Bentstix seeking female players

The Sydney Bentstix Gay and Lesbian Hockey Club is looking for women to boost its ranks for the 2nd Asia Pacific Outgames, to be held in Wellington, New Zealand in March next year.

Bentstix member Danny Caretti, who’s spearheading the club’s efforts to get to the Outgames, told Sydney Star Observer they were keen to recruit all manner of female players for the Games, including women who might not consider joining the club full-time.

“Hockey’s a winter sport, so we’re in between seasons at the moment. So even though women might not be members of Bentstix, they can actually join the club to go to Wellington with us,” he said.

“And it doesn’t necessarily mean they need to stick with us — they can go back to playing in their own clubs when the Outgames are over.”

The Bentstix Women’s teams are hoping to improve on the bronze medal they won at the Euro Games in Utrecht, Holland in 2005 when they compete at the Outgames.

Bentstix is aiming to field two female teams to compete against the New Zealand Hockey Heroes, Melbourne’s female team, and the UK’s London Royals.

Caretti admitted that while those other regions had strong female hockey teams, Bentstix had experienced difficulty attracting female players.

“At the moment we find it tough to recruit women. We find that a lot of women stick together in groups in other Sydney hockey clubs, and they’re not necessarily playing in an ‘out’ team.

“What we’re hoping to attract is women who play in other hockey teams throughout the winter season who’d be interested in getting together with other girls from around Sydney to come to Wellington with us. It’d be a great pre-season tournament for them in March, playing in a major sporting event before the 2011 season starts in April.”

info: For more information about joining Bentsix, email Danny at [email protected] or visit www.bentstix.com.au