After "years of living out of outdated facilities -- demountables still house most of the club's staff" -- National Rugby League side Manly Sea Eagles unveiled a "bold proposal" to transform its Narrabeen home, according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The plans were submitted last Friday in the "hope of securing" A$10M ($7.5M) of the A$40M ($30.2M) of state government grants available for sporting infrastructure projects. The Sea Eagles are "hopeful of securing the funding with a view to moving into the new premises for the start" of the '19 season. The A$20M ($15.1M) project has been the "major focus" of Manly CEO Tim Cleary since he began his tenure at the start of the year. Cleary said, "It would be extraordinary. We've got demountables there at the moment. The natural environment is beautiful, but the built environment is poor." The center of excellence will be "a one-stop shop for the players, with an indoor training hall leading directly onto the established sporting ovals to avoid them being bused to multiple locations." Much of the two-story, 4,250-square-meter facility will be available for public use. There will be medical, educational and childcare components under the plans designed by architect Health Projects Int'l and project manager Artazan Property Group. The center will also provide an "alternate revenue stream for the club in its bid to balance the books." Manly "powerbrokers concede there are still funding and development issues to work through as part of the NRL and state government guidelines, but are confident the project will come to fruition" (SMH, 4/6).
