Australian Rules football
If you were a keen Aussie Rules player back home, you don’t have to leave it behind as there are a number of teams in London. The West London Wildcats are our personal favourites. A friendly bunch of blokes, more than happy to head to the pub after practice on Thursdays – we can’t argue with that.
When/where: Tue and Thu from 6.20pm, Dukes Meadows playing fields, near Barnes Bridge station.
How much: £65 annual membership (training twice weekly, Jan-Aug).
pitchero.com/clubs/westlondonwildcats
Beach volleyball
London is not particularly well known for its beaches, and that’s probably because it hasn’t got any. But Londoners are resourceful people, and so the necessary components of beach volleyball – that’d be sand and a net – have been brought to the city. Join the London Beach Volleyball Club to get involved.
When/where: Socials are Sat, noon-2pm in Westminster; Sun, noon-2pm in Shoreditch; and Thu, 6.30-8.30pm in Barn Elms.
How much: £60 for the season (Apr-Sep), covers three social sessions a week. Add £50 for a weekly coaching session (May-Aug).
Netball
It’s not just for ladies, honest – One Netball UK runs mixed and women’s outdoor games between July and October, with “strict criteria” including that game venues boast “proximity to the local drinking hole”.
When/where: Various times at venues in Pimlico, Waterloo, Wimbledon and Camden.
How much: From £82 for a single player.
Touch rugby
Expect pacey games (in 15-minute halves), minimal injury risk (you tap rather than tackle) and a regular barbecue with beetroot, pineapple and cheese burgers at London Touch Rugby – now this sounds like our kind of sport. Registrations are now open for mixed and men’s teams.
When/where: Wed, 6.30-9pm (May-Aug), Old Actonians Sports Ground, Acton.
How much: Single player registrations (mixed teams only) are £45. Team registration fee (men’s) is £180, of which £60 constitutes a refundable bond if your team doesn’t default at any stage during the season, and each team pays £20 per game.
Guys and dolls: Highbury Korfball Club
Korfball
If netball and basketball had a baby, they would name it korfball. And in the spirit of the masculine and feminine, ahem, coming together, four men and four women form a korfball team. Summer training is held outside. To try out two sessions for free, contact the Highbury Korfball Club.
When/where: Wed, 7.45-9.30pm, near Old Street station.
How much: £7 per person, per session.
Photos: supplied, Thinkstock, Llewellyn Cass / TNT Images, Brandt Hurley / TNT Images
