The Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies are united in the view Civic is still the best place to build a new stadium despite the ACT government raising Exhibition Park as a potential location.
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The government unveiled its $14 billion infrastructure plan on Thursday morning, Chief Minister Andrew Barr revealing he has been approached by two superannuation funds about investing in the stadium project.
A new stadium is expected to cost between $200-$500 million, but there is still uncertainty about a timeframe, location and whether it would have a roof.
The Raiders and Brumbies are keen for the venue to be built in the city to take advantage of existing pubs, restaurants and cafes to help fans maximise their game-day experience.
Doing so, however, would require the Civic pool to be relocated and could require changes to Parkes Way to make room for a 25,000 seat stadium.
The government is considering Exhibition Park as an alternative venue, which has ample land and can be accessed from the light-rail network.
The Raiders are locked in negotiations with the government about extending their stadium deal, with a five-year option on the table in the hope plans for a new stadium will be finalised by 2025.
Chief executive Don Furner said building a stadium in the city was still the Raiders' preferred location.
"[Building at Exhibition Park] wouldn't be ideal at all. It'd be similar to Bruce - it would be too far away," Furner said.
"In the city is where everybody's moving. In the city is where all the [new] stadia are going in every capital city.
"Townsville - they've just moved it back in the city. The Parramatta one is in the city of Parramatta. Adelaide, Perth, all of it.
"They've all moved back in the city. I wouldn't think that would be as good a site as in the city where the pool is."
The Brumbies' deal to play at Canberra Stadium expires at the end of 2020. Brumbies chief executive Phil Thomson added: "Civic is the No. 1 location for us.
"It's in the heart of the city. The economic benefits for the whole of the city and that area would be excellent, that's why it's the ideal place to have it.
"We'd love to be able to have something concrete and confirmed in relation to the building of a new stadium and a timeline to go with that."
Sydney is in the middle of its stadium overhaul, with figures released this week claiming three sporting events at the new Parramatta stadium generated $2.92 million for businesses in the area.
The Brumbies and Raiders believe a new Civic venue would have a similar impact for Canberra businesses.
The Raiders hosted a sold-out preliminary final in Canberra last week, which was expected to generate $3.1 million for the ACT economy.
Any plans for the future, however, will impacted by Sport Australia's redevelopment plans at the AIS.
Sport Australia is yet to detail its business plan, but it is expected officials will propose cutting in half the 65-hectare footprint in Bruce. To do so, that would likely include the sale of Canberra Stadium and the AIS Arena to the ACT government.
The government rents Canberra Stadium and the AIS Arena for sporting events and concerts.
One of the other challenges will be the type of playing surface at a new venue.
There are concerns putting a roof on a venue in Civic would keep fans warm during winter, but would "cook" the playing surface in summer.
One option would be to build the stadium without a roof in the hope a better stadium configuration, and install heating for the seating areas to keep fans warm.
The other option is a synthetic surface, which would be the first in Australia to be used for NRL and Super Rugby.
Rugby venues in Europe and gridiron stadia in the United States use artificial turf, while the venue with a roof in Dunedin has a blend of synthetic and real grass.
"I'm not expert and I know there's challenges around [the type of grass needed] - the heat in summer - but it may well; mean there's no roof," Furner said.
"It might not necessarily need a roof. It could be like [the new stadium at Parramatta] - most of the seats are covered from rain and you can have some type of heating in the seats rather than a roof.
"Then you can go back to normal turf. There are challenges around the synthetic and also in four years time the hybrid synthetics might be better than they are now.
"Dunedin doesn't get the heat we get in summer. You think about Bruce and it's very open so the wind comes through. But if you have an enclosed stadium it does keep a lot of the cold out and it might not need a roof."
The orientation of the stadium is a contributing factor to the type of grass used and the location.
An east-west stadium would suit the location on the site of the Civic pool. But a north-south orientation is preferred for sport, which would require shifting Parkes Way or building over the top of the existing road to connect the city to Lake Burley Griffin.
One initial plan suggested the stadium could then be used for events at Commonwealth Park, including Floriade.
"There are World Rugby guidelines in relation to surfaces. There are a lot of synthetic surfaces in the northern hemisphere," Thomson said.
"We'd have to look at the plans and what the benefits are of both options to see whether that could work for a potential stadium in Canberra.
"The surface is one of the key things that needs to be looked at. We have to look at the climate in Canberra, but [the type of grass] that could be used is definitely a high priority for the plans."