Mr Sheedy, the club's foundation coach and first life member, said better player amenities and media facilities were badly needed at Manuka, which he said would be better used through construction of retail and commercial spaces.

He spoke to the media on behalf of the club, which has launched an $800 million redevelopment plan through an unsolicited bid to the ACT government. On Thursday, Chief Minister Andrew Barr pushed back any high-density development at Manuka for at least three years, clearing the controversial deal from the agenda in the lead-up to this year's election.

Mr Barr said he would not allow any development at the site until after the cricket Test scheduled for summer 2018-19.

In a consortium with developer Grocon, GWS want to build up to 1000 apartments, commercial spaces - including a hotel, gym, and shops - on the land, in return for upgrading the stadium.

Mr Sheedy said Canberra could learn from stadium redevelopments including at the Adelaide Oval and a new sportsground being built in Perth.

"It's been happening around Australia, when you see all of the main stadiums of our country get done, particularly the MCG, over in Perth and obviously the Adelaide Oval has been actually a heartthrob for Adelaide," he said.

"Refurbishing and rebuilding this stadium here will be of absolute crucial importance to not only Canberra but also to sport around Australia. Having a great stadium in Australia's capital is just absolutely crucial."

Mr Sheedy said a hotel at the MCG would mean more people would use the ground more regularly. Various redevelopment projects, including ahead of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, have seen the MCG reach capacity of 100,000.

The Essendon legend and four-time premiership coach said Manuka locals needed proper consultation and engagement as the plans are finalised.

"If you're not investing in the future, we're falling behind," he said.

"That's the way I probably see this stadium at the moment. You must invest in the future to make the city be a great city of the world.

"If you go to Washington … it has a great football team but when you go around its very similar in many ways to Canberra. You've got to have quality all around the national capital."

He proposed a statue of one of the creators of Australian rules football, Tom Wills, be added to the ground. Wills was born at Molonglo Plains, NSW in 1835, near the site of modern Canberra.

"These people came out of the area, wrote the rules of AFL which is the national game and it's great that persons like that get remembered every now and then, that they are historically the people who created the game," Mr Sheedy said.

Grounds like Manuka and the MCG should be used every day of the year, he said.

The club continues community consultation regarding the plan, including meeting with local residents and club members.