Austin Sports: Where to Catch a Game in Austin
Quirky. Eclectic. Diverse. Those are words that certainly describe the population in and around Austin, Texas. They’re also a great way to describe the variety of sports you’ll find in Austin and nearby communities.
Whether you prefer professional sports or amateur competitions, Austin has a sports team you’ll be excited to cheer on to victory and proud to stand by in defeat. From well-known sports like football, basketball and baseball to lesser-known sports like roller derby and ultimate frisbee, Austin sports teams compete in a wide variety of sports that have both mass appeal and cult-like followings.
Austin Sports Teams
Just like the city is home to an array of sports teams, Austin hosts sports events of all sorts. No matter where you’re located in the Capital City, you’ll never be too far away from a sports venue where you can catch a game of some sort. If you’re ready to watch sports teams compete in Austin, you have to know where you can find the action. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place to learn about Austin sports and all the hot venues where you can see teams face off head to head.
1. Where to Watch Baseball in Austin
If you want to enjoy some Austin, Texas baseball, the Dell Diamond should be your destination. Dell Diamond is home to the Round Rock Express, which is the AAA affiliate team of the Houston Astros. The team takes the field no less than 140 times per year. The minor league team’s regular season kicks off in April and wraps up close to the end of September.
Originally founded in 2000 as a Double-A team participating in the Texas League, the Round Rock Express is named after Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who was known as “The Ryan Express” in his playing days. While the team has since ended its relationship with the Texas Rangers and is once again affiliated with the Astros, the Round Rock Express has continued to delight fans with great play and sportsmanship throughout the team’s history.
From theme nights, raffles and in-game promotions to fan appreciation nights and dog-friendly Express games, there are plenty of reasons to watch the Round Rock Express in action even if you’re not the biggest fan of baseball. Soon, fans will have yet another reason to flock to Dell Diamond because the Round Rock Express and Peak Events entered into a partnership for Dell Diamond to be the host site of the Round Rock Classic beginning in 2020. This round-robin Division I tournament will bring together four of the nation’s leading collegiate baseball teams for a weekend of tough competition and fun for all involved.
If you’re involved with a charity, you should look into the fundraising opportunities available with the Round Rock Express. The team gives non-profits the chance to raise money by selling Express tickets from January through September every year, with the charities keeping half the profits and the balance going to support the team.
2. Where to Watch Soccer in Austin
Established in 2018, the Austin Bold FC is a relatively new entrant in the Austin sports scene. The Austin Bold FC is a professional soccer team that competes in the United Soccer League. The team kicked off its inaugural season in March 2019. The season is scheduled to end in October.
The Austin Bold FC competes in the aptly named Bold Stadium, which is located on the Circuit of The Americas campus. While the Circuit of The Americas aims to be the country’s top location for motorsports and entertainment enthusiasts, Bold Stadium is an intimate setting that holds about 5,000 onlookers. With head coach Marcelo Serrano at the helm, the Austin Bold FC plays a fast-paced brand of soccer which makes games as upbeat as Bat City itself.
While the Austin Bold FC is currently your only option if you want to watch professional soccer in Austin, Texas, that won’t be the case much longer. Beginning in 2021, the Capital City will be the home of the Austin FC. The Austin FC will be the 27th franchise in Major League Soccer. The team will play at a privately-funded stadium that will occupy land provided by renowned investor Anthony Precourt. The venue will be open-air and will feature a natural grass soccer field.
3. Where to Watch Rugby in Austin
As it relates to the Austin Blacks Rugby Club, Austin rugby is all about firsts. This semi-professional club was established way back in 1967, making it the first organization of its kind in the southwestern part of the country. The group was the first rugby club to host a rugby tournament. The Austin Blacks Rugby Club became one of the initial members of the Texas Rugby Union a few years later.
The Austin Blacks was also the first rugby club to purchase its own grounds in the U.S. You can catch this innovative team in action at Burr Field from December through April. Admission to matches is just $5.00, which is collected at the gate because you can’t buy tickets to games in advance.
Austin Elite Rugby is a professional rugby team that plays at the Dell Diamond. The team’s 16-game season begins in January and runs through the beginning of June. For the 2019 season, Austin Elite Rugby partnered with Facebook Watch to stream the team’s home games. This partnership has enabled fans located throughout the United States and around the world to watch live games from any location for free.
The Austin Huns Rugby Football Club was one of the first rugby clubs founded in the heart of the Lone Star State. The semi-professional team went all-pro in 2018 when it made its debut as a member of Major League Rugby. The team plays home games at Huns Field, with the season starting in January and coming to an end in May.
The Austin Valkyries are a nationally ranked women’s rugby team. The professional team competes in Divisions 1 and 2 and makes regular appearances in tournaments for national championships. The team is active year-round, with most of its competitions being full-day events that are scheduled on weekends. The Austin Valkyries practice and play home games at Nixon Lane, which is located in East Austin.
4.Where to Watch Football in Austin
While you may think you have to travel to Dallas to see competitive football played by adults, that’s simply not the case. Austin, Texas football is alive and well thanks to teams like the Central Texas Wolfpack. This team is a non-profit organization that exists to raise money for select charities and enhance the relationships between public safety agencies. The Central Texas Wolfpack plays at Kelly Reeves Stadium. The team’s schedule generally consists of four monthly games played over four consecutive months beginning in March every year.
Watching the Central Texas Wolfpack in action is a great way to enjoy a popular sport with the other members of Austin’s extended community. It’s also an enjoyable way to lend support for public safety workers and the charities the Central Texas Wolfpack strives to raise money for.
Started in 2001, the Austin Outlaws are a founding member of the Independent Women’s Football League. The Austin Outlaws are an all-women, full contact football team that has come close to winning the league’s championship several times since the team was declared the IWFL champion at the end of the league’s inaugural season.
The Austin Outlaws play at Chaparral Stadium on Westlake High School’s campus in Travis County. The team’s games start at 7 p.m. with the stadium’s gates opening 30 minutes earlier. The team normally takes the field for the first time near the start of April every year, and the regular season typically ends two short months later.
5. Where to Watch Ice Hockey in Austin
While many people don’t think of ice hockey and Austin, Texas at the same time, the Texas Stars prove they should. Based in Bat City, the Texas Stars are an affiliate of the Dallas Stars. Just like the Dallas Stars represent the Lone Star State in the National Hockey League, the Texas Stars represent Austin in the American Hockey League. Play begins in October with the regular season ending in April.
The Texas Stars proudly compete at the recently constructed H-E-B Center located at 2100 Avenue of the Stars in nearby Cedar Park, Texas. In addition to supporting the local economy with professional hockey games, concessions and the sale of sports memorabilia, the Texas Stars lend support through charitable donations and community appearances. Over the course of the 2010-2018 AHL seasons, the team’s foundation distributed more than $900,000 to over 650 local charities.
6.Where to Watch Basketball in Austin
National Basketball Association D-League champions in 2012, the Austin Spurs now compete in the NBA’s G-League. The G-League is the NBA’s equivalent of professional baseball’s minor league. The G-League is designed to prepare aspiring players, coaches, trainers, officials and other personnel for the big leagues.
The San Antonio Spurs own the Austin Spurs franchise. The Austin Spurs play their home games at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park. The team’s regular season runs from November through March each year. Throughout a season, your local Austin basketball team competes against 26 other NBA G-League teams.
When you attend an Austin Spurs basketball game, you’ll enjoy plenty of sharp shooting and wicked dribbling in a family-friendly atmosphere. Unlike the tickets for NBA-level games, tickets for G-League games are moderately priced, which makes attending Austin Spurs games affordable for the whole family.
The Austin Spurs’ season consists of 50 games. Even if you can’t attend a game in person, you can still catch the action online. G-League games are streamed and aired regularly via Facebook Live, NBA TV, Twitch, Eleven Sports and ESPNU. You can also stream games through the G-League’s mobile app or by visiting NBAGLeague.com.
7. Other Sports Teams in Austin
As we mentioned earlier, Austin is where a wide array of lesser-known sports are played in addition to the ones most people are more familiar with. The variety of sports available for you to view is one of the many things that makes Austin such a cool place to live and work.
Austin Sol Ultimate Frisbee
Ultimate frisbee is one sport that demonstrates the quirky nature of the Capital City quite well. And the Austin Sol captures that same spirit whenever the team takes the field. This professional ultimate frisbee team competes from April through July as part of the American Ultimate Disc League. Most of the team’s home games take place at House Park. In addition to winning, the team strives to introduce ultimate frisbee to everyone in the local area and to teach every child how to throw a disc capably.
According to the team’s website, the mission of the Austin Sol is to integrate the Austin Sol with the soul of Austin by promoting positive community and sporting values, engaging with youth and creating a fun ultimate experience. You can help the Austin Sol achieve its mission by investing in the program, sponsoring the team, attending competitions or simply getting out there and playing ultimate frisbee with kids of any age. You’re never too old to play ultimate frisbee, after all.
You don’t have to worry about missing any of the action if you can’t make it to an Austin Sol game. That’s because you can subscribe to AUDLTV for less than $10.00 per month.
Texas Roller Derby
The Texas Roller Derby hosts monthly and bi-monthly competitions at the Palmer Events Center from January through October every year. The league’s calendar also includes some invitation-only matches as well as some scrimmages.
Founded in 2001, the Texas Roller Derby has been wowing onlookers ever since. The league currently includes five highly competitive Austin roller derby teams:
- Cherry Bombs
- Hellcats
- Holly Rollers
- Putas del Fuego
- Rhinestone Cowgirls
The individuals who compete in the all-women league have backgrounds that reflect Austin’s own diversity nicely.
The Texas Roller Derby is owned and operated by the people who participate in it. Skaters are typically between the ages of 21 and 45. Teams compete locally and venture across state lines on occasion. For instance, participants in the derby visited Los Angeles in 2008 to do battle in the first-ever Battle on the Bank Invitational. The Texas Roller Derby was proud to host that same event a year later.
The Texas Roller Derby describes roller derby as “the most entertaining sport in the world.” When you attend your first roller derby, you’ll surely agree that it truly is.
Texas Rollergirls
If you enjoy roller derby, you’ll want to catch the Texas Rollergirls in action at the Austin Convention Center. The Texas Rollergirls is a non-profit organization that’s widely credited with creating flat track derby. While it’s based on traditional roller derby, flat track derby has its own rules and track layout.
The Texas Rollergirls consists of four teams:
- Hell Marys
- Hotrod Honeys
- Honky Tonk Heartbreakers
- Hustlers
All-stars from the league compete on an international scale under two different team names — the Texecutioners and Chainsaws.
At a local level, the teams that are part of the Texas Rollergirls compete at the Austin Sports Center on Woodward Street in Austin, Texas. The league’s season begins near the end of March and winds down in August every year.
University of Texas Longhorns
While professional and semi-professional sports are always fun to watch, college sports can be just as entertaining. College sports are particularly gripping if you graduated from one of the schools competing or you live near the school’s campus. The University of Texas is one school everyone in or around Austin, Texas can rally behind whenever the school is participating in a sport.
The University of Texas competes in an impressive list of team and individual sports. The school fields teams in football, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, rowing and volleyball. The university also has teams that allow student-athletes to compete as individuals in sports like golf, tennis, swimming and track and field.
No matter what sport you’re watching, be sure you wear plenty of orange when you’re going to cheer for the Longhorns at a venue. Even if you’re going to watch a competition at one of Austin’s many sports bars –- which is always a great idea –- you should show your team spirit by donning the university’s easily recognizable colors. Don’t be afraid to paint your face with some orange and white as well. When it comes to team spirit and showing your support for the Longhorns, there is no such thing as “enough is enough.”
Now that you know how to dress and do your “makeup” when the University of Texas competes in a sport, you may be trying to figure out how you can keep track of all the school’s sports. The university makes it simple for you to catch all the student sports action with a handy mobile app. The university’s app is available for both Android and iPhone devices, and it’s incredibly user-friendly. If you can’t attend a match in person, you can stream more than 175 competitions annually through the Longhorn Network on AppleTV, Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
Even though you may not be a University of Texas alum or a college sports fan for that matter, it’s virtually impossible not to get caught up in the mania that surrounds many of the school’s competitions. Over the years, the university’s fiercely competitive teams have won 54 national championships, with 44 of them being NCAA national titles. Will the football team be in the top six in AP and coaches’ polls this year for the first time since 2009? Will we witness the rise of yet another Olympian on the university’s track and field team? Will the men’s basketball team repeat at NIT Champions and make it to the Big Dance in March? You’ll have to tune in, stream or attend games to find out.
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Don’t put off finding an apartment in or near Austin any longer. Let’s get you settled into an apartment you’ll love so you can start enjoying all the seasonal sporting events the city hosts year-round. You can get the process started right now by giving us a call or sending a text to 512-815-2317. Or you can get the ball rolling by filling out our apartment search form online.
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