Melbourne's alternative sporting scene

The Brunswick Trugo Club

Forget Aussie Rules: if you ask Gerald Strachan there is only one “fair dinkum” Aussie sport to have come out of Melbourne and that’s the little-known game of Trugo.

The Fitzroy Stars

Besides being one of the teams to beat in the Northern Football League, the Stars boast a netball team and an enviably sized training gym on Gertrude Street.

The Darebin Falcons

For women who want in on the football action without having to get a spray tan and escort some bloke down the Brownlow blue carpet, look no further than the Darebin Falcons.

The Black Ice Swimming Club

“We follow English Channel rules,” explains Alby, the president of the club. “It’s just a pair of bathers and your goggles and that’s it.” Alby should know: he’s swum the channel three times.

The Unicycle Monthly Ride

Not so much a club as a loosely organised get-together, the Monthly Ride involves a gathering of unicyclists on the concreted forecourt of the Melbourne Museum on the last Sunday of every month.

Bike Polo

Polo is often seen as the punchline to jokes about the weird rituals of the wealthy, a relic of a class division and a sport only enjoyed by those with blood more blue than red.

Roller Derby

Roller derby has experienced a revival in recent years after decades as a largely scripted sport where the focus was on the spectacle as opposed to sportsmanship.

Curling

Team members on an ice rink brush at the ground as a large stone slides towards them, varying their brushstrokes to regulate the speed at which it travels.

Melbourne Rovers

Pride Football Australia (PFA) brings together gay, lesbian and fabulous footballers from Melbourne and Sydney to fight it out for the Julie Murray (women’s) and Justin Fashanu (men’s) Cups.