Flicking the Manuka light switch for the first time became the defining moment of the decade, and not just because the 47-metre towers lit-up a historic venue.

Canberra grew up in that moment, lights sparkling in the summer air at the start of the city's centenary year.

The six towers symbolise the change Canberra has been through over the past 10 years, in much the same way the thunderous Viking clap represents the revival of the Raiders.

Boutique Manuka became the jewel in the crown of a leafy suburb, although there were, and still are, detractors who believe the venue should not have been modernised.

But those lights brought Canberra out of the dark ages and transformed the way the capital views its sport.

Exhibition games or tier-two matches? No thanks. Canberra is now a city which demands elite international content instead of being an after-thought stop for touring teams.

"Undoubtedly that era [of exhibition games] is behind us. We'll never, ever be left behind in the way we were previously across pretty well all of the major sports," said ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who was sports minister until 2014.

"The next big challenge is around how do we build on, and have a similar decade of growth in terms of locking in the diversity of sporting events we've had in the past 10 years, and being able to further lift those across a number of different sports."

Cricket is perhaps the best indicator of the change. The Prime Minister's XI crowds crashed to just 1824 last year. The crowd figure for the traditional tour match has been above 10,000 just once since 2006.

Compare that to an expected sellout for a Big Bash League game on Saturday night and 30,000 spread over the days of the first Test in February.

The end of 2019 is a perfect opportunity to reflect on 10 years of changes, highs and lows, controversy and stardom.

There have been individual world-beaters (Nick Kyrgios, Patty Mills, Kim Brennan, Caroline Buchanan and Michael Matthews to name a few) and team wise: sacked players, coaches and chief executives. Historic moments, sad moments, emotional moments, grand final glory and premiership heartbreak.

But there was also a massive shift in fan attitude. A taste of top-tier international sport has reshaped what is viewed as acceptable fixtures for a growing city.

The centenary celebrations had a major impact in what the government could lure to Canberra and what sporting fans started to expect.

"The thinking at the time of the centenary was not only how could we leverage that, but what would be its legacy beyond that one year," Barr said.

"We had to see if could we use that year to build our credentials with a number of sports who had been somewhat reticent to bring matches or international teams to Canberra before then."

Here's a look back at the highlights and lowlights of the past 10 years.

Canberra hosted almost every major national side since 2010. The Socceroos, men's and women's cricket, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Diamonds, Opals, Boomers and Matildas as well as Fed Cup tennis and the women's Australian Open.

There was also the cricket World Cup and the Asian Cup soccer, both in 2015. The Big Bash played in front of a sell-out crowd for the final in 2014 and the city finished the decade with its first Test in February.

But one of the biggest, and most controversial, deals was the government's decision to invest $23 million in the GWS Giants over a 10-year period.

The large financial commitment caused tension between the government, the Canberra Raiders and the ACT Brumbies because the Canberra-based clubs felt they were being underpaid compared to the Giants.

Grievances aside, the Giants have forged a strong bond with Canberra fans and their arrival in the capital ended cash grabs from North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs.

The Giants won the first game in history at Manuka Oval and have made the ground a fortress.

The government and the Giants are negotiating a new deal to extend their partnership beyond 2021, with an announcement expected to be made next year.

The start and end of the decade couldn't be more contrasting. A charge to the finals in 2010 was overshadowed by a Mad Monday prank gone wrong when the infamous Joel Monaghan photo started circulating.

But it was all good news in 2019, with the Raiders charging to their first grand final in 25 years and sparking green fever around the city.

In between there was the rise and fall of Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson, who were sacked after skipping training to share a few drinks on the roof of a house.

David Furner was sacked at the end of 2013, becoming the first coach in the club's history to be terminated.

That paved the way for Ricky Stuart to return and the three-time premiership winner set about rebuilding the once proud Green Machine.

When the Raiders did make the finals they certainly took their chances. They made a preliminary final in 2016 and then captured the rugby league world with their grand final return this year.

The six-to-go call, which overshadowed their loss to the Sydney Roosters, will haunt players and fans for a long time.

The biggest Raiders development of the decade? Easy. The Viking clap. It has re-energised the Raiders' game-day experience and is easily one of the best things about the NRL for fans.

The Brumbies followed a very similar trajectory to the Raiders, enjoying some thrilling highs and then falling to some extreme lows.

In fact, at one point in the decade it appeared the Brumbies might collapse as an organisation in the wake of an ugly legal dispute with former chief executive Michael Jones.

There were also rumours of a potential merger with the Melbourne Rebels before Rugby Australia decided to axe the Western Force in 2017.

Here's a look by the numbers. In the past 10 years, the Brumbies had: six coaches, five chief executives, four chairmen and five different full-time captains.

They crashed to a woeful season in 2011after Andy Friend was sacked. Jake White got things back on track, taking the Brumbies to the 2013 Super Rugby grand final only to suffer heartbreak in the last minutes.

Christian Lealiifano was the inspiration of the decade. He was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2016 and made a comeback 12 months later.

Love him or hate him, Nick Kyrgios put Canberra on the tennis map since making his grand slam debut in 2013.

He shocked the world when he beat Rafael Nadal, the world No. 1 at the time, at Wimbledon in 2014 as a fresh-faced teenager from the capital.

Since then it's been about fast tennis, fast cars and fast talking for a man who divides opinion more than almost any Australian athlete.

He was ranked as high as No. 13 in the world and has won more than $8 million in prizemoney.

Strap yourself in for a few more years of unpredictable Kyrgios in the new decade.

Lauren Jackson helped the Capitals start the the decade with a championship. But injury-ruined years contributed to a lean period, forcing the club to wait until 2019 to win another title.

The Capitals bounced back for the 2018-19 campaign, packing out the AIS Arena for a grand final series and clinching a championship at home.

The Capitals were the women's sporting pioneers in the city, but Canberra United dominated the 2010s.

They won grand finals in 2011-12 and 2014, as well as finishing at the top of the ladder in three seasons. Dual international Ellyse Perry spent three years at the club, which is now trying to rebuild itself into a finals force.

Patty Mills has spent the past decade in the NBA and signed a $65 million contract extension to stay at the San Antonio Spurs.

He won an NBA championship in 2014 and played at the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016.

His efforts were matched by cyclist Michael Matthews, who won the Tour de France green jersey in 2017.

The man known as "Bling" rode into Paris in the world's biggest cycling race to take a slice of Canberra sporting history.

The government spent plenty on sporting infrastructure, including investing in the ACT Brumbies' $15 million facility, the Raiders' $19 million headquarters, a $10.5 million tennis centre and a $6 million cricket and AFL base at Phillip.

Manuka Oval got new lights and a new media facility, but the venue on everyone's lips is Canberra Stadium.

Barr has been talking about a redevelopment since 2009, but there are still no officials plans or timeline despite plenty of behind the scenes work from private businessmen.

The future of the AIS campus, which will likely be cut in half, has delayed the process. Will will see a new stadium with a roof in Civic by the end of the 2020s?

The 2000s had a snow game at Canberra Stadium. The 2010s finished with a snow game at Manuka Oval, when the GWS Giants played Hawthorn on a chilly August night.

Footage of the snow falling was beamed around the country and Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson refused to let his players wear long sleeves.

The Canberra Cavalry celebrated the centenary in perfect style, winning the ABL title and the Asia Series in 2013. The baseball side joined the inaugural ABL in 2010.

Formula One driver Mark Webber retired in 2013 and won his last race in the same year. He finished his career as a nine-time grand prix winner.

Kim Brennan won gold in the single sculls at the Rio Olympics and was undefeated in the event for more than a year.

Caroline Buchanan won a bag of world titles in BMX and mountain bike disciplines, but an off-road crash almost ended her career two years ago.

And Kelsey-Lee Barber added her name to the highlights this year when she became just the ninth Australian to win an athletics world championship.