Playing rugby, cricket and hockey in Buenos Aires

Check the rugby and cricket fixture calendars for your arrival date. Ask URBA, AHBA and ACA for the relevant current season dates. The choice of club depends as much on that calendar and the journey to training as on a familiar name.

Ask the club about socio membership, medical assessments and league registration for your sport. Ask the club when you would be eligible for a match, allowing for any medical, registration and clearance steps.

A club is more than its first team

Ask the club office about its association structure and membership terms. Ask for an itemised quote for cuota social membership, any cuota deportiva sport charge and any cuota de ingreso joining fee. Ask the club whether it requires member sponsors or offers a sports-only joining route. The club office can explain its current membership and guest terms, including any temporary or sports-only option.

Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, Hurlingham Club, Lomas Athletic and Belgrano Athletic are places to enquire about a club side. Ask the club which language is used for training and social activities. Rugby remains an amateur club sport; after the match, the home side hosts a tercer tiempo, the shared food and drink that extends the afternoon beyond the final whistle.

Which ground will you actually get to?

Belgrano Athletic and Club Ciudad de Buenos Aires are in CABA, the city proper; the other clubs below are in Buenos Aires province. A route that works for two weeknight sessions as well as a weekend match matters more than a one-off trip. The train times shown are approximate journeys from central terminals using a SUBE transport card, and weekend services run less often. The Buenos Aires public transport guide explains the network.

Many members drive to suburban grounds, and sharing a lift after training is normal. A Belgrano household weighing the local club against San Isidro, for instance, would face a very different weekly journey even if both clubs offered the sport. For those still looking for a home nearby, there are flats to rent in Belgrano.

Finding your level in each sport

The Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires (URBA) runs club competition across the city and suburbs. Adult squads can span Primera, Intermedia and several Pre-intermedia sides, giving a newcomer a lower side to start with while learning the pace and Spanish calls. Training is commonly on two weeknights, with Saturday afternoon matches; the game is physical and the scrum matters. Ask which recreational or women’s rugby teams are playing this season, and whether their age and contact rules suit you.

Hockey's large women's club scene has grown alongside the prominence of Las Leonas, the national team. Ask AHBA for current Metropolitano fixtures and participating women’s and men’s teams. For a return to hockey, ask a mami hockey organiser about age and experience requirements, other eligibility terms, and the training and match schedule.

Ask the Argentine Cricket Association (ACA) for the current league and T20 fixture calendar. Belgrano Athletic, Hurlingham, Lomas Athletic and Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club have cricket sections; the ACA can identify which have teams this season. Sides mix Argentine, South Asian, South African and British players, and English is heard more often than in other club sports. Bats, pads and helmets are hard to buy locally, so players coming from abroad often bring their kit.

From a training session to a team sheet

A club's secretaría or sport coordinator is the first contact. Players generally describe their previous level and can often train a few times before joining. Ask the club which medical assessment and tests apply to your sport and registration. Check the certificate’s validity requirements before planning to play.

Ask the club which identification, forms and initial payments it requires. Ask who handles any federation registration and when it must be complete. Ask what any registration insurance covers, and check your medical plan separately for physio and scans. Ask what registration and kit you need before appearing in a league match.

Ask the Argentine club and your previous rugby union whether international clearance is needed before you can play. Ask both clubs and unions how any required clearance is requested and completed. The medical, registration and any clearance are the practical difference between attending training and appearing in a league fixture.

What the first month might cost

Use the club’s current itemised quote rather than assuming a fixed fee or update timetable; it should cover items such as:

• Membership for two adults, monthly
• Rugby sport fee, monthly
• Hockey sport fee, monthly
• Season registration and insurance for two players
• Two aptos médicos, prepaga co-payment

Ask the club for its current membership, sport, joining and registration charges. Price any required medical assessment, insurance and equipment separately before committing to the season.

The better long-term calculation includes getting to the ground often enough to know the side, and staying for the tercer tiempo once the match ends.

For children's sport, see extracurricular activities for kids; yoga and fitness classes covers individual activities. Pub quizzes and British sport on TV is for spectators, while the San Isidro neighbourhood guide helps with living near the northern clubs. Polo players can find clubs through the Asociación Argentina de Polo; check its current Argentine Open programme for dates and venue.