Manly to invest $1m in Coast league
12:44p.m. 9 November 2007
| By Mitchell Dale
The Manly Sea Eagles will invest $1 million in Sunshine Coast rugby league as part of a landmark deal signed today.
The partnership between the Eagles, the Sunshine Coast Falcons and Quad Park will see the Falcons act as a feeder club to the NRL club from 2009. The $1 million injection includes cash, infrastructure, coaching and player talent.
Billed as “the biggest thing to ever happen to rugby league on the Sunshine Coast”, the deal will also see Manly play at least one and possibly two NRL matches against one of the three Queensland clubs – Brisbane, North Queensland or Gold Coast – at Quad Park from 2009.
The Sunshine Coast Falcons FOGS Cup club will be re-named the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles from 2008 and is set to enter the Queensland Cup – the state’s premier rugby league competition – in 2009.
It was also announced this morning that Caloundra mayor Don Aldous will be the No. 1 ticket holder.
Quad Park chairman Tony Long said all sport on the Coast, not just rugby league, would move into a new era as a result of the "visionary partnership".
"The bringing together of a high-profile sport brand, Manly Sea Eagles, the regional representative rugby league team the Falcons, and the regional sports venue Quad Park demonstrates what can be achieved by thinking outside the square," he said.
"The sporting, economic and social benefits that will result from this alliance will have a positive impact on all levels of sport development on the Coast."
Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles CEO Brett Winkler said his club had already received conditional approval for acceptance into the Queensland Cup, provided they strike a deal with Manly and come up with at least $500,000 in sponsorship money.
The Manly deal was rubber-stamped this morning and Winkler said he was “very confident” the club would attract enough sponsorship dollars to be given the green light for a Queensland Cup berth.
“This is by far the biggest thing to ever happen to rugby league on the Sunshine Coast,” Winkler said.
“The deal still hinges on us getting approval from the QRL (for a Queensland Cup team for 2009).
“But the QRL have been across this for yonks. They want us as their 12th team and have given us conditional approval.
“Now the Sunshine Coast community has to come up with the half-a-million dollars in sponsorship because you need $700,000 a year to run a Queensland Cup team.”
While Winkler has already canvassed a number of Sunshine Coast businesses and said he had good corporate support, he stressed that the buck would stop with local businesses and rugby league fans.
“If we do not get that sponsorship money and community support, we will not get a Queensland Cup team and there will not be an NRL game up here,” he said.
“The community must back us if they want the candy that comes with it.
“But it all looks very good at this stage.”
