Geelong Sports & Outdoors

One of the biggest sports attraction in Geelong is AFL (Australian Football Rules). Geelong has one team in the AFL - the Geelong Cats. Their uniform is navy blue and white stripes - blue for Corio Bay and white for the seagulls above the bay, the club has existed since around the turn of the 20th Century.

Watching AFL is about as Aussie as you can get. Skilled Stadium, home of the Cats, is a great place to get a taste of footy - especially with the new stadium - it has cat claws and everything! :)

And if you're in the crowd sing along when they win:

We are Geelong, the greatest team of all!
We are Geelong, we're always on the ball!
We play the game, as it should be played
At home or far away
Our banners fly high, from dawn to dark
Down at Kardinia Park!

(the winning teams anthem is always played at the end of the game)

Just a warning though, you get your usual couple of hooligans, but nothing serious. Also, no matter what sport you are going to see in Australia, the food they sell is always over-priced.

Equipment: A scarf suppporting your team, and as the majority of the games are held in the colder months, a warm jacket.

Another spectator sport - Triathlons. Spring-Autumn Geelong often hosts Triathlons. the latest one was the Australian Triathlon Championships held on the 27th of March. So we get the big ones, but there are also smaller triathlons, and local schools giving it a try as well.

They are usually held down at Eastern Beach and the surrounding area.

Equipment: Hat and sunscreen.

Admittedly I do not know a lot about Rugby - although I learnt a bit during the 2004 World Cup - "Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!"

So for those who come to Geelong and the surrounding area looking for info on rugby - to see if they can see a local match, visit the websites below. (The Geelong team is called the 'Geelong Rams' and their home ground is in Moolap, Geelong).

www.rugby.com.au also has information on the Tri Nations, Bledisloe Cup and many other competitions at different levels.

The Geelong Supercats represent Geelong in the NBL (National Basketball League). The season starts in March and finishes in August/September. The Supercats were formed in 1977 and therefore next year will celebrate their 30th Anniversary.

The Supercats home, The Arena, is Geelong's foremost basketball stadium. It was also used recently for some of the games in the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games (Australia ended up beating New Zealand in the Final - 81 to 76, although that match was played in Melbourne).