labor Party member, now Independent, Bryce Gaudry; Independent Newcastle Lord Mayor John Tate; and Labor candidate Jodi McKay.
Manly on the other hand is expected to be battled out between Independent sitting member David Barr and Liberal candidate Mike Baird, meaning Labor-backed funding could be hard to come by for the Sea Eagles.
"There's a top-four side that the club's worked very hard to put together and now all of a sudden that we're winning football games regularly we're getting 15,000 people there," Mayer said.
"Quite simply, 15,000 people at a venue like that makes it very uncomfortable for most people, and the lights going out the other night just made it more uncomfortable."
AAP
By Steve Jancetic
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21416408-23214,00.html
March 20, 2007
