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Active in Atlanta
Put on your sneakers, skates or flippers, and join a sports team.
by Allision Shirreffs
June 1, 2007
Sometimes it seems there’s one big women’s sports club in Atlanta, and that’s ALTA (the
Atlanta Lawn and Tennis Association). But not everyone is into racquet sports. If you’re interested
in joining an alternative team sport, the Atlanta area offers several options.
They can’t claim ALTA’s robust numbers, but nearly 900 registered female soccer players aged
18 to more than 60 years old gather on Sundays to play in the Greater Atlanta Women’s Soccer
Association (GAWSA). There are several former professional players active in the league, but if
your only soccer experience is kicking a ball with your kids, don’t worry. The league has four
divisions (including a Masters/Over 30 division) and can easily accommodate you.
With annual dues of $25 (team fees and the cost of uniforms will add to that total),
women can form their own team or fill out a player questionnaire at the organization’s website. The
league will do what it can to get you assigned to a team in your general geographic area and get
you on a team that fits your needs — whether it be serious soccer, a social group or a bit of both.
“For me, it’s all about the camaraderie,” notes Heather Stevens, president, GAWSA. When she’s
not donning cleats and shin guards, Stevens stays busy as an IT project manager for AT&T. A
poll of one team’s players revealed a lawyer, a supply chain manager, a real estate agent, a
psychologist, a photographer, a small business owner and a stay-at-home mom.
Besides GAWSA, several area indoor soccer facilities offer women’s only and coed teams. Club
Sports (operated by Sports Ventures Inc.) organizes indoor and outdoor leagues as well. The
organization also coordinates a coed flag football league, coed softball, coed volleyball and coed
basketball — no women’s only teams yet. Club Sports operates leagues at venues all over the metro
area. Teams pay a fee to participate.
For women looking for female-only basketball teams, various metro YMCAs offer women’s only
leagues. They also run coed volleyball, soccer and other leagues. Membership is not required to
play on a YMCA team, but there is a team fee. Visit
www.ymcaatlanta.org to
find the YMCA closest to you and check out its offerings. There is an ultimate frisbee league in
town, too. For those looking for a physical game with plenty of sprinting, check out the Atlanta
Flying Disc Club. This ultimate frisbee club offers coed and women’s leagues throughout the year.
Like the idea of working as an individual while operating with a team or group? Sorella
Cycling could be for you. It’s a women’s only cycling group, and all skill levels are welcome to
join in the ride.
Swimming is another individual/team sport with options all across town. One of the city’s
longest running swim facilities is Dynamo Swim Center in Chamblee (there is a second Dynamo
facility in Alpharetta). They offer masters, triathlete, fitness swimming and water polo teams with
three locations in Roswell, Lawrenceville and Suwanee. Swim Atlanta also offers masters programs
for all ability levels. Atlanta Rainbow Trout, a gay-friendly aquatics club, offers programs for
swimming, triathlons, diving and water polo.
Tri-Atlanta can get you started if you’re interested in triathlons and multisport events. If
you’d rather leave the swimming and cycling out of it, the Atlanta Track Club, best known for
coordinating the annual Peachtree Road Race 10K, organizes running groups, masters programs, and an
organized track and field team.
Want to learn how to golf but are afraid to ask your scratch golfing friends if you can play
along? Check out the Atlanta chapter of Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA), Atlanta Chapter.
Formed in 1991, this nonprofit organization welcomes women golfers of all skill levels. The EWGA
recently launched a mentor program to help beginners learn the game, its rules and golf etiquette.
Rowing, canoeing and kayaking are sports that can be enjoyed individually or as a team
member, and there are several places in the area offering these water-based sports. The Atlanta
Rowing Club provides equipment and instruction to members, as well as a learn-to-row program. The
Georgia Canoeing Association will help you develop canoeing skills while educating boaters about
the environment and conservation. The Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club offers private lessons and the
opportunity to train at the site where the 1996 Olympics rowing competition took place. If the
Atlanta heat makes you long for air conditioning, the Atlanta Lady Thrashers can go one better.
They practice at The Cooler, an ice skating facility in Alpharetta.
If you like the hockey idea but don’t want to deal with ice, the Atlanta Silverbacks —
although better known for its soccer programs — does run an inline hockey league out of its indoor
facility .
Although the Georgia Field Hockey Association didn’t have enough players to form a league
this summer, its website suggests field hockey players tote their sticks to Georgia Tech on Sunday
mornings. On the fields next to the Student Athletic Complex on Ferst Drive, you can usually find
some coed games going on.
Lacrosse players are also in luck. The Atlanta Women’s Lacrosse Club is geared towards adult
women and offers an organized schedule. Email Lane McDonald for more information at Lane.
McDonald@delta.com.
The Dixie Chix Lacrosse Academy caters mostly to girl’s leagues, but it does offer post-collegiate
players a competitive league.
If you want to get down and dirty, the Atlanta Harlequins Women’s rugby team is your best
bet. One of the best women rugby teams in the country, players are welcome to come out to practice
and test out the game for themselves There’s surely a sport for every woman. Give it a try.
For more Information:
www.atlantasilverbacks.com/indoor
www.onetouchsoccer.com/Club
www.wolfsindoorsoccer.com
www.atlantarainbowtrout.com
www.atlantasilverbacks.com
www.atlantaharlequins.com
www.dixiechixlacrosse.com
www.dynamoswimclub.com
www.sorrellacycling.com
www.ladythrashers.com
www.georgiacanoe.org
www.usclubsport.com
www.ewgatlanta.com
www.swimatlanta.com
www.atlantarow.org
www.tri-atlanta.org
www.gawsa.org
www.afdc.com
www.lckc.org
