Northern beaches struck with a man drought as venues struggle to fill Valentine’s dating nights

Laziness among single blokes has been pinpointed as a key factor behind why women on the peninsula are struggling to find their perfect match. It comes as one Valentine’s event has been cancelled and another could be scrapped due to a shortage of interest from men.

Susan Crosse, Mrs Robertson Wine Bar at Newport, is wondering where all of the men are. Picture: (AAP IMAGE / Troy Snook)

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The northern beaches is in the midst of a man drought, with Valentine’s dating nights reporting an absence of Romeos looking for love.

Q Station’s Valentine’s speed-dating night has been cancelled, with women outnumbering men six to one.

And Newport’s Meet In Style event is at risk of being canned with not a single man signed up.

The February 27 Newport event is aimed at those aged 45 and over.

Organiser Susan Crosse said the peninsula was suffering from a man drought.

A promotional photo for the Q Station Valentine’s speed-dating event.

“I think some men are looking for younger women, that is certainly part of it,” Ms Crosse said. “I think also laziness plays a part and some men may feel uncomfortable.

“But that’s why we have tried to choose neutral ground. A place where men and women feel comfortable coming forward.”

She said she chose Newport’s Mrs Robertson Wine Bar as it was intimate, personal and not intimidating.

“I think there are a lot of people out there who don’t know how to make the first step or know where to turn, and this is why we’re here,” she said.

Ms Crosse is selling 20 tickets for the event, 10 for men looking for love and 10 for women. But while she has eight women signed up, not a single man has shown an interest.

It is not due to a lack of suitors, with Census statistics recording 10,107 men aged 45 to 49 in the Northern Beaches Council area compared to 10,647 women.

There are 9002 men aged 50 to 54 compared to 9317 women and 8141 men aged 55 to 59 compared to 8298 women.

The northern beaches is in the midst of a man drought. Picture: Thinkstock.

It has been a similar story for staff at North Head’s Q Station, where a speed-dating event had been planned in the old, haunted shower block, followed by dinner and a ghost tour.

Q Station’s Laura Hutchinson said: “The unfortunate reason that we are having to cancel is that while there was an overwhelming amount of interest from women (including a waiting list) there were not enough tickets purchased from men.

“Obviously, we cannot run a speed-dating event without enough eligible bachelors to match our beautiful women.”

However, for couples already in love, a special Valentine’s dinner will be held at The Boilerhouse daily from Thursday to Saturday.

One dating event has cancelled and another is on the verge of doing. Picture: Stock.

Ms Crosse, 54, having become single herself in the past two years, said she understood the difficulty of re-entering the dating world.

“The first thing I notice when I meet someone I might be interested in or go on a date with is whether they live in or around my suburb,” she said.

“Nobody wants to travel a few hours to see the person they’re seeing. That’s what Meet In Styleis all about.”

At the event, participants will take part in speed dating before being able to chat with each other while enjoying drinks and a cheese platter.

Ms Crosse predicted that many singles were moving away from online dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble and back to more traditional speed dating and singles meet-ups.

“With those apps you can end up on a date with someone quite different to what you expected,” she said.

“Most of the people I have spoken to think they can make a decision on someone within a few moments of meeting them.

“I think people like to do things the old way, by meeting face-to-face.”

To sign up for Meet In Style visit facebook.com/mrsrobertsonwinebar