The 25 hectare site that could be home to a new Canberra stadium

The government has invited tenders for a stadium due diligence report as it pushes ahead with a joint health, sport and education precinct.

The federal government has committed $10 million to a detailed business case for the entire precinct, but the ACT government had already commissioned the due diligence report as part of a $1.9 million infrastructure study.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr had previously pointed to the old Canberra Raiders headquarters on the corner of Haydon Drive and Battye Street as the preferred location.

But the tender process reveals the stadium could be put anywhere on the wider site - including CIT and a "predominantly brownfield site" - to expand options.

That means Raiders and Brumbies fans may lose their favourite secret (and free) parking spots for events at the stadium. Many have made a tradition out of parking at CIT and trudging down through the trees to get into the venue.

We went to the site this week to check out some location options, and it is much bigger than you think. The land extends well up the hill behind the old Raiders headquarters, which is now a NSW Rugby League base.

Plenty of land would need to be cleared, and CIT would be relocated or integrated into the multi-use precinct with potential for housing as well.

Setting the stadium and the precinct further back than the old Raiders HQ would also alleviate some fears about traffic congestion on Haydon Drive, which already turns into a carpark on major event nights.

The latest study follows a $300,000 investigation in Bruce last year, which looked at 11 different options around the existing stadium and the AIS campus.

After that report, which effectively ruled out rebuilding the existing stadium or on the eastern side of Canberra Stadium, Barr commissioned the latest iteration which he hopes will finally end the search.

"Preliminary studies were undertaken by ACT government to consider a preferred site option within and adjacent to the AIS site in Bruce. [Exhibition Park] and the Civic Pool sites were also considered," the tender document says.

"The preferred Site 1 is approximately 250,000 square metres in size and is predominantly a brownfield site and is located at Section 9, Block 4 Bruce (bounded by Hayden (sic) Drive, Batty and Purdie Streets, Bruce).

"The ACT government will continue to work closely with its key stakeholders during this phase including the Australian Sports Commission, the NSW Rugby League and the Canberra Institute of Technology (Bruce)."

The first phase of the project will identify site constraints before looking at traffic flow and parking, and making recommendations for the project to proceed.

The stadium saga has been running for the past 15 years and while the government has looked at Bruce, Exhibition Park and Civic as options, this is the first time the 25-hectare plot has been put on the radar.

The surrounding precinct will include the new North Canberra Hospital and a rejuvenated AIS. The federal government has committed $250 million to revamping some of the facilities at the AIS, but it's unclear what will happen to Canberra Stadium when, or if, a new stadium is built on nearby land.

"The tender [for the stadium] will examine where within the precinct is the best location," Barr said on ABC Canberra this week.

"The main factors are that the stadium would fit on the appropriate site, and that the range of other associated elements around getting people in and out of the venue, and all of those factors, are taken into account ... There are multiple options within the precinct. There are certainly months, if not years, of further work [required to identify the right site]."

There will be more money in the ACT budget next week for the sports, health and education precinct, which is set to include housing, commercial, hospitality and retail opportunities.

"The government will consider options for the development, including the optimal delivery model and the declaration of an urban renewal precinct under Division 2.8 of the City Renewal Authority and Suburban Land Agency Act 2017," the government said.

"This declaration will help coordinate ACT Government Directorates and agencies to work together on the precinct planning."

Several Canberra sports are waiting to see what sort of funding will be coming their way as part of the ACT budget next week.

The problem-plagued Home of Football is sure to feature again, five years after it was first announced, after Capital Football withdrew its financial element to the project due to pressure on the business.

The new base at Throsby will now be converted into community fields instead of a high-performance hub, which was supposed to have a boutique playing venue for Canberra United.

We hear United is locked in to play games at McKellar Park again next season, but the venue only has 500 seats in shade and then the rest is standing room or general admission.

Basketball ACT is also eager to learn if it will get a funding green light for a major overhaul of its Belconnen stadium, which has been on the radar for more than a decade.

Basketball ACT officials are keen to get cracking on a redevelopment, which would cost more than $30 million, to help them cater for continued growth. Both basketball and soccer participation numbers are booming, and facilities are struggling to keep up with addition of new teams and players.

It's the fastest-growing sport in the world, and Canberrans will get a chance to watch top pickleball players in action up close for the first time. The inaugural Pickleball Canberra Festival will be held on July 6 at the Emmaus Sports Centre in Dickson.

The morning will feature round five of the ACT Pickleball League, while those wanting to fine tune their skills can take part in a clinic with Lu Sciaky, captain of the Patty Mills-owned Brisbane Breakers MLP Team. An invitational tournament will then showcase pickleball pros.

"People may have heard of pickleball but never had the chance to see it live," festival founder Robbie Manzano said.

"Canberrans just haven't been hit by the pickleball-wave ... until now. This is the first opportunity Canberra is able to see high level pickleball in their own backyard for free.

"My dream is to showcase the sport in a bid to convince stakeholders that have the capacity to help with pickleball courts to think about pickleball infrastructure here in the capital."