The Australian Sports Commission has confirmed that the AIS Arena will be unavailable for other events from May to August 2026, as the Canberra Brave have booked the venue for their Australian Ice Hockey League home games. The deal includes an option for 2027, pending the construction of a proposed ice sports facility in Tuggeranong.
The Brave's season covers most of the Super Netball season, which runs from March to June. This leaves only pre-season or Australian Diamonds games as potential netball events at the arena. Netball ACT has been trying to bring the Giants back to Canberra for the first time since 2019, but the ice hockey booking has prevented any progress.
The AIS Arena was refurbished after its COVID-19 closure, and the anchor points for netball posts were covered over. However, the AIS is reportedly willing to rectify this if a netball game is booked. The Australian netball team sold out the arena in 2013, demonstrating local demand.
Netball ACT chief executive Sally Clark said they missed out on hosting the Giants this year because the government was in caretaker mode during negotiations. The Giants have not played at the AIS Arena since 2019, and the ice hockey deal means they are unlikely to return soon.
