Why singles are ditching apps to find romance at sports dating events
Sports-themed dating events are popping up across Sydney as singles ditch dating apps and dinners out for the – literal – playing field.
NSW
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Forget the cringe of small talk over coffee, the Harbour City’s latest dating trend is ditching the dinner table for the – literal – playing field.
Sports-themed dating events are popping up across Sydney, with singles swapping dating app swipes for activewear stripes in a bid to find their match.
While “run club” iterations across Sydney may have sparked the trend of sweating it out to meet your potential soulmate, now lonely hearts are turning to the tennis court, sports fields or even the local pub dartboard to find love.
A YouGov study found 24 per cent of singles keen to find a romantic partner preferred to meet in person, rather than try a dating app. Several people were also concerned with safety while using dating apps, with 19 per cent attributing the fear of being catfished, and 15 per cent apprehensive about sharing personal details and preferences to strangers.
Such is the demand for real-life meet-cutes, sporting venues and speed-dating companies alike have begun offering ticketed social events set up specifically for those single and ready to mingle.
There are pickleball singles days slated for the courts in southwest Sydney and the eastern suburbs in July, while darts nights are also on dating service Thursday Dating’s calendar.
The demand for activity-based matchmaking is consistently high, Thursday Dating Sydney representative Dr Indie McKie told The Saturday Telegraph.
“We have about 5000-8000 people from all over Australia coming to Thursday events every month.
“This week itself I have four events on, and most of them usually hit 100-150 per event,” she said.
Since its arrival in Australia in April 2024, about 30 per cent of attendees return to Thursday events, Dr McKie claimed, and said it wasdue to the “opportunities for people to connect over shared interests”.
“I often get comments from people that Sydney can be really antisocial, no one will talk to strangers,” she said.
“Social events like Thursday create a safe space to meet someone.”
Sydney Racquet Club’s Tristan Dougan met his partner Jess Brycki on a padel court in October 2023. He later started hosting singles events at his venue, claiming “hanging out afterwards and chatting” led to “so many” connections among players.
“I found my future wife and mother to my kids at this kind of social event in padel and pickleball,” Mr Dougan said.
“If you’re in an environment where you feel confident and you put yourself out there – what’s the worst that can happen?”
Ms Brycki said playing sport together gave singletons the capacity to create a more authentic connection.
“It’s a better place to show a bit more of your personality than sitting at a bar,” she said.
“You don’t go through that kind of initial awkwardness of a first date on an app where you’re not sure who the person really is.
“It takes away that pressure, and it’s all very natural and organic.”
A recent survey revealed 30 per cent of adults had used a dating app like Tinder, Hinge or Bumble, but dating expert Samantha Jayne said “fatigue” from the apps could be behind the push to get physical and “reconnect the old fashioned way, in real life”.
“The more technology people use, the more they’re disconnected from each other, the higher anxiety levels and the more social awkwardness they feel,” Ms Jayne said.
“Team sport-style events provide common ground, the setting allows people to engage in ‘three-dimensional dating’ … there’s so many factors, such as, how does somebody look, how does their voice sound, are they shy or introverted or quirky.”
Even professional sporting codes are getting involved, with the AFL’s Sydney Swans announcing plans for another of its social media sensation Matchday Mingle events, where red-and-white fans come together to look for love among other stadium regulars.
Sydney Swans Executive General Manager Loretta Johns said the event was a “great icebreaker” due to attendees’ shared interests from the outset.
“I’ve certainly had other clubs and media reach out interested in the nature of the mingle nights,” she said.
“The content that we’ve created from the event also has done really well on social media, which speaks to the number of people that identify with it.”
For Brooke Alison Laven, attending the AFL dating night changed her perspective on the social activity itself after spotting the event on social media.
“When I thought of dating events, I used to always think of speed dating and it never seemed like a young person’s activity,” Ms Laven said.
“But now I’ve been seeing more and more ads for fun events … it’s fun because you do different activities and then you have a side-quest of potentially meeting somebody.”
Makeup artist Rebecca Russell, 37, attended her first singles boxing class, hosted by Thursday Dating, in May after coming across it on social media.
“It was something different and I loved it. I was tired of going to bars,” she said.
“Being a very active person, as soon as I saw the event was something physical, I was sold.”
Ms Russell said part of the appeal was because of the sheer exhaustion of modern dating, and, in particular, one phenomenon: ghosting.
“You’ll chat with someone for a few days, then they’ll disappear without making plans. I just don’t have time for that,” she said.
“Social dating events, like the boxing class, are a great way to get people off the apps.
“It feels more genuine.”
Originally published as Why singles are ditching apps to find romance at sports dating events
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