Brookvale Oval Investigation - Warringah Council - NSW Government

Executive Summary
Brookvale Park is a significant recreational facility which plays an important role in both the local
and national sporting environment as well as providing much needed neighbourhood park areas. It
is primarily used as the home ground for the Manly Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League
(NRL) competition.
The oval’s turf cover is predominantly kikuyu and there is very dense thatch over the whole field
which is providing a very spongy surface. There is a variable depth of a very slow draining sandy
loam topsoil ranging from 290mm – 460mm in depth over a clay loam sub-base. There is a slight
diagonal slope across the field from NW to SE and there is no sub-surface drainage system so the
only way for excess water to move away is via the very slow infiltration or across the surface.
The excessive thatch layer and the very poor drainage capacity of the topsoil are the two factors
affecting the condition of the existing field and its potential for increased use. If these two issues
are not addressed then the condition of the playing surface will deteriorate; good presentation
cannot be guaranteed and usage levels will be reduced.
The current maintenance program satisfies the needs of a suburban sportsfield that has winter use
and little summer use. The implementation of a thatch reduction program and on-going thatch
management work is recommended. The daily watering schedule is contributing to the heavy
thatch development and a change to twice weekly watering is also recommended.
An irrigation audit identified various operating concerns with the irrigation system which is affecting
its performance and has lead to inefficient water use.
The potential number of hours of use for Brookvale Oval based on its current condition,
construction and maintenance is estimated to be a maximum of 15 hours per week during both
winter and summer. Due to the oval being used for the NRL there is a greater requirement on
presentation (i.e. television appearance) and the provision of a high quality playing surface, it is
recommended that the usage does not exceed 10 hours per week during the NRL season.
The Manly Sea Eagles are the only tenanted club at Brookvale Oval and have a licence with
Warringah Council which will end in October 2013. During the licence period which runs from the
1 st February to 31 st October the Sea Eagles have exclusive use of Brookvale Oval for each of their
12 home games including a 2 day bump in/out either side of game day (i.e. exclusive use for 5
days) as well as several training days at the start of the season. This limits the availability of the
oval for other potential uses during the season.
At the end of the NRL Season the oval needs to be out of play for up to 4 weeks for renovation of
the playing surface to repair any damage sustained and rejuvenate the surface.
There is some potential to run other events in between each of the twelve home games during the
Sea Eagles licensing period. However there are scheduling issues due to the NRL’s rolling draw;
and there is also no consistent day in the week when the oval is potentially free for regular casual
bookings when bump in/out is taken into account.
There are currently no organised sports scheduled for the oval during the off season which runs
from early November (following renovation) to the end of January.
The current situation, issues and future requirements of local sporting bodies and stakeholders
including Manly Sea Eagles, Manly Rugby Club, Manly Warringah Pittwater Sporting Union, St
Augustine’s College, Brookvale Public School and Parks Leisure Australia were ascertained
through phone interviews. The main points raised were;
• Participation has increased for all major sports especially juniors, women and older people.
There is a shortage of sportsfields for all the major sports in the region including Rugby Union,
Rugby League, Soccer, Baseball and Cricket.
Brookvale Oval Investigation Final Report (February 2010) Page 2