ACT Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury has given his tick of approval to closing one of the most bizarre Canberra loopholes after it emerged pitch invaders were free to jump the fence at the city's venues without fear of punishment.

We can reveal Rattenbury has approved an application to enforce an $8000 fine for anyone who runs on to Canberra Stadium or Manuka Oval when a match is being played.

The official news of the change comes as the GWS Giants and St Kilda prepare to go head to head at Manuka Oval on Saturday and a week after the AFL slugged a pitch invader in Adelaide with a lifetime ban.

So anyone hoping to dodge harsh penalties in Canberra - like they have in the past - will be in for a rude shock this weekend.

There was a spate of four pitch invaders on one weekend at Canberra Stadium last year, prompting queries about what the penalty was for running onto the field.

That weekend about 13 months ago proved the catalyst for stadium and government officials to fix a glaring issue with the Major Events Act 2014.

Up until this year, Canberra pitch invaders have been able to avoid massive fines thanks to sporting events not being included in the Act, which is bizarre given the Giants have been playing in Canberra for more than a decade and the Brumbies and Raiders have been at Canberra Stadium for much longer.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr's office got involved to get to the bottom of it. The result: all matches at the city's two major sporting venues are now classified as "important sporting events" and included under the Act without the need for special notification.

Pitch invaders will be slugged with a maximum $8000 fine if they run onto the field this year. Those behaving badly in the stands that is violent or "interferes with, delays or obstructs the conduct of the event" can be hit with an additional $2400. And anyone with a prohibited item faces a $4000 whack.

"Due to recent pitch intrusions an application was approved by the Attorney General to declare all major sporting events at [Canberra Stadium] and Manuka Oval as 'important sporting events' under the Major Events Act 2014," the spokesperson said.

"The Major Events Act 2014 provides a regime for dealing with major events so they can be hosted in a safe manner and includes provisions for crowd management.

"The legislation now enables an option for a monetary fine for those who breach conditions of entry at [Canberra Stadium] and Manuka Oval."

There's been plenty of noise about Canberra's A-League Men's bid, but this might be the final nail in the coffin for the hopes of having a team next season.

It's been 23 days since Australian Professional Leagues boss Nick Garcia told ESPN he wanted an answer on Canberra's team "in the next two or three weeks". It's no surprise another soft deadline has come and gone, but is it now time to put everyone out of their misery and change the focus to a women's team for next season?

The women's team needs a fraction of the funding required for a men's licence. And given the plight of Canberra United, it makes sense to start with the women, build them up and then bring the men in for 2025-26.

Apparently the finances are still being held up at key levels. We checked with AUSTRAC - the government department that "is responsible for preventing, detecting and responding to criminal abuse of the financial system". It appears likely a large sum of money - significantly more than the $20 million licence fee - might be held up at a financial institution level.

Given the size of the deposit, the bank may have referred the process to AUSTRAC for review. So while AUSTRAC may technically not be holding the cash, it has a role to play in giving the bank confidence to release it.

ACT Sport Minister Yvette Berry has spoken with some prospective investors, voicing her concerns about the women's team and excitement about the men's licence. Time is running out for both.

On Friday, Capital Football weren't too happy to see the 'Save Canberra United' fan group fundraiser on the Chuffed website offering a "perk" for those who donated $1000 or more to have their names put on the team's McKellar Park player tunnel signage next season.

Capital Football chief executive Samantha Farrow told The Canberra Times it was a "great idea", but it was not discussed with them prior to the fundraiser being launched online - which the sporting body also claimed they were not given notice for.

On Monday, Capital Football executives and members of the 'Save Canberra United' fan group met to talk over how they could better work together in the effort to rescue the team from folding before next season, and the tunnel signage was among the topics briefly discussed.

They have so far raised close to $60,000 in the space of a week. It's still a long road to $300,000, though.

Former Matilda and United supporter Sue Read, who is leading the fan group, said they would not have offered it had they not known it was something they could do.

The fan group includes staff from the University of Canberra - a major sponsor of United - and they explained to Capital Football that design students actually do the tunnel signage each year as part of a project.

However further meetings were promised with Capital Football to ensure this element could be delivered next season, with clearance potentially also needed from the Australian Professional Leagues.

The AIS is getting a makeover! But not the sort of makeover many are hoping for, at least not yet anyway.

The Australian Sports Commission opened its doors on Thursday for parties interested in completing an overhaul of the interactive sports exhibit at the AIS Visitor Centre. The value of the contract is unknown at the moment.

The successful proposal will have one of three options: refurbishing the existing exhibits, doing a like-for-like replacement or creating a new interactive experience.

The Sportex part of the AIS Arena has remained open for the past four years despite the venue being closed for sports, functions and events. It is slated to reopen as early as next month, but it remains unclear what bookings have been made and if there will be a special event to celebrate Canberra's biggest indoor venue coming back online.

There was talk the ACT government would take on the day to day operations of the arena in a similar arrangement to the one that sees it lease Canberra Stadium. But we hear the sports commission is now interested in keeping it under its own banner for the foreseeable future.

Canberra Region Rugby League have moved to make the game even safer.

They've purchased 15 portable defibrillators, with the help of a $25,500 IMB Bank community foundation grant - one for each of their junior clubs.

While there were already defibrillators at the enclosed grounds where the seniors play, CRRL general manager Mark Vergano saw there was a gap at the grounds where their junior played.

They'll now be in place for when the juniors kick off on the first weekend in May. Meanwhile, their washed out opening round of seniors last weekend has been rescheduled for July 27.

You might still have the original buried at the back of your wardrobe, with a faded Canberra Milk logo and a number peeling off with every wear.

Because it's been 30 years since the Canberra Raiders won the 1994 NSWRL grand final in what might just be the greatest rugby league jersey of all time - and now they're releasing a new line of retro jumpers with, for the first time, a grand final patch to complete the look.

The Raiders have unveiled a 1994 grand final retro jersey which club officials expect will fly off the shelves, and why wouldn't it?

The club will wear the jersey at Magic Round in Brisbane on May 17, with most of the 1994 team to gather at the stadium to watch the clash against the Bulldogs.

A Canberra Milk logo slapped across the front, Video Ezy on the sleeves and a red Winfield Cup grand final patch - it screams Big Mal, Sticky and Loz.

The 1994 retro jerseys are among the most popular for Raiders fans, but never have they been released with the grand final patch.

The Green Machine charged to a 36-12 triumph over the Canterbury Bulldogs in the 1994 decider, giving Mal Meninga a fairytale farewell in his final game for the Raiders.

The would-be Immortal signed off with the last try after intercepting a Jason Smith pass and fending off Jarrod McCracken to score beside the posts and send a 42,234-strong Sydney Football Stadium crowd into raptures.

The 1994 Raiders will come together during Magic Round for a reunion, and you'd struggle to find a more star-studded group. Thirteen of the 15 Raiders used in the 1994 grand final played international rugby league - and a Kiwi enforcer in John Lomax was watching from the stands.

Meninga is a part of rugby league's most esteemed club after being inducted into the Immortals. Ricky Stuart and Laurie Daley both won a Dally M Medal and stand in the NRL Hall of Fame alongside Meninga, Bradley Clyde and Ruben Wiki.

"I was blessed to be a part of that team in all honesty. I was at the back end of my career and there was so much talent in the team," Meninga told The Canberra Times last month.

"There was so much emerging talent as well in [Brett] Mullins, [Jason] Croker, [David] Furner, they were starting to make their mark on the game. Obviously Laurie, Ricky, Bradley, Steve Walters and those guys, there was a lot of talent.

"The Pacific Island contingent, they were excellent. The front-rowers were scary people, Noa was an unbelievable winger, one of the best wingers I played with, Ruben Wiki was a bit of a legend of the club and the game itself, and Kenny Nagas - it was a quality footy team."

It is one of the greatest club sides ever assembled - and Meninga says it may well be the best team from the Raiders' golden era. Canberra fans could tell as much - that season's average home crowd of 17,392 still stands as a club record.

"It's too hard to pick, but probably on paper it is anyway," Meninga said.

"People would say 'what are you going to Canberra for?' People underestimate how good this town is, how good the club is, how they look after each other.

"I'm glad I made that decision back in '85 to come to Canberra, because it's probably the best decision footy-wise I could have made."