How to sum up the experience of supporting Gloucester? Much like Bristol's football teams, it's…read morevery much a case of having to take pride in backing the underdog. The eternally 'unfancied' side, we haven't had a regular(ish) England Test player since the marvellously eccentric Jack Russell donned the gloves, and even during our early 90s heyday, when a deliberate focus on one day cricket brought a glut of trophies, we were still outsiders. Unfortunately the team has gone into decline since then, but the good news is that unlike football no one really takes it too seriously, so as long as you have a pint in hand and a sense of humour, supporting the Glorious Glosters can still be a lot of fun.

I was a Gloucestershire County Cricket Club virgin until last summer when I went to watch a 20/20…read moregame with a friend. Please don't ask me what that means- all I understand is that I watched a bit of cricket in the afternoon and ate a big hamburger from BBQ stall. The atmosphere was the best part of the afternoon, everyone cheering for the home team. The ground was a lot smaller than I expected and I was surprised that there was no shelter above some of the seating area. But then again, I guess that for avid sports fans, a bit of rain is nothing to worry about.

Eugene Cross Park once home to the premier division mighty Steel men! now down a few divisions and…read morenot looking so mighty EVRFC is still quite a nice place to spend your weekend. Now, i'm a rugby fan and this has got to be one of the nicest lower division clubs in Wales. For a start, its huge! Secondly, its dead, dead cheap. Thirdly, somehow there's always plenty of totty about! (Something to do with the balls i'm assuming!) Entertainment on a Saturday night is in the form of an artist and the atmosphere's nice and light but as the entrance age is over 25, there tends to be more of the older generation boogie bopping in the dance floor. Plenty of screens with plenty of sport, with a pool table and a dart board, function room and presidents suite there's plenty of things going on in the club. On a Sunday the do an awesome Sunday dinner, which seriously is the best hang over cure i've ever had. Say hello To Kasia behind the bar she's super friendly and ever so helpful and pretty much every bodies butty! So head here for some real tough Welsh rugby, or some un-tough beef on a sunday. Who are, who are, who are we? We are Ebbw RFC!!

Gol football centres provide both 5-a-side and 7-a-side football pithces on the revolutionary '3G'…read moresurface. The innovative surface plays similarly to real grass, with the rubbery ground a massive improvement on 'astro-turf' which was formerly used for all weather sports pitch around Britain. With pitches available for private hire, this complex features a large car park, modern changing rooms and a smart bar area with flat screen televisions and comfortable seating. Perfect for friends, work-mates and team practice sessions, Gol charges competitive rates for hourly hire of its pitches. Gol also provide leagues on every day of the week, with most days having 4 or even 5 divisions of teams. All matches are officiated, with results and fixtures updated on the efficient website. A very good centre for those looking to pay 5-a-side football on a regular basis, as well as for those needing pitches for one-off hire.

Gôl is Wales's only home-grown 5-a-side company, launching the country's only first purpose-built…read morefootball facility in Cardiff a few years back. Since then it has opened a second centre in Newport and both have floodlit outdoor 5-a-side courts and a 7-a-side pitch and a clubhouse with changing rooms, hot showers and a licensed bar showing live matches on LCD and High Definition screens. There's also plenty of car parking available on site. The pitches use special rubber crumb infill, which makes them look and feel like natural turf but without the problem of getting waterlogged when it's been raining heavily - or getting rutted when the weather is too dry. It's a completely different story to astro-turf. It's popular with works / corporate teams and other teams who can book the pitches, or individuals can join the centre's own leagues to play if they are not already in a team. Most players use the centre on a weekly basis by playing in league games or as part of a block booking, although they do also have some courts which can be booked week-by-week as a one-off.

Decided to come here to learn Cricket as beginners who don't even know how cricket looks like…read more Honestly so glad that we did because it was one of the most interesting experiences we had in Cardiff even though Cardiff is known for its rugby, not cricket. Usually they hold 1:1 lessons for 45 minutes for £25 but we decided to get a 4:1 lesson for 45 minutes for £10 each with I thought it was pretty worth it. As long as you enquire on the website that will be good enough. Tom was our teacher and it was great. He taught us the basics of catching, throwing, and batting (excuse me if this isn't the correct terminology) in their indoor cricket lanes. It's interesting because right next door, there are the professional and pre-professional teams practicing so you can really understand what the sport is all about. Afterwards we went onto their small museum to get a glimpse of the history behind Glamorgan. Would highly recommend as the people here are incredibly nice and it was interesting to learn Cricket.

Based in Cardiff, Glamorgan County Cricket Club was founded in 1888 at a meeting of cricket…read moreofficials that took place in the well-known Angel Hotel in Cardiff city centre. Since 1921 the club have been Wales's sole representative in the English County Championship, a competition they won in 1948, 1969 and 1997. Glamorgan have also beaten all of the major Test playing nations, including Australia who they defeated in successive tours in 1964 and 1968. The club plays most of its home games at the SWALEC Stadium in Sophia Gardens, in the city centre (just next to Bute Park, near the Castle). On their website's 'Tickets' section, you can find out prices and fixtures for all of Glamorgan's home games, plus find out information about future scheduled international cricket matches at the SWALEC stadium. During the summer months, keen local cricketers can sign up for coaching or experience days at the club, or even take up individual coaching lessons.

The Cardiff Netball league consists of 6 divisions with teams from all over the Cardiff and…read moredistrict area. I've played for a couple of teams, one was a works team, the other just my local club. I couldn't quite believe how many other ladies out there were into Netball but glad to see such a good turnout. Competition for places on the top teams can be hard but there are so many people of different divisions. Really enjoy meeting different people and having some competitive fun.

Head into any slightly less well to do urban location and you can be sure they've had a whopping…read morebig grant spent on some top notch sporting facilities - and St Paul's is no exception. On the outskirts of the area, the easiest way to get here is to go up the M32 from the city centre and get off immediately when you see the sign. There are other facilities here, though I've only come here for the outdoor five-a-side pitches. Unfortunately, however, this place is for me (perhaps appropriately for the surrounding area!) most readily associated with injury. My Saturday team used to use the tarmac pitches, but had to stop as players were dropping like flies due to the solid surface (including one broken wrist). Also, with work, I used to play lunch time five-a-side on the one astroturf pitch, though this is slightly old and broken up, which means that if you fall over and inevitably cut your knee, your injury also receives a fresh covering of sand. Not a bad place for a kickaround, but there are better alternatives.

This modern sports academy offers a wide range of sports activities and classes for the local…read morecommunity. Parking here is good and it has a large bright reception area with vending machines where you can meet for a drink or get your breathe back. They have outside courts and two large inside courts. They have a small but well equipped gymn. Classes include Pilates, yoga, karate, jujutsu, aerobics, step, spin and body pump. They have an open weekend coming up on the 26/27th January where you can sample some of the activities for free. Booking is recommended.

Goals Brislington is one of many branches of 5-a-side football centres across the UK but is…read morepossibly one of the only examples of a chain where each branch has an individual flavour. Located in the industrial area of Brislington it'll take a dedicated team driver to get you here for your game every week, particularly when you have and early kick off, when the traffic is bad and the pre-match tension is running high. Although the area isn't the most picturesque and the football crowd isn't the most cultured, Goals in Brislington has been home to some of my best and worst moments since living in Bristol. There are leagues running each night of the week, with six divisions running in each league, so you should be able to find one that suits you. As you can imagine, there are plenty of wurzels-esque accents, swear words, men with highlighted and greasy hair and more diamond earrings than you could shake Jeremy Kyle at. But the whole atmosphere and competition makes for a great weekly event to carry out with your mates. There are 12 floodlit 3G astro pitches bustling with 40 minute games each night. The standard is high and the games are often angry, so anyone looking for a jolly kickabout with jumpers for goalposts will be a trifle disappointed. There's also changing room facilities and a bar with big screens for you to enjoy the real footballers before, in between or after your game. They also run a site for you to check up on results and your league tables after the match. It's about £36 each week, so it's good to get a few subs down each week to spread the cost. The car park is also a potholed disaster, so drive slowly. If you want a real treat, get down on a Wednesday and catch my team Dream Bisons FC as we storm up the Bundesliga tables. We'll probably be winning some sort of trophy or something.

Henleaze lake is a rarity. Situated just on the border of the south side of Henleaze, it's a large…read morefresh water lake in which you can swim, dive, go angling and generally enjoy the beautiful surroundings. It's very large, and is lined with trees and greenery - it makes you feel like you're a million miles away from this suburb in Bristol. The lake itself offers over 100 meters of open air swimming space, and a section for angling. There was recent talk about removal of fish due to their overbreeding in the lake, but apparently this has been postponed 'due to actions of a number of anglers', so their website reports. There's also two diving boards for the more adventurous swimmers. In the summer this has a really nice little haven, and really worth a trip to. It gets pretty busy on the weekends, but try and pick a quiet time and come and enjoy the water.

Probably worth mentioning that access to the lake is for members only and that there is a long…read morewaiting list. However, if you know someone who is a member you can buy a guest ticket for the day if you go along with them.