Raiders 2026 season launch at the Australian War Memorial with Matt Russell and Ricky Stuart. Photo: Tim Gavel.
The Canberra Raiders are on a high at the moment, with membership, sponsorship and merchandise reaching record levels – driven by Canberrans.
Membership this year currently stands at 21,136, an increase of 3000 from this time in 2025. The Raiders are on target to break the club record of 25,356.
Indoor corporate suites at Canberra Stadium have already been sold out for the season.
Merchandise sales have gone through the roof. More 2026 training and playing attire has been sold in the first month of the new ‘Under Armour’ branded gear, going on sale from November last year, when compared with sales in the first quarter of 2025.
While there is speculation that Toyota Forklifts is looking to extend as a major sponsor for another three years, what has become increasingly clear is the surge in support from the Canberra business community.
Seven local brands are in the Raiders’ top ten sponsors list, with Supaglass the latest to join the index after securing the naming rights for the club’s training centre.
Seventy-five per cent of space on the Raiders NRL playing strip has been sold to local businesses: the Canberra Data Centre, Canberra Airport, Denman Prospect, Club Lime, AEI Austbrokers Canberra and McDonald’s ACT.
This, of course, is in many ways reflective of the team’s success in winning the minor premiership before bowing out in the second week of the finals.
The youth of the side, with the likes of Owen Pattie, Ethan Strange and Kaeo Weekes, has seen fan optimism surge to fever pitch.
But there is more to it than success, which undeniably is a major factor in areas such as membership and sponsors, but the strong connection to the Canberra community shouldn’t be discounted.
This was reflected in the club’s 2026 season launch at the War Memorial’s new Anzac Atrium in the middle of a display of an F-111 and a suspended Black Hawk helicopter.
In his speech to the faithful, Raiders CEO Don Furner gave more than a nod to the strength of the community connection and the role it played in the club’s success.
There were references to the venue, with the first official function in the space being the Raiders season launch, before Don highlighted the financial support provided by local businesses.
It was pointed out that, for the Canberra Data Centre, sponsoring the Raiders isn’t entirely a business decision, given the club’s incredible role in the community.
It could be said that this is a motivator for many of the club’s sponsors.
The question-and-answer session with three of the new recruits, Jayden Brailey, Sione Finau and Dane Laurie, was also a nod to everything Canberra, including whether they had visited any of the city’s landmark attractions: Mooseheads, the National Zoo and Aquarium, the National Gallery, the National Library, Cockington Green, Tidbinbilla, the War Memorial, all received a mention.
Raiders 2026 season launch MC Matt Russell with new recruits Sione Finau, Dane Laurie and Jayden Brailey. Photo: Tim Gavel.
Not surprisingly, not many visits have been undertaken by the new recruits to any of the above … apart from the War Memorial.
It is also worth pointing out the Raiders NRLW team is also a significant contributor to the club’s profile in Canberra and this is reflected on the playing strip.
Sixty-five per cent of the Raiders NRLW playing apparel is covered with local sponsors: Parbery Consulting, Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers, Village Building and CBR (ACT Government).
The Raiders’ mantra of serving and entertaining the Canberra community appears to have struck a chord.
The Raiders open their 2026 home campaign against the Bulldogs in Multicultural Round on 19 March. Get your tickets from Ticketek.
