The ACT government won't pursue compensation for an AFL tank, but they will look to ensure the community knows exactly what bang they're getting for their sporting buck.
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ACT Sports Minister Yvette Berry said they wanted to formalise the community work teams like the Canberra Raiders, the ACT Brumbies and the GWS Giants do as part of future contracts.
It's not because they aren't doing enough, it's more to recognise all the work they do do.
The Raiders and Brumbies are constantly visiting schools and helping out in the Canberra community, but Berry wanted more people to know about it.
In a previous agreement with the AFL, the government paid $276,000 for the Melbourne Demons to play the Sydney Swans at Manuka Oval in 2009.
The Demons have faced allegations of tanking for their efforts in that loss.
"We're in the process of renegotiating all of our performance agreements with the Raiders, Brumbies and with the Giants," she said.
"So we'll look very closely at things that have been happening over the last agreement period and how we can tighten things up in future agreements.
"We're looking for some other changes particularly around the community's involvement and what they're getting out of the funding that the ACT government's providing. It's their money after all.
"We know a lot of the clubs do a lot of work around our schools and within our community, we just want to make sure everybody hears about that, that it's widely promoted so when people say we give these teams too much money.
"There's a lot that they do that you don't know about."
Berry, who was at the sod turning of the Higgins Oval redevelopment on Wednesday, said it was about ensuring children got to see their heroes first hand.
The oval should be finished by January. There could be more announcements of sports fields this weekend.
"We just want to make it better, because you can't be what you can't see," Berry said.
"Making sure these young people that were here today see the young champions that they aspire to be, but not just on their telly or on a sports field, but actually in their schools and almost have a relationship with these people."
Berry said they would begin talks with NBL team Illawarra Hawks soon to bring more games to the capital, after they played the Cairns Taipans at AIS Arena in January.
"I know they're keen to talk to us," Berry said.
"We can have a chat about what the success was for when they were here and if there are opportunities in the future to build on that."
