With their NRLW side set to debut in 2023, Canberra Raiders chief executive Don Furner has called for an upgrade to the clubโs โembarrassingโ stadium facilities before they take the field.
According to AAP, Furner says the current situation at GIO Stadium is so bad, NRLW players would be forced to get changed outside the stadium if multiple grades are played on one day and the womenโs team is in action.
Furnerโs calls reportedly come amid a long spell of inaction from governments regarding an upgrade to current facilities or a new development in the nationโs capital.
โItโs going to be embarrassing,โ Furner said.
โOpposition NRLW teams will see it, theyโll have to get changed outside the ground. Theyโll see the changing room facilities at other stadia and that will make it harder for us to sign players.โ
But itโs not just the NRLW teamโs impending arrival that has the Raiders demanding development, with the current GIO Stadium configuration leaving punters far more exposed to weather conditions than most other arenas.
โItโs a tough ask sitting in those conditions, weโre playing in a very inferior stadium,โ Furner continued.
โIt only has about 15 per cent of those seats are undercover, weโre asking people to pay money to sit out in the rain.โ
โThe government canโt keep asking the people of Canberra to go out and support their two most high-profile sporting teams in a stadium thatโs vastly inferior to the rest of the competition.
โOur fans sit through the toughest conditions in the NRL โ weโve got the coldest stadium without cover.โ
Furnerโs plea comes as the NRL and Peter VโLandys have made decisions about the immediate future of the NRL Grand Final but also amidst the ongoing uncertainty over upgrades to a number of New South Wales suburban stadia.
Within the last 24 hours VโLandys has insisted that the NSW Government must follow through with the development of a new stadium in Penrith, and also advised them that the NRL Grand Finalโs commitment to Sydney is temporary at best, pending future decisions.
