Another sports club has been struck by vandals, as the ACT Policing operation targeting anti-social behaviour continues across Canberra.
The Belwest Foxes' home ground at Latham was covered in tyre tracks on Saturday as the soccer club publicly shared the extent of the damage on its social media pages.
Members commenting on the post were appalled at the actions of "absolute grubs" that had put the club's grounds out of action and forced volunteers to scramble to make urgent repairs.
"Unfortunately, our home ground was damaged on Saturday night by a group of teenage hoons," the Belwest Foxes post stated.
"A huge thank you to our groundsman, Brian Golledge, who acted quickly to repair the affected field before Sunday's senior matches.
"Disappointingly, the individuals returned on Sunday evening at 5pm and attempted to cause further damage, but were scared off by one of our committee members.
"The matter has been reported to police, and several photos of those involved have been provided.
"The good news is the damage is minor, and the club will be working with ACT Sportsgrounds to prepare the fields for junior games this weekend."
ACT Policing told The Canberra Times the incident at Latham was reported to authorities on Sunday.
"Enquiries into the incident are underway and anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers," a police spokesperson said.
ACT Policing confirmed its operation on e-rideables is still underway, but they could not provide an exact number of infringement notices or cautions issued. Police reiterated that "proactive education" has been a focus.
Since the crackdown was launched, ACT Policing said it has "engaged with 24 individuals" who were using e-rideables "inappropriately or unsafely".
Belwest are the latest of several other sports clubs that have been impacted by vandalism to their facilities.
In June, repeated vandalism and harassment by youths on legal and illegal vehicles at Canberra sportsgrounds prompted a police crackdown.
It came as club officials, players and parents were desperate to see the anti-social behaviour targeting sports halted, especially as wet weather made grass turf soft and more susceptible to damage.
There were games cancelled, multiple incidents were filmed, including clips obtained by The Canberra Times that showed large groups of youths riding on electric and petrol bikes through soccer matches at Giralang, terrorising players and parents, with reports of corner flags also being stolen at Bonython.
Some devotees of Canberra's "bike life" scene continue to publicly post acts of vandalism on social media, most notably via TikTok.
Belwest was thankful their community was able to help monitor the activity near their grounds.
"We hope this is an isolated incident and it does not happen again, but sadly this vandalism is occurring more across the Canberra soccer and sporting community," the club said.
The ACT government and Belwest Foxes were contacted for comment.
