Ultimate guide to Summer Sports for kids on the North Shore

Looking for a summer sport for your child around the North Shore? There are so many different options, for kids of all ages and interests! Whether you’re looking for water sports like swimming clubs, nippers or waterpolo, or a ball sport like tennis, cricket, baseball, basketball or netball, there are so many options to choose from. Here are lots of ideas for summer sports and clubs you can join around Sydney’s North Shore!

Ready to sign your kids up for some summer sports? Make the most of the warmer months and get the whole family outdoors. There are so many amazing sporting options and clubs right here on the North Shore for you to join. They’re all registering now for the upcoming season, so don’t miss out!

Little Athletics
Swimming
Nippers
Water Polo
Cricket
Tennis
Baseball, Softball & T-ball
Basketball
Netball
Sailing

Little Athletics

Little Athletics is a summer sport that involves modified athletics events for children aged from about 3 years old. Kids from 3-5 years can join Tiny Tots, and 5 and over are placed in a group with kids the same age & gender. The program teaches a wide range of athletic skills – running (short distance and long distance), long jump, high jump, hurdles, shot put, discus and more. Events are modified to suit the age, developmental stage and ability of the children. Little Athletics promotes that it is important to “Be your Best” ®. The emphasis is on fun, participation, performance, technique and getting involved with your family in physical and healthy activity.

Mosman Little Athletics, Georges Heights Oval, Mosman (usually Balmoral Oval, but currently being renovated)
Northern Suburbs Little Athletics, Rotary Athletics Field, Lane Cove – Saturdays, 8am
Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics, Bannockburn Oval, Pymble – Saturdays, 8am
Northern Districts Little Athletics, Foxglove Oval, Mount Colah – Saturdays, 8:30am
Hornsby District Little Athletics, Pennant Hills Oval – Saturdays, 8am
Cherrybrook Athletics – Greenway Park Oval, Cherrybrook, Fridays, 6pm
Ryde Little Athletics, Dunbar Park, Marsfield – Saturdays, 7:30am
Wakehurst Little Athletics, Sydney Academy of Sport, Narrabeen, Saturdays 7:30am

Swimming Clubs

Swimming is a great form of exercise no matter your age, but for kids, it’s also an essential skill they need to learn. For some kids, swimming turns into a passion and they can go on to learn the value of a little healthy competition.

Once your child is a confident swimmer in the water, they might be interested in weekly swimming competitions with your local swimming club – where they will race against others in events like 25m or 50m freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. Children can choose what swimming races they’d like to participate in!

Hornsby Swim Club – Friday evenings at Hornsby Pool
Ku-ring-gai Swim Club – Ku-ring-gai Fitness & Aquatic Centre
Northbridge Swim Club – Northbridge Baths Aquatic Fitness Centre
Lane Cove Swim Club – Lane Cove Aquatic Centre
Berowra RSL Sub-Branch Youth Swimming Club – Sunday mornings at Hornsby Pool
Terrey Hills Swim Club
Castle Hill RSL Dolphins Swim Club – Friday night at Castle Hill Fitness & Aquatic Centre
Carlile Swim Club – Lane Cove West, Castle Cove, Freshwater, Ryde
Epping Bullets Swim Club – Friday nights at 7pm at Epping Aquatic and Leisure Centre
Hunters Hill Swimming Club – The Village shopping centre in Riverside Corporate Park
Manly Swimming Club – Manly Andrew “Boy” Charlton Swim Centre
Warringah Aquatic Swim Club – Warringah Aquatic Centre

Nippers

Want your kids to be safe in the surf? Nippers is an exciting summer sport, and there are lots of Surf Life Saving Clubs on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and the Central Coast to choose from. Nippers is designed to ensure children have fun at the beach while participating in lessons that will give them a pathway to becoming a fully rounded participant in both lifesaving and sport. Nippers includes the Junior Development Program which is designed to ensure children have fun at the beach, while participating in lessons that will provide them with a pathway to become a qualified surf lifesaver and a junior competitor (surf sport).

Water Polo

Water polo is a great summer sport that gets kids in the water, exercising and having lots of fun. It combines swimming with ball sports, and often isn’t played till the older years – it’s a tough sport! Of course, the best way to get into it is starting off with swimming lessons then working your way up.

Sydney Northern Rays Water Polo Club – Training at Knox Aquatic Centre and Barker Aquatic Centre.
Macquarie University Waterpolo Club – North Ryde
Ryde Rhinos Waterpolo – Ryde
Sydney Northern Beaches Water Polo Academy – Northern Beaches

Cricket

Cricket is a great sport to help kids develop their fine motor skills, improve their stamina, increase coordination, and practise their communication skills. This bat-and-ball game is a great team sport for young kids, and they can usually get involved from as young as 5 years. From the beginning, they will be introduced to basic skills, such as hitting, throwing, bowling, stopping, turning, running and catching, and can progress as they get older. It’s also a great spectator sport, so parents will appreciate it as well!

Tennis

Inspire Tennis

Tennis is one of those all-rounder games that encourages a lot of different skills in children, from developing their cardio to improving coordination, kids can enjoy tennis lessons, get into the sport competitively and even form a team for some doubles matches.

Love’n Deuce, St Leonards
Voyager Tennis, Chatswood, Ryde, Artarmon, Seaforth, Manly
Evolve Tennis, Roseville, Belrose, Collaroy, Avalon, Narrabeen
Inspire Tennis, Killara
Queenwood Tennis Club, Oxford Falls
Grand Slam Tennis, Cammeray
Tennis World, Chatswood
Kim Warwick Tennis Academy – Waitara
Alan Stopford Tennis Coaching, Hornsby
Superb Tennis, Asquith and Berowra
Zone Tennis, Naremburn

Sailing

Want to spend those warm summer days out on the water, sailing? Sounds like a dream! Sailing is a sport that is open to people of any age or almost any fitness level. Sailing improves a wide range of physical and mental skills such as fitness, mental wellness, lower stress level, increased agility and concentration, improved organisation and communication skills. Plus, sailing is great fun too! Find out where you can learn to sail around Sydney’s North Shore & Northern Beaches.

Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, Kirribilli
Sydney Flying Squadron (SFS), Kirribilli
Blues Point Yacht Club, Milsons Point
Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Cremorne
Northbridge Sailing Club
Balmoral Sailing Club, Mosman
Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Mosman
Middle Harbour Amateur Sailing Club, Mosman
Middle Harbour 16′ Skiff Sailing Club, Mosman
Manly Sailing, Manly
Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club, Manly
Manly Yacht Club, Manly
Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Sailing Club, Brooklyn

Baseball, Softball & T-Ball

Young kids start off with T-Ball, hitting the ball off a stationary tee while they learn the basics of the game. They can then progress to baseball or softball, learning to pitch, bat a flying ball and play as part of a team. It’s a relatively simple game for kids to grasp the concept of, and a great confidence builder as they progress through the stages and develop key skills.

Wondering the difference between softball and baseball? There isn’t much! The ball is a different size (softballs are larger), and a softball has to be pitched under arm, while a baseball tends to be overhand or sidearm.

North Sydney Junior Baseball Club, Willoughby
Killara Softball Club, Killara
Hornsby District Softball Association, Hornsby
Hornsby Wildcats Softball Club, Hornsby
St Ives and District Softball Club, St Ives
Kissing Point Softball Club, Turramurra
Stealers Baseball and Softball Club, Wahroonga
Thornleigh Softball Club, Thornleigh
Hills Hawks, Galston
Forest Baseball Club, Frenchs Forest
Forest Allambie Softball Club, Frenchs Forest
Pittwater Softball Club, Warriewood
Pittwater Baseball Club, Warriewood
Warringah Baseball Club, Warringah
Manly Seasiders Baseball Club, Manly

Basketball

One of the best parts about basketball is that it can be started from a young age, and unlike many of the other sports, there aren’t as many rules for kids to get the hang of! The first skill they need to learn is essential: to dribble and run with a ball at the same time, the rest will follow. It’s a great team sport and a fast-paced game that kids can really get into.

Hornsby Spiders, Thornleigh
Junior Basketball Academy, Mosman, North Sydney & Wahroonga
North Shore Basketball League, St Ives
Kuringgai Kangaroo’s Basketball Club, Waitara & Wahroonga
Hills Hornets, Baulkham Hills
Manly Warringah Basketball Association, Warriewood

Netball

Netball tends to be a rite of passage for many young girls – and it has a nice, fast pace like basketball. There are more rules for kids to grasp from a young age, which can make it a bit trickier to learn, but great for their fitness levels. Learning to stop, pivot, run, pass, shoot and more, are all great skills that will carry through as they get older. While netball is traditionally considered a winter sport, you can also play it during Spring & Summer too!