Frequently asked questions

Learn to play hockey classes run at all three rinks in Melbourne. They are for adult beginners and will show you all the skills you need to play for the Southern Lights. These classes are full of current and aspiring Southern Lights players to connect with.

If you’ve never played before, make sure you check out our guide for rookies with all the info a new player needs.

The Lights have a reputation for being one of the friendliest clubs in beer league, so you’ll likely find new friends pretty quickly once you’ve had your first training session or game.

We also hold social events during the year. These are a great way to get to know people before you join a team.

If you’re still a bit unsure, get in touch with us - we’ll be happy to say hi and introduce you to people!

Ice hockey is a completely mixed gender in all divisions except elite hockey and specific women’s/non-binary leagues. The Lights have fairly even ratios of men and women across the club with trans, non-binary and gender-diverse players well-represented.

Off the ice, teams use mixed-gender changing facilities. Additional privacy is always available in each changing room in private single cubicle shower spaces.

Hockey may be a fast-paced full-contact sport, but serious injuries are quite rare due to all the protective gear you’ll be wearing.

When you start learning to play, your coaches will help you learn how to play safely and minimise your chances of getting hurt (or accidentally hurting another player).

All gear can be borrowed for free from the rink while you learn to play in hockey academy.

Our community can also help with second-hand items and individual loans while you slowly purchase your gear - just let us know if you need a hand when you sign up.

All of our games are at iceHQ in Reservoir. We do also hold occasional training sessions at Docklands.

Your team’s schedule will depend on the division you’re assigned to, with each division usually playing the same day each week.

Southern Lights teams typically play Thursday to Sunday nights. There’s no off-season in beer league - when one season ends, the next begins a couple of weeks later.

If you can only commit to a few games, let us know when you sign up. We’ll be able to chat to you about what options are available in the upcoming season based on availability of places.

If you’re just going to miss a few games in a season, this shouldn’t be a problem - there are many reasons that people miss games, and Southern Lights know that life comes first. Each week you’ll update your attendance in an app to confirm if you’re playing, so just make sure you let your team know if you’re not going to be there.

The season fees are $600 to $650 per season (of six months duration) and seasons are generally 16 games long plus some training.

When you join, there is a one-off fee of $90 for buying your jersey with your name and number, but you can borrow a jersey in the meantime.

Fortnightly payment plans are available on request.

This study published by Monash University sums it up pretty well - even though a lot of us have the perception that the hockey community’s inclusive, data shows that LGBT+ players continue to experience harmful and exclusionary language related to sexual or gender identity.

We exist to provide a place where LGBT+ players can have a guarantee that their team members have their back and where they can feel safe.

Definitely not. We have a broad mix of people in our team, and there’s no entry exam to determine your sexual or gender identity. If you’re an ally of our community and love to play hockey, we’re happy to have you.

Allies of the LGBT+ community are people who want to see our community succeed and help us work towards greater equality. Allies stand side by side with the LGBT+ community, and are prepared to help us call out homophobia and transphobia while proudly supporting our community on and off the ice.

We’d hope this applied to any team, but the Southern Lights explicitly expect all players to be respectful and tolerant of others at all times. A club like ours has a very diverse membership and respect for this diversity is the core of why we exist.

Not much. The main difference is that we’re very clear on making everyone feel included. We don’t accept any behaviour that’s offensive to members of the LGBT+ community, and we expect every team member to be 100% supportive of this.

We’re still here to play hockey, win games and drink beer, just like every other team in the league.

Oh, and we have awesome angry penguin rainbow jerseys.