NRL chief Andrew Abdo is adamant Canberra needs a new state-of-the-art stadium to give fans "the best possible experience live" after one of the city's biggest crowds shivered through a piece of rugby league history.
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A crowd of 21,082 watched Raiders captain Jarrod Croker's 300th NRL game to mark one of the biggest regular season crowds for either rugby code in Canberra Stadium's history, and the largest crowd since the 2019 preliminary final.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is forging ahead with plans to redevelop the Bruce precinct despite industry leaders and fans demanding he reconsider plans to abandon a new stadium in Civic.
The NRL has lodged a submission to a federal government inquiry into promoting the capital saying Canberra Stadium is no longer fit for purpose, declaring the ageing venue is costing the city hosting rights to major events and staying at Bruce would be the wrong decision.
"Our vision is that each one of our clubs has a great tribal stadium with a great experience for our fans," Abdo told The Canberra Times.
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"Our players are playing terrific football, exciting football, and it's great to watch, but the fan experience is really important for us. We want our fans to be enjoying the best possible experience live.
"A new, modern, state of the art stadium here in Canberra would be terrific for the Raiders, but for all sports. Particularly with the Raiders launching an NRLW team in our women's competition, we've got two massive rugby league teams here now in men's and women's. To be able to play in a new, modern stadium would be great for the game.
"It's been such a good season and our fans have really supported the football. On a Friday night for a 6pm game, it's great to see more than 20,000 people here. It was a great atmosphere, I love seeing the Viking clap live as well."
Barr has called on the NRL to put its money where its mouth is and come to the table with funding for a new stadium after the game's power brokers launched a scathing attack on his plan to revitalise Bruce.
The Chief Minister pointed to the AFL's $15 million investment in a $715 million precinct in Hobart to bring an AFL team to Tasmania.
Abdo says direct investment into stadiums will not come from the NRL, with league supremos instead vowing to work with clubs and stadiums to provide cities with community assets.
"We don't invest directly in stadiums," Abdo said.
"But what we're trying to do is work with each club and the local government, whether it be state government or sometimes federal government, to try to enable as much investment in that infrastructure as possible to give the fans and the community - it is a community asset, being a multi-sport venue - the best possible experience."
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Caden Helmers
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
Caden Helmers is a sports writer for The Canberra Times.
