Top Sporting Events Sydney-siders Can Look Forward To

Top Sporting Events Sydney-siders Can Look Forward To

Greetings, Sydney-sider! Many of you will agree with me when I say that we take our sports very seriously. For the sports fans out there, there are many sporting events that you can enjoy with your friends and other like minded people.

Rugby League

One of the most popular sports in Sydney is rugby league. In fact, rugby league is so big in Sydney that it can be considered a part of the city's culture. Sydney is currently home to nine of the 16 National Rugby League clubs, and is the venue not only for the NRL Grand Final but also for many great NRL clashes throughout the year. The NSW rugby league team also takes part in the yearly State of Origin series against the Queensland Maroons. These hard-fought matches are rugby’s top rivalry, and are one of Australasia’s leading sporting events.

Rugby Union

Like rugby league, rugby union has a long history in Sydney, although it’s not as popular as the former. The city has a local rugby union competition called Shute Shield and a Super Rugby team, the NSW Waratahs, who play their matches in Sydney.

Test cricket

Cricket is one of Sydney’s most popular sports. The city is an occasional venue for “The Ashes”, a Test cricket series between Australia and England. Sydney is also the home of the NSW cricket team that participates in the Sheffield Shield, a domestic first-class cricket tournament held in the ANZ Stadium and Sydney Cricket Ground. Watch out—Sydney will be the host of the 2015 Cricket World Cup as well.

Association football

While association football isn’t as wildly popular as rugby league, the sport has a large following in Sydney, and is actually organised on a state level. Sydney FC, a pro-football club, is based in the city and competes in the A-League, Australia’s premier football competition. Sydney FC plays its home games at the Sydney Football Stadium in Moore Park. The Sydney Wanderers FC will debut in the A-League’s 2012-2013 season, and will play at the Parramatta Stadium.

Basketball

Sydney is represented by the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League, the top men’s pro-basketball league in Australasia. The Sydney Uni Flames, on the other hand, is Sydney’s team in the Women’s NBL. The Kings play their home games at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Haymarket, while the Uni Flames are based in the Sydney Uni Sports and Aquatic Centre in Darlington.

Australian Rules football

Australian football and is quickly becoming popular, but has yet to gain that massive following in Sydney. The city is represented by two teams in the Australian Football League: the Greater Western Sydney Giants and the Sydney Swans. There are also several Sydney teams in the North East Australian Football League.

Other sports

Sydney is also home to several other sports teams, including the New South Wales Swifts, a semi-pro netball team, which competes in the ANZ Championship, the top netball competition in the world; the Sydney Blue Sox, a pro-baseball team, which is part of the Australian Baseball League; and the NSW Waratahs, a field hockey team in the Australian Hockey League. The city is also the location of several prominent sporting events, such as the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the Golden Slipper Stakes, a thoroughbred horse race, and City to Surf, a popular footrace. About the Author: This guest post was brought to you by Michael. Michael is a huge sporting enthusiast and content writer for sporttravel.com.au