Five reasons to join an LGBTQ sports club and where to find one

By Emen8, updated 4 hours ago in Health / Food and fitness

From wrestling and roller derby clubs to rowing and rugby union rucks, there’s plenty more to Australian LGBTQ sporting organisations than hot men in lycra and sweaty team bonding.

Whether you’re wanting to improve your health and fitness or simply open up your social circle, there are plenty of great reasons to join one of Australia’s many LGBTQ sports clubs. And chances are, there’s one right near you more than happy to take you on as its newest recruit.

So, let’s get physical and give one a go. Here are five great reasons to join a LGBTQ sports club now.

1. There are plenty to choose from

In most Australian states and territories there exists a wide variety of LGBTQ sports organisations to choose from. From the Argonauts rowing club in Melbourne and the Stingers water polo club in Sydney to the Aqualicious swim team in Brisbane, the options on offer to join arelimitless, both by sport category and location.

To find links to the many Australian LGBTQ sports clubs currently operating, scroll to the bottom of this page.

2. You’ll widen your social circle

Joining an LGBTQ sports organisation is a great way to widen your network of friends, especially if you’ve recently moved to a new city or are simply feeling as though you’re in a bit of a social slump. In addition to weekly practice sessions, games and competitions, most LQBTI sports clubs also regularly host trivia nights, fundraisers and other fun events, so you’ll be able to bond with your team mates both on and off the field/river/wrestling mat.

Take heed of this wise old adage though: don’t shit where you eat. No matter how hot or handsome your fellow ten pin bowling partners or OUTdance compatriots are, avoid casual hook ups with your team members. Things will get messy if things go south. Friends of fellow players though are open season, so go for gold and always make sure to have a sexual health strategy in full stride – whether that be PrEP, condoms and lube, the utilisation of an undetectable viral load as an HIV prevention strategy or a combination thereof. And be sure to get tested at least every six months if you’re sexually active or each quarter if you’re particularly busy in the bedroom.

3. You’ll make meaningful connections

Platonic friendship isn’t the easiest thing to come by in gay bars or on the apps, where hook-ups and dating tend to be the name of the game. Which leave gay sports clubs as surprisingly rare places to connect with other LQBTQ people in a purely non-sexual way. So if you’re looking to have some more gay men in your life who will still be there after your first breakfast together, joining one of these sports organisations is a great way to start.

4. Fitness and health

If the monotony of your day to day gym routine is leaving you in a rut, joining a sports club may be the solution. Not only will your physical health and fitness improve, but connecting with others and exercising together as a team will also improve your mental wellbeing. It’s always easy to hit the snooze button at 6am when your alarm goes off and miss that morning gym session, but when others are relying on you to fill a four sweep rowing boat, sleeping in is no longer an option. Exercising with others will motivate and inspire you to up your fitness game.

5. They’re all-inclusive

The vast majority of LGBTQ sports clubs cater to everyone regardless of age, sexuality or gender, which make for positive and diverse communities where everyone feels at ease. Most are also open to novices, so don’t let your fitness level or lack of experience in the sport at hand deter you. Usually a range of beginners programs are on offer to give you a crash course and then different levels of fitness and experience are supported and trained in different leagues within the club’s various training sessions and competitions.

LGBTQ sports clubs in Australia

New South Wales

For a range of gay sports clubs, visit Team Sydney

SportClub
BadmintonSydney Hotshots LGBTQ+ Badminton
BadmintonSydney Shuttle Badminton Club
BasketballBushrangers Basketball
BasketballSydney Spectres
BushwalkingThe Southern Cross Outdoors Group
CyclingSydney Spokes
Dragon BoatDifferent Strokes Dragon Boat Club
HockeyBentstix Hockey Club
Ice HockeyHarbour Lights Ice Hockey Club
KickballEmerald City Kickball
NetballSurry Hills Netball Club
RugbySydney Convicts
RunningSydney Frontrunners
SailingGLORY Gay and Lesbian Organisation for Racing and Yachting
SoccerSydney Rangers FC
SoftballSydney Outfielders Softball League
SquashGsquash Sydney
SquashRainbow Racquets
Surf LifesavingLifesavers with Pride
SurfingGay Surfers
SwimmingWett Ones Sydney
Ten Pin BowlingSydney Rams Ten Pin Bowling Club
TennisTennis Sydney
VolleyballFreezone Volleyball Club
Water PoloSydney Stingers
WrestlingSydney Silverbacks Wrestling Club
YogaCE Yoga

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

Victoria

SportClub
BadmintonMelbourne Smashers
BasketballBushrangers Basketball
BasketballMelbourne Spectres
CyclingBent Kranks
DanceDance Cats
Dragon BoatMelbourne Flames Dragon Boat Club
Dragon BoatYarra River Dragons
Ice HockeySouthern Lights Ice Hockey Club
Martial ArtsMelbourne Dragons
MotorcyclingMelbourne Motorcycle Tourers Inc
OutdoorsThe Nomads Outdoors Group Inc.
Roller DerbyKingston City Rollers
RowingMelbourne Argonauts
RugbyMelbourne Chargers
RunningMelbourne Frontrunners
SoccerMelbourne Rovers
SwimmingMelbourne Glamourheads
Table TennisMornington Peninsula & Frankston City Table Tennis Club (MFTTA)
TennisVIC Tennis
Ten Pin BowlingSixty Niners Bowling League
VolleyballMelbourne Spikers Volleyball Club
Water PoloMelbourne Surge Water Polo
WrestlingMelbourne Wranglers Wrestling Club

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

Queensland

For a range of gay sports clubs, visit Team Brisbane Sports and Team Rainbow

SportClub
BasketballBushrangers Basketball
BasketballBrisbane Spectres
BushwalkingOutTrekkers
CyclingBrisbane Rainbow Cyclists
Latin and Ballroom DancingDance With Me
Rugby UnionBrisbane Hustlers Rugby
RunningBrisbane Frontrunners
SoccerBrisbane Inferno FC
SwimmingAqualicious
SwimmingGold Coast Pride Swimming Club
TennisTeam Brisbane Tennis
TennisTeam Gold Coast Rainbow Communities Tennis
Touch FootballBrisbane Social Touch Football Group – New Farm
Water PoloBrisbane Tritons

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

Western Australia

For a range of gay sports clubs, visit Team Perth

SportClub
AFLPerth Hornets
BadmintonPerth LGBTQI Badminton Group
BasketballPerth Spectres
BushwalkingWA Wanderers
CyclingPerth LGBTIQ Social Cycling Group
DanceOut Dance
HikingPerth Gay & Bi Male Hikers
HockeyPerth Pythons Hockey Club
KickballEmerald City Kickball Perth
Rock ClimbingThe Rock Wallabies
RowingIron Oars Rowing Club WA
Rugby UnionPerth Rams
RunningPerth Frontrunners
Scuba DivingPerth Underwater Stingers SCUBA Club
Surf LifesavingScarboro Surf Lifesaving Club
Swimming Perth Rainbow Warriors Swimming Club
Synchronised SwimmingPerth Synchro
TennisLoton Park Tennis Club
Touch FootballCrush Perth Touch Club
Water PoloPerth White Pointers

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

South Australia

SportClub
DanceSA Same-sex Dance Sport
Rugby UnionAdelaide University Sharks
RunningFrontrunners Adelaide
SwimmingAdelaide Dolphins
TennisPride Tennis Adelaide
Ten Pin BowlingTeam Adelaide Ten Pin Bowling
VolleyballAdelaide Spikers Volleyball
WalkingThe Adelaide Happy Wanderers

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

Australian Capital Territory

SportClub
RunningCanberra Frontrunners
SquashRainbow Racquets
TennisPink Tennis

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

Tasmania

SportClub
BasketballBushrangers Basketball
TennisHobart Out Tennis Club

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.

Northern Territory

SportClub
BasketballBushrangers Basketball

Don’t see your club here? Contact us and we’d be happy to add you.