Manly’s troubles at Brookvale Oval – Council cant afford maintenance.

News Limited reports that Warringah Council cant afford to maintain Brookvale Oval properly and its up to the state government to ensure matches can still be played there.

Cr Menano-Pires said the maintenance had moved beyond the council’s capacity. “It’s extremely expensive for us to maintain. We are actually subsidising a private enterprise,” he said. “As a medium size council, we can’t afford to maintain it properly. We just don’t have the capability. It’s a regional facility and that responsibility should go to the State Government.”

This comes as News Limited also revealed that Manly were witholding rent due to the grounds unsuitably for hosting matches. A Manly statement released on Tuesday read:

“The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles have withheld payments to Warringah Council whilst resolving a number of matters including the recent inaccessibility of Brookvale Oval (for almost two months) and the renegotiation of contractual terms for the venue at an applicable market rate. We have always had a positive working relationship with Warringah Council, and we are confident that we will reach a mutually beneficial outcome for members, supporters and residents of the local community.”

This took a turn when Warringah Council was reported to have engaged debt collectors to chase the owed money, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.