The multi-million dollar Canberra Raiders Centre of Excellence will shut tomorrow and all staff will be placed on indefinite leave.
"Some of that is paid, some of that is unpaid for those that don't have any annual leave left," Raiders CEO Don Furner revealed this morning.
"The coaching staff are here for another month and there's uncertainty about what we'll be doing with them after the end of April, more than likely they'll be taking unpaid leave.
"We've got young staff here that are pregnant, just about to give birth, some have bought houses, some are not sure what their job prospects are and then the same with the football staff, there's not a lot of jobs available in that space.
"With regards to the players, we're still working with the NRL and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) in terms of what will happen with their pays going forward."
The Canberra club opened its $19 million Centre of Excellence in Braddon just three weeks ago, with the facility considered one of the best in the country, if not the world.
"We've just moved into this facility here. It costs a lot to run and we're shutting it down. We're emptying the pools, cutting back on ground maintenance, cleaning services, all your regular services that you would normally utilise are all being cut back because we cannot afford to run this place," Furner said.
"It's magnificent, we only opened it three weeks ago, the staff are all moving in today and tomorrow from Bruce and that will be their last day."
Furner admitted it's not a great outlook for the Raiders, with the club relying heavily on income from its licensed venues.
"They keep us afloat. I've never ever hidden the fact that our business is underpinned by the licensed clubs, of which we have seven. They're all closed down and they're expected to be closed down for six months," Furner said.
"Our revenue depends on games being played, broadcasting revenue, gate, sponsorship, merchandise sales and for us leagues club support. None of that's there at the moment.
"The Raiders haven't got cash reserves, the NRL has some, how much they will release is what we're working on."
Raiders players will be given a training program and have the option of taking home gym equipment from the Bruce headquarters.
from WWOS http://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/canberra-raiders-to-shut-down-staff-on-leave/9cf06b7a-a297-4a75-ae70-10e3005c9db5
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