When the Brumbies take the pitch in Saturday's opening day of the World Club 10s rugby tournament at Singapore's new national stadium, some members for the visiting ACT trade delegation might have their focus away from the competition.
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Part of an SG$1.3 billion sports hub ($1.11 billion) which took eight years to build, the stadium could serve as a playbook for the public-private construction of a new covered stadium in Canberra.
Mooted for the Civic swimming pool site, ACT Treasurer Andrew Barr has forecast a venue capacity of between 20,000 and 30,000 and believes the facility could be a dynamic events location, linked to light rail and a new national convention centre.
The two-day international rugby tournament will be one of the first major events at the 80,000-seat stadium, complete with retractable roof, under-seat air conditioning and the capacity to host soccer, cricket, rugby and even tennis.
A complex system of moveable seating tiers can be rolled out in 48-hours to increase capacity and the roof can be opened or closed in just 20 minutes.
The wider sports hub – in the heart of the busy island city-state – includes training areas, sports medicine facilities, a museum and library.
ACT government representatives and Canberra business delegates were given a tour of the site this week by consortium partner DTZ, part of a long list of companies set to run the stadium for 25 years.
After that, it could be handed back to the Singapore government or new commercial arrangements made.
Construction workers are continuing on the site, with the official opening still a month away.
In a week of spruiking business, infrastructure and transport supply and demand for the ACT, Mr Barr said the pride his Singapore hosts had for their new stadium had left the visitors asking "when are we getting one in Canberra?"
He has flagged learning from the sometimes troubled public-private partnership which got under way in the wake of the 2008 economic turmoil and the ensuing global financial crisis.
"If there's a number of different bidding parties who might be the best at one element of the project, how do you ensure that you get the best in each of the different streams," Mr Barr said.
"There is a sophisticated international market for this sort of infrastructure delivery. I took confidence in talking to these guys that they are interested in this kind of project in Canberra."
The Raiders and Brumbies would be key to the facility's success, while future A-League fixtures have been mooted to provide a more secure base for regular events than is present in Singapore.
With the right design, Mr Barr said additional business could come from live events and concerts, and even conventions or exhibitions.
"Imagine having a sit-down dinner for 2000 or more delegates at a venue like that in Canberra," he said.
Brumbies chairman Sean Hammond said a 25,000-seat stadium in the heart of Canberra would see more fans attend live sporting events.
"Real cities have real stadiums and as broadly as the mind can think, an enclosed stadium would lend itself to a lot of possibilities.
"They can go to restaurants or bars and then wander down to the rugby or rugby league. Bulking it together with retail and conference facilities to make the stadium viable is a great idea," he said.
"We do have a cold winter so just like they have air-conditioning here, we'd need other mechanisms in Canberra."
Mr Barr is continuing meetings with private business and Singapore government investment corporations, discussing financing and potential operational arrangements for the new stadium.
The Brumbies will play against the Cardiff Blues, the Dragons and Italian team Petrarca in Singapore from Saturday afternoon.
