Brookvale Centre of excellence

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Brookie Oval is full of so many memories for me. I lived up the top of Alfred Road (above the steps) and at one stage could see most of the oval. Attended Brookvale Public and we had our school carnivals and marching sessions (we were in Houses in the early 50s as they called it, marching to military music) on Brookie Oval. Attended every year the Brookvale Show (snuck in under the fence once and was caught).Even remember they used to have horse displays on the oval for the Show. Loved the side shows, sometimes in mud on wet days. Used to play with a couple of mates in the cricket nets up the top left hand corner with tennis balls, an occasional weathered cricket ball, rickety old bat and drum for the wicket. Always sat on the Hill between the northern quarter line and the goal line for the game, even when it was teeming rain. Loved watching Bradstreet, the Yakich brothers, Hannigan, Pogo Morgan, Bob Batty, Cranky Frankie, a young Fulton, Jones and then Krillich, Day and Veivers, Alec Tennant, and the rise of a young Eadie. Brookie Oval was part of my growing up. My dad's funeral service even made mention of his love of the Sea Eagles.
 
I love the Hill and the north east toilet block.

But if you insist I’ll sit in a private box with waiting staff bringing me food and 4 pines throughout the game. I’m not fussy.
 
One of those ‘Oh dear’ moments being reported on by Weidler.

Apparently the CoE will be named after the Penn family. I am sure Geoff Toovey will be impressed.

At least the stand component will be named after Fulton.
 
Manly chairman and owner Scott Penn says the $20 million his family has poured into the Sea Eagles during the past decade or so means they should not have to justify the club’s new centre of excellence being named after the family.

“Let’s be real here, without us and Max Delmege in the early days, there would be no team,” Penn said. “We put our hands in our pockets when no one else would and we continue to do so.

I didn’t see too many people jumping in to rescue the club when we did [as part of the rebuild of the club in the wake of the collapse of the Northern Eagles in 2002]. And it has been a considerable financial drain.

“This latest COVID shutdown has been a disaster for us more than other teams. We have been hit harder than almost any other Sydney team.

We had six home games in the run home [to the finals]. That has cost us $2 million that we were banking on and there is no one jumping to our rescue.”

There have been rumblings coming out of Manly for some time relating to the naming of their impressive centre of excellence being built at Brookvale Oval. There is a belief that Manly greats - such as Fred Jones, Des Hasler, Geoff Toovey or Paul Vautin, among many others - should be considered.

The land the centre is being built on was donated to the community by Jane Try and is administered by the local Northern Beaches Council.

The grandstands are being named the Bob Fulton Stand at the northern end and the southern will be the Lyons Menzies Stand.

The centre of excellence is yet to be officially named.

When there was a $20 million bid to buy the club in 2020, the prospective purchasers were told it was non-negotiable that the centre of excellence would be named after the Penn family.

There is no doubt the Penns have poured a lot of money and time into the club, but it appears they want something back to acknowledge that.

“It’s not for me to sit and look at,” Penn said. “It’s to honour the commitment made by [my parents] Rick and Heather [Penn] and the commitment they have made.”

Sales staff at the Sea Eagles were asked not to sell the naming rights for the centre, which could fetch a significant sum.

“These kind of centres of excellence are named after benefactors or sponsors and we clearly fall into that category,” Penn said. “The club could make some money out of it but, like I said, it’s a good way to acknowledge Rick and Heather.”

 
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Manly chairman and owner Scott Penn says the $20 million his family has poured into the Sea Eagles during the past decade or so means they should not have to justify the club’s new centre of excellence being named after the family.

“Let’s be real here, without us and Max Delmege in the early days, there would be no team,” Penn said. “We put our hands in our pockets when no one else would and we continue to do so.

I didn’t see too many people jumping in to rescue the club when we did [as part of the rebuild of the club in the wake of the collapse of the Northern Eagles in 2002]. And it has been a considerable financial drain.

“This latest COVID shutdown has been a disaster for us more than other teams. We have been hit harder than almost any other Sydney team.

We had six home games in the run home [to the finals]. That has cost us $2 million that we were banking on and there is no one jumping to our rescue.”

There have been rumblings coming out of Manly for some time relating to the naming of their impressive centre of excellence being built at Brookvale Oval. There is a belief that Manly greats - such as Fred Jones, Des Hasler, Geoff Toovey or Paul Vautin, among many others - should be considered.

The land the centre is being built on was donated to the community by Jane Try and is administered by the local Northern Beaches Council.

The grandstands are being named the Bob Fulton Stand at the northern end and the southern will be the Lyons Menzies Stand.

The centre of excellence is yet to be officially named.

When there was a $20 million bid to buy the club in 2020, the prospective purchasers were told it was non-negotiable that the centre of excellence would be named after the Penn family.

There is no doubt the Penns have poured a lot of money and time into the club, but it appears they want something back to acknowledge that.

“It’s not for me to sit and look at,” Penn said. “It’s to honour the commitment made by [my parents] Rick and Heather [Penn] and the commitment they have made.”

Sales staff at the Sea Eagles were asked not to sell the naming rights for the centre, which could fetch a significant sum.

“These kind of centres of excellence are named after benefactors or sponsors and we clearly fall into that category,” Penn said. “The club could make some money out of it but, like I said, it’s a good way to acknowledge Rick and Heather.”


I must admit, I got to the end of the third paragraph and thought it was you writing an article 'the onion' style. I thought no way an owner would just come out and say "we deserve it, so there!"

lol, I mean I don't mind, of course, it's just a name though based on his own comments, someone could have asked him if it was going to be named....

The Penn - Delmege centre of excellence.....?

I'm grateful to have a club to support but I thought rich people did better in organising their philanthropic endeavours to be recognised by someone other than themselves.

Like - they should have gotten the c.e.o to say all that.

Reminds me of a line from "To the manor born" when Richard Devere was asked about a donation and said: "It's an anonymous donation....but just make sure they know where it comes from."

Anyway...onward and upward Manly.
 
Manly chairman and owner Scott Penn says the $20 million his family has poured into the Sea Eagles during the past decade or so means they should not have to justify the club’s new centre of excellence being named after the family.

“Let’s be real here, without us and Max Delmege in the early days, there would be no team,” Penn said. “We put our hands in our pockets when no one else would and we continue to do so.

I didn’t see too many people jumping in to rescue the club when we did [as part of the rebuild of the club in the wake of the collapse of the Northern Eagles in 2002]. And it has been a considerable financial drain.

“This latest COVID shutdown has been a disaster for us more than other teams. We have been hit harder than almost any other Sydney team.

We had six home games in the run home [to the finals]. That has cost us $2 million that we were banking on and there is no one jumping to our rescue.”

There have been rumblings coming out of Manly for some time relating to the naming of their impressive centre of excellence being built at Brookvale Oval. There is a belief that Manly greats - such as Fred Jones, Des Hasler, Geoff Toovey or Paul Vautin, among many others - should be considered.

The land the centre is being built on was donated to the community by Jane Try and is administered by the local Northern Beaches Council.

The grandstands are being named the Bob Fulton Stand at the northern end and the southern will be the Lyons Menzies Stand.

The centre of excellence is yet to be officially named.

When there was a $20 million bid to buy the club in 2020, the prospective purchasers were told it was non-negotiable that the centre of excellence would be named after the Penn family.

There is no doubt the Penns have poured a lot of money and time into the club, but it appears they want something back to acknowledge that.

“It’s not for me to sit and look at,” Penn said. “It’s to honour the commitment made by [my parents] Rick and Heather [Penn] and the commitment they have made.”

Sales staff at the Sea Eagles were asked not to sell the naming rights for the centre, which could fetch a significant sum.

“These kind of centres of excellence are named after benefactors or sponsors and we clearly fall into that category,” Penn said. “The club could make some money out of it but, like I said, it’s a good way to acknowledge Rick and Heather.”


Let's be clear about a few things.

January 2006 - Penn acquires 40% share (undisclosed amount) - estimates were - 3 million
September 2014 - Penn increases share holding 90% (buying out Quantam) - 6 million
* Inclusive of the leagues club
March 2016 - The leagues club was sold for 22.5 million to Chinese developers

(This alone was a profit of 13.5 million)

That's not inclusive of ANY revenue earned / gate takings etc since 2006 - could you imagine the numbers?

Penn HAS poured 20 million in, but He's received much more in sale of historic assets & revenue streams.

I appreciate what he's done, but I don't appreciate the martyr he's trying to justify himself as.
 
Let's be clear about a few things.

January 2006 - Penn acquires 40% share (undisclosed amount) - estimates were - 3 million
September 2014 - Penn increases share holding 90% (buying out Quantam) - 6 million
* Inclusive of the leagues club
March 2016 - The leagues club was sold for 22.5 million to Chinese developers

(This alone was a profit of 13.5 million)

That's not inclusive of ANY revenue earned / gate takings etc since 2006 - could you imagine the numbers?

Penn HAS poured 20 million in, but He's received much more in sale of historic assets & revenue streams.

I appreciate what he's done, but I don't appreciate the martyr he's trying to justify himself as.
There is probably more money spent behind the scenes beyond the grasp of those figures I would guess to have a competitive team.(especially in the early days)

No team regularly makes the GF and Semis without some financial grunt assisting in all areas of the organization.
 
The CoE is almost entirely funded by taxpayers money. Not sure if the state govt would be entirely happy with this piece of self-aggrandisement.

Anyone with a moral and/or ethical compass would appreciate that this is wrong and unAustralian. If it’s such a financial bind to back the operation, then sell it to someone with deeper pockets.

It’s like politician Pat Hills (simply because he was on the SCG Trust and a state govt minister) having a stand named after him at the SCG in 1984. That was corrected four years later and it’s now the Bill O’Reilly Stand. As someone else mentioned, if Scott wants to invoke Delmege’s name as a club saviour, then why not name it the Delmege-Penn CoE? We all know the answer!

The CoE should be named after a seminal figure in the club’s development on and off the field - as players and coaches.

Ken Arthurson is already covered, so the likes of Wally O’Connell, Ron Willey, Frank Stanton or Bob Fulton are the obvious candidates for the CoE naming.

The ‘Fulton Stand’ sounds like a sop for Silent P and his son CTF (Custard Tart Face) to hide behind.
 
There is probably more money spent behind the scenes beyond the grasp of those figures I would guess to have a competitive team.(especially in the early days)

No team regularly makes the GF and Semis without some financial grunt assisting in all areas of the organization.
There's lots to it. The NRL grant pays for employee (expenses) I.e. players. That's paid monthly.

Corporate Sponsorship dollars is quite a lot, and very important.

You have merchandise, gate takings (very important), grants etc too.

It's a balance.

For Penn to claim he's given 20 odd mill is great. But when the league's club sold for 22,500,000 alone, it's a bit rich of a claim.

Not only do I believe he's well in front. But his brand is much much more known had he not affiliated.

Delmege didn't have these benefits either. He bought, sold, and rented properties to pour his dollars in.

For that reason, Penn should have no claim. Name it after the lady who donated Mona Vale hospital to the area.
 
I would say over the last 10-15 yrs there was plenty of money spent by all owners without them pumping their chest and saying "look what i did", just to make sure Manly were more than a boring mid table team merely making up the numbers.

I would be happy with the Penn/Delmege COE or any other big contributors behind the scenes in the name.

In saying that the survival of the club comes first and I don't agree that any future owners should not have the right to sell the naming rights to fund the club.
 
Let's be clear about a few things.

January 2006 - Penn acquires 40% share (undisclosed amount) - estimates were - 3 million
September 2014 - Penn increases share holding 90% (buying out Quantam) - 6 million
* Inclusive of the leagues club
March 2016 - The leagues club was sold for 22.5 million to Chinese developers

(This alone was a profit of 13.5 million)

That's not inclusive of ANY revenue earned / gate takings etc since 2006 - could you imagine the numbers?

Penn HAS poured 20 million in, but He's received much more in sale of historic assets & revenue streams.

I appreciate what he's done, but I don't appreciate the martyr he's trying to justify himself as.
The club has never made a profit, loses $1m to $3m every year, who makes up the short fall, the Penn's, why are we always knocking them, without them and max we don't have a club, so be thanfull
 
Team P W L PD Pts
3 3 0 48 6
4 3 1 28 6
3 2 1 10 6
4 2 2 39 4
3 2 1 28 4
3 2 1 15 4
3 2 1 14 4
2 1 1 13 4
2 1 1 6 4
3 2 1 -3 4
3 1 2 0 2
3 1 2 -5 2
3 1 2 -15 2
3 1 2 -22 2
3 1 2 -36 2
2 0 2 -56 2
3 0 3 -64 0
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