Canberra will get their long-sought-after NRL centre of excellence at Braddon with confirmation the NSW and ACT governments will foot nearly half the bill.
About three years after starting a development application for Northbourne Oval, the Raiders have announced the move from their Bruce base will go ahead in a boost for the club's waning ability to attract and retain top players.
The ACT government will contribute $5 million and the NSW government $4 million to the $19 million facility, while the Raiders Group will fund the remaining $10 million.
The high-performance complex, set to house the NRL team and juniors along with any prospective women's team, is expected to be ready in time for the 2020 season.
It will include a gym and sports-science facilities along with room for community programs.
The upgrade has been a long time coming and follows a warning from coach Ricky Stuart in 2016 that the Raiders had "outgrown" their Bruce headquarters and risked falling behind rivals.
His comments followed the opening of Gold Coast Titans' new centre that same year, while last year a raft of NSW clubs were given state funding for their own centres.
The Raiders hope the Bruce venue, which is owned by the ACT government, will continue to be used for rugby league purposes.
