Whenever you visit Australia, the one thing you’ll notice when you check out the place is how sports mad the entire country is – whatever the season! There’s always some form of sport in Australia going on – both professional and amateur – that’s happening at a ground somewhere near you. In fact, sport is so popular here, that the top five rating television events every year are all sporting events!

You’ll notice the numerous sporting fields which are part of Australian culture. So let’s explain the sports you’ll probably see when visiting. I’ve split these up between summer sports, winter sports, and year-round sports, as the weather significantly influences what games are played when. Regardless, sport is popular to participate in and watch and is usually a thin disguise for a booze-up!

Many of the sports played in Australia have been inherited by the English, of which there are many that Australia does way better than them! Let’s have a look at the sporting culture!

Cricket might seem a bit ‘slow’ when compared to other bat and ball sports like baseball (comedian Robin Williams famously said that ‘cricket is like baseball on valium’), but it might just grow on you. I mean, just having India being obsessive about cricket means that the world’s entire internet system slows down when the national team are playing against rivals like Pakistan and Australia. Often, over four hundred million people watch the cricket, which is almost half of the one billion population!

Anyway, just to make the game more confusing, there are three different game formats – test matches which can last up to five days (yes, that’s right, it involves a lot of stamina for the players and your liver), one-day limited overs cricket which is 50 overs a side, and Twenty20 cricket which is an even shorter 20 overs a side – Twenty20 has become popular has the game only lasts around three hours. The reality is that watching cricket is a good excuse to catch up with a few friends and relax in the warmer months. Plus, for some inexplicable reason, going to the cricket is a good excuse to dress up silly!

The highlight of the Australian cricket season is the annual Boxing Day Test Match (December 26) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Otherwise, the Twenty20 Big Bash League tournament is popular too throughout summer as many people have time off work and just want to chill out. If you happen to have great timing, try and catch a game between Australia and England (otherwise called ‘The Ashes’), or Australia and India for the best rivalries. Just be warned, a day at the cricket drinking beer can lead to a world of pain for you the next day!