Sydneysiders are sports mad, especially for the ostensibly passive spectator sports of rugby league, Aussie Rules football, cricket, tennis and horse racing. No matter what it is, from surf lifesaving competitions to yacht races, it'll draw a crowd. They're keen participants too, whether it's a game of squash or the latest infatuation with yoga, but getting into (or onto) the water is their greatest joy. The Sydney Morning Herald 's Friday listings supplement, "Metro", has a Sport and Leisure section, with details of the best events around town. Most seats can be booked through Ticketek tel 9266 4800.

Rugby League
Rugby League is the football code in Sydney, and was for many years a bastion of working-class culture. Formerly run by the Australian Rugby League (ARL), the game was split down the middle in 1996, when Rupert Murdoch launched Super...
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Sydney Olympics 2000
Sydney proudly beat Beijing and Manchester in the chase for the Olympics in the year 2000, but no one would have guessed that Juan Antonio Samaranch, Olympic Chairman, would pronounce it the "best games ever". Unseasonably fine...
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Australian Rules
Victoria has traditionally been the home of Australian Rules ("Aussie Rules") football, and Victorian sides are still expected to win the AFL Flag - decided at the Grand Final in Melbourne in September - as a matter of course....
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Rugby union
Rugby union, in spite of the huge success of the national team (the Wallabies, who play at Stadium Australia), still lags behind rugby league in popularity. However, the introduction of the Super 12 competition, which runs from the end...
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Soccer
Soccer is still a minority sport in Australia. Around half the Australian National League (ANL) soccer clubs evolved from communities of postwar immigrants - mainly Italians, Greeks and Yugoslavs. (In the mid-1990s, a ban on clubs with...
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Cricket
Sydney's cricket season runs October-March, and offerssome of the year's best sporting days out (locals go for the atmosphere, the sunshine and the beer as much as the game). The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is the venue for four-day,...
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Tennis
Sydney's major tennis event is the Adidas International , held during the second week of January as a lead-up to the Australian Open in Melbourne; it's played atthe NSW Tennis Centre, at the Olympic site in Homebush Bay. Tickets are available...
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Racetracks
Australians lose $1000 a head each year succumbing to the temptation of a flutter. This eagerness to bet, coupled with relaxed gambling laws, has tax-collectors rubbing their hands as the revenue rolls in. Sydney offers plenty of opportunities for any...
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Surfing and surf carnivals
One peculiarly Australian institution is the surf carnival , where teams of lifesavers demonstrate their skills . Call Surf Life Saving NSW on tel 9984 7188 for details of the current season's carnivals. Surfing ...
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Canoeing, kayaking, sailboarding and sailing
The best time to sail in Sydney is from April to September, and some sail schools only offer lessons and hire during the sailing season. For other sailing courses and yacht hire check out the NSW Yachting Association's website tel ...
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Diving and snorkelling
Visibility in the waters around Sydney is good - and divers can expect to see to a distance of 10-15m. One of the best places to dive is at Gordon's Bay in Clovelly, where there is easy access to Sydney's only underwater nature trail - a sort...
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Swimming pools
Most pool complexes are outdoors and have a fifty-metre pool, a smaller children's pool and a wading pool, all usually unheated. The swimming season is generally the warmer months, from the long weekend in October, until Easter. There are over seventy...
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Cycling, rollerblading and horse-riding
The narrow maze of streets in Sydney's CBD, combined with traffic congestion, means that cycling has never been too popular. Bicycles can be carried free on trains (outside peak hours), and on ferries at all times. The best source of...
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Gyms and yoga
Most gyms charge between $12 and $15 for a casual visit, which applies all day, and includes access to aerobics and even yoga classes. Several gyms are reviewed in the "Gay Sydney" section, with the 24-hour City Gym recommended. Many...
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