Sunshine Coast to become a Manly feeder club

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luke_ball

Member
Just came across this and thought i'd share it...

From:

http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2007...ds-footy-coup/

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.”
 
Another article on same subject

How the Falcons turned into Eagles

12:00a.m. 9 November 2007

| By Mitchell Dale

There were times during the 2007 season when it looked like the Sunshine Coast Falcon would be added to the list of extinct birds.

With the club struggling for numbers, the whispers were growing louder that the Falcons were headed for doom.

Come the kick off for the 2008 FOGS Cup, there will not be a Falcon in sight.

But it’s not because the club has gone under. Far from it.

In fact, the future is now brighter than ever for the Sunshine Coast club, which will be known as the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles from next year.

Today’s announcement that the Sunshine Coast will become a feeder club for NRL team Manly Sea Eagles is undoubtedly one of the biggest moments in the history of rugby league on the Coast.

Not only does it virtually guarantee the Coast a path into the Queensland Cup from 2009, more importantly, it also guarantees young players have a path to the NRL from the Sunshine Coast.

While Manly will provide some players for the Sunshine Coast’s Queensland Cup side, the majority of the players will not be contracted to the NRL club.

“Essentially, we will get between four and eight Manly contracted players very weekend,” Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles CEO Brett Winkler said.

“They will fly in on Thursday, train with the side that night, play on the weekend and then fly back to Manly.

“But most of the squad will be locals and other players we can attract to the area. A number of current Queensland Cup players have already said they are keen to come here.”

Manly co-owner and chairman Scott Penn said the Sea Eagles were on the Coast for the long haul.

“The Sea Eagles are delighted to be signing a partnership agreement with the Sunshine Coast Falcons and assist in the development of rugby league in the entire Sunshine Coast district,” Penn said.

“We have been working on this partnership for some time and believe we now have the right package to not only join the Queensland Cup competition in 2009 but also field a competitive team that the Sunshine Coast can be proud of.

“The Sea Eagles are committed to a long-term partnership which will not only include trial games but the possibility of staging at least one NRL game for the 2009 season.

"We will also be sharing significant football resources to the partnership which includes both playing and coaching personnel.”

Manly CEO Grant Mayer believes the link with the Coast will also prove beneficial for Manly.

“The Manly Sea Eagles organisation is very focused and professional in how we approach the growth of our on field and off field operations,” Mayer said.

“We wouldn’t be coming to the Sunshine Coast unless we could see the great value that it offers our brand in terms of football and business outcomes.”
 
Great News.

The club has certainly been making all the right moves for some time now.
 
Looks like we may lose another top drawing home event against the Cowboys or Broncs in 2009. With more bleatings from Mayer about moving away from Brookie we might as well plan to become a full-time maroon team.
 

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