National Rugby League side Manly majority shareholder Scott Penn wants to "transform Brookvale Oval into a multi-purpose stadium,"
replicating Major League Baseball club San Francisco Giants' home ground
AT&T Park, which -- "aside from being a 40,000-seat stadium -- hosts
concerts, has retail and food outlets, a wall of fame and a garden," according to Michael Carayannis of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Penn "hopes to have the stadium completed" in time for the '17 season. Penn: "I've been to San Francisco and spent a lot of time there and have been
through the stadium. They created a precinct. In baseball
they play a lot more games, about 60-70 home games, so they get good
utilization. You don't want a white elephant. You want to use it." Negotiations have "already begun" with A-League side Central Coast Mariners to bring
A-League games to the venue while National Rugby Championship team North Harbour Rays are "also keen on the redevelopment." The Sea Eagles already have A$20M ($17.7M) in government funding. Penn hopes to have the "first plans completed by December" (SMH, 10/29).
