- Manly Sea Eagles began talks with the UFC during the Vegas trip
- Plans are being made to create an enclosed venue for both sports
- Will include a state-of-the-art performance institute for Australian fighters
The iconic Brookvale Oval on Sydney’s northern beaches could undergo a dramatic transformation, with talks set to begin next month to convert the dilapidated NRL venue into an enclosed arena suitable for hosting UFC events.
The venue is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is mainly used by the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles NRL side under the commercial name 4 Pines Park.
Manly were one of four NRL teams to travel to Las Vegas to kick off the 2024 season, training at the newly built UFC Performance Institute, which is a global resource for current and aspiring fighters.
It was there that discussions began to turn Brookvale Oval into a hybrid venue, including a roof that could accommodate 25,000 to 30,000 fans to watch UFC events, NRL, rugby and football matches.
The Manly Sea Eagles are in talks with the UFC about transforming 4 Pines Park into a gated facility for both sports
4 Pines Park recently underwent a major renovation, but still lags behind major stadiums
This was stated by the vice president of the UFC, Australia and New Zealand, Peter Kloczko News Corp that a formal meeting with Sea Eagles would take place after preliminary discussions had already been held with owner Scott Penn and CEO Tony Mestrov.
“We’re building a solid partnership with the NRL in terms of all the things we’ve done in Vegas,” Kloczko said.
‘This could be one of them. The UFC currently has a mandate to look at opportunities to establish and develop UFC performance institutions around the world.
“Currently there are three: one in Vegas, one in China and one in Mexico City.
‘In China we actually have a partnership with the Chinese Olympic Committee, so athletes from all disciplines of their Olympic program go through the UFC performance institute and use it as a center for high performance.
“I think it’s important that we develop here as a company and that we have a physical presence locally and that could be a UFC performance institute here in Australia.
‘We are looking at these different options to see how we can play a role. The conversation with Tony and Scott was really about that – not just for a UFC performance institute, but how can we work together to deliver bigger and better UFC events in Sydney as part of that.”
The proposed arena would include a UFC Performance Institute like the one in Las Vegas where the Sea Eagles trained ahead of their NRL season opener in the United States.
If the plan goes ahead, the northern beaches could host major UFC events, including Australian fighters such as Alex Volkanovski
The location would also include a full-time academy to help develop UFC fighters, as well as provide state-of-the-art training facilities for the Sea Eagles.
The plan would allow the UFC to bring more major events to Australia, with major events taking place at the Northern Beaches venue.
“With a stadium and a roof we can bring blockbuster fights to Sydney,” Kloczko said.
‘It gives us more possibilities and options. We have a great relationship with the NSW Government when it comes to bringing UFC events to Sydney.
‘A stadium with a roof gives us more security and the opportunity to organize bigger fights. I’m meeting the boys at Manly in a few weeks.
‘We will put our heads together and see what can be done. It’s clear that something like this requires a lot of investment and a lot of cooperation. We’ll see what we can dig up.’
Mestrov told News Corp he was curious to see how the meetings would go.
“We are exploring options with the UFC,” Mestrov said.
“It’s a global company that’s interested in discussing an opportunity with us and who wouldn’t want to have a conversation with the UFC?
“We’re going to explore the possibility, including the UFC being based here at 4 Pines Park.”