News: Rats nest at Brookie

[MissKate]

This is great news, Brookie should be our home ground along with union and soccer teams. If we pay the biggest rent on the ground then we should have first pick in scheduling (this could potentially be an issue due to the nrls lack of prescheduling). Just like the newcastle stadium is for all forms of games played on a 'rectangular' field, this is what Brookie needs we then stand a better chance of funding

 

[Copa Eagle]

I did read the article and it also mentions that it would be good for the rats in their promotions of their sponsors, so if they are going to promote their sponsors at Brookvale that obviously means advertising around the grounds (i.e signs) so if they want to promote their sponsors wouldnt it be a good idea for our new ceo to approach these sponsors and throw up the idea of them becoming sponsors of manly, id puts their product out there not just locally but nationally ? Many good things could come out of this ! Rip down rat park use the frameworks for a stadium behind the scoreboard or the hill ? Hope this does go ahead !

 

[brookiegreg]

I read the topic title and thought Oh No now there are rats running around Brookie

edit
There probably are I guess but not in sight

Can confirm positive Berkeley - every night - some of them run businesses too

 

[Brookvale]

Sea Eagles only use the ground for 10 days a year.

Good Idea, Rugby Union - Game played by private school educated Liberals = possibly more funding grants for the ground.

 

[Jethro]

Could Rat Park be sold to a developer and the proceeds used to place sail covers over the Brookvale Hill?

Just out of curiosity for anyone in the know, would the fact that Rat Park was once a major rubbish dump back in the 70's be a preventative to development?

 

[Phantar]

Yes. It is zoned open space - possibly with a special uses caveat or whatever. I played soccer there a few times circa 1967/68 and I'm pretty sure there was a tip still running at that time. Could be wrong though.

And of course it's in the Pittwater LGA. Hasn't been part of Warringah since circa 1991. Hence the change of name from Warringah to Pittwater Rugby Park some years ago.

 

[Matabele]

Could Rat Park be sold to a developer and the proceeds used to place sail covers over the Brookvale Hill?

Just out of curiosity for anyone in the know, would the fact that Rat Park was once a major rubbish dump back in the 70's be a preventative to development?

Oh so it's like the white elephant they built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

 

[Jethro]

Could Rat Park be sold to a developer and the proceeds used to place sail covers over the Brookvale Hill?

Just out of curiosity for anyone in the know, would the fact that Rat Park was once a major rubbish dump back in the 70's be a preventative to development?

Oh so it's like the white elephant they built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

Mata, can I ask you what the white elephant is that you are talking about as I don't know the previous history of 1982 Commonwealth Games Brisbane site locations?

 

[brookiegreg]

Sea Eagles only use the ground for 10 days a year.

Good Idea, Rugby Union - Game played by private school educated Liberals = possibly more funding grants for the ground.

I dunno if thats strictly correct: over last few years many a time before a big weekend night game I've walked past Brookie oval on a thurs or fri night at 7pm-ish and seen the team training goalkicking etc

Recently I wandered in about a month ago at 7.30pm on a wed night - the place was floodlit and I was expecting to see the Sea Eagles training again but there was an AFL team training....what's going on there?

But anyway the Sea Eagles don't use the ground all that many times per year so could probably accomodate a few rats running around at other times. The ground is used loads of other times mainly on weekends for junior games.

I've lost count of the number of times I've walked past Brookvale oval on a saturday afternoon during footie season and seen junior league matches being played. The ground use seems to be shared around fairly well. And you can walk rover there too if you like, or practice your goalkicking skills to your hearts content when a game's not on - its a good community ground from the usage I've witnessed.

 

[Canteen Worker]

QE2 is the Stadium built for the Commonwealth Games. Is in Mt Gravatt and now is an Athletics track. The Broncos used it for a while until Lang Park was redone up.

 

[Jethro]

QE2 is the Stadium built for the Commonwealth Games. Is in Mt Gravatt and now is an Athletics track. The Broncos used it for a while until Lang Park was redone up.

Thanks for that info CW. I thought Mata must have been talking about the QE2 Stadium as the ex-1982 Commonwealth Games white elephant but I was unsure of it's relevance to the question that I asked regarding Rat Park being an ex-major rubbish dump prior to it's development into Rat Park and would this fact then interfere with any future development if it was to be sold off to a developer. Although I didn't answer his original question either, his response didn't really answer my question either unless the mystery white elephant that he was talking about was an ex-rubbish dump too. Do you know if it was once one too?

 

[ManlyBacker]

There are many reasons why this is a good idea but I'm not positive just how well it would work out for the rats. As others have said there would be extra income for Council, there could be cross-sponsorship opportunities, it would force the employment of a full-time groundskeeper, and it would increase the likelihood of development funds. On the other hand the rats would need to pull decent crowds to cover just the cleaning bill but that could happen with the better sponsor facilities at Brookie. I am positive that unless Brookie is opened up to multiple community and sporting uses it will never get the money it needs. BTW I am reasonably sure that our contract with Council says that we get the ground for 2 days before and 1 day after any scheduled match to allow for the ground preparation and tv set up.

 

[Jono]

I've always been a believer in a $160 million investment into a new ground at the Rat Park facilities and have that become the home of the Sea Eagles and the Rats. There is room there and, even though it is in Pittwater Council, it can be funded by the selling of Brookie Oval land and building of apartments 10+ storeys high.

We get the best of both worlds: a new ground with top grade facilites and the douche bags that complained about the ground and noise to the council now lose all their views 😉

In all seriousness though, $160 million got GC Tits a new facility. It wouldn't be such a bad idea and the only place with the room is around the Rat Park facilities...maybe Pittwater Council will be nicer to us.

Only disadvantage is that the Leagues Club will be nowhere near the ground.

 

[brookiegreg]

Interesting idea Jono but I wonder what the caveat on the land use is.....

In 2007 a member of the Try family (who I used to go to school with) told me about his family member Jane Try donating the land for the Brookvale Oval area to the council yonks ago. I'd guess there was a usage specified for the land which the council is obliged to uphold....

Yes the Jane Try stand was named after an influential person (I didn't know who the hell she was until Nick told me the story) and the family apparently owned a lot of land in the brookie area.