Winter codes

Winter does not have to be a time of hibernation, heavy meals and hardcore television watching. After the all-in sports orgy of last year’s Gay Games, the gay and lesbian sports scene is stronger than it has ever been, and many winter teams are now on the hunt for players.

Some have already started the weekly Sunday morning turn-up torture. The mostly queer Code Blue, playing in the Eastern Suburbs Women’s Soccer League, managed a four to one victory at their first 9am game on the weekend. The success came in the wake of an over-enthusiastic team bonding session the day before, despite the fact the opposition had undertaken incredible pre-season training, and to the delight of several ridiculously hung over supporters.

Almost five months after the Games, this city’s home of gay and lesbian sporting information is still Team Sydney. The Team Sydney website www.teamsydney.org.au has information and contact lists for a wide range of men’s, women’s and mixed sporting teams.

Team Sydney co-president Ian Davis says the post-Games sports scene in Sydney is thriving, with new clubs forming and others going through growth stages.

The feeling I get anecdotally by and large is everything is, at worst, where it was before. And most clubs have moved forward, Davis says. There are at least two clubs which have been created as a result of the Games. There are certainly examples of the Games sporting success around.

To give Sydney sport freaks a chance to recover from last year’s mania, city teams from around Australia agreed not to hold an Australian competition in 2003. Davis says discussions are under way about where the Australian competition will be held in 2004.

The Team Sydney website contact details are updated regularly.

Any women urgently seeking a winter sport should try and find a home in the famous Sydney Flying Bats. A club spokeswoman told the Star the club has a few spaces left in its second division team, playing in the North West Sydney League.

The Bats train on Wednesday nights at Queen Elizabeth Park, Concord, and start competition this weekend. Keen and preferably skilled players can contact the club on 0403 964 112, or turn up to training at 6:30pm. There are also spaces available for the upcoming women’s AFL competition, for those who like a bit more biffo in their weekend sports. The Sydney Women’s Australian Football League’s website at www.swafl.org.au has information on teams and contact details.