Urban Rec Sports Blog - Sydney Social Sports Leagues

Sep 14

Captains POWER (Priority Registration)

September 14, 2022 - one year ago

Not only will priority registration secure your spot in the league for next season, but it will also give you complete POWER and CONTROL over those slowcoaches that missed out!What is priority registration you ask??? Priority registration is 1 FULL week where YOU the captain of your current team get the chance to register for next season before the public get the chance to steal the remaining spots. S4 will be our most popular season during as we cruise into the warmer months, so don’t be THAT captain that cops an earful from your team mates for missing out! Rego’s will dry up quick…The following are the CAPTAIN’S POWER in which you will receive:

SCHEDULING POWER: I am sure everyone is extremely busy throughout silly season – birthday’s, work drinks, team dinners… stress less! Captains will have the power to send through two scheduling requests. You will have the opportunity to request early or late games on specific dates to ensure that you can attend BOTH your Urban Rec game and whatever you’ve got planned.
PRIORITY TEAM COLOUR: Do you always have a favourite team colour and then realise other teams wear that exact same colour? Register in priority registration and you can block other teams from wearing the team colour in which you desire.
CHOOSE YOUR THEME NIGHT: Have the say of which theme you would like your league to run with. 80s? 90s? Superheros? The ball is in your court when deciding what you must make your opposing teams (as well as yourselves) dress up as for an entire evening’s sports.
YOUR VERY OWN LEAGUE ACTIVATION: If you have been a member of ours long enough you would surely have been made aware that we love spoiling you lot with beers, party carts, pub nights etc. Register during priority registration and you will pick the exact date of when we will spoil your league with an activation, mark it in the calendar…
EXTRA FUN POINT POWER PLAY: How good are our fun point prizes (fireball, sheepdog, mint t-shirts)... Be one step closer to these awesome prizes. Pick one week where you can add an additional point to your fun point score - who know this could be the difference!
BE THE DJ: At the beginning of the season you can choose your own playlist or genre for our Event Host to especially play for you!

Priority Registration Week is on Monday September 26th – Sunday October 2nd. Power Hungry Captains, get in quick!!!

T&C’s

Captains power requests (scheduling, team colour, theme night and activation date) must be made during priority registration week (Sep 26 – Oct 2). Any requests made outside this date wont make the cut.
The full registration amount must be paid during priority registration (This can include a D\deposit and remaining balance within the week)
Theme night & activation night will be decided by a majority rule in the league.
Team colour will be accomodated in order of whichpower hungry team captain replies first!

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Jul 21

The Modern-Day Side Hustle – Urban Rec Hosting

July 21, 2022 - one year ago

Every dick and his dog seem to have a side hustle these days, Uber drivers, Deliveroo cyclists, selling old shit on Marketplace. Some people have started side hustle companies, developing apps, investing in bit-coin. What is next? Well, for the everyday sports fan, subscribing to Kayo does not come cheap, so Urban Rec Event Hosting might just be the side hustle you need to afford those ridiculous petrol prices.

You don’t need to be a qualified referee or umpire – in fact, we would prefer you weren’t. All we want if for you to understand the intricacies of your sport, have a passion and be willing to teach the new people in your league the rules.

If you like making people’s lives better, then this could be for you. Without sounding like a bunch of wankers, being an Event Host, changes lives. People have been socially disconnected for so long and getting social in a sporting environment has been an intimidating choice. Our hosts are trained to make special

It’s simple to be involved. Once your league is assigned it’s yours for the 10-week season. You get handed a brand-new uniform, equipment and speaker and your League Manager will make sure you get a warm welcome to meet the players and captains. Your roster is sent out weekly and your payments go through every Monday. Goodbye weekend spending guilt!

The staff perks are good! You can play for free in any other league of your choice. We host insanely good social nights which act as a fun way to meet more like-minded people. Some cities even offer extra incentive for you to cover shifts on an ad-hoc basis.

The pay is generous. Starting at $30 per hour of potential tax-free earnings, this is a good gig. You get paid to train and you get paid to be a part of a fun-loving community.

“I love hosting, it’s the best part of my week, I legit just forget my daily troubles” – RyRy

“Great Money for Beers on Weekends" - Max

"I Love Creating an environment that's almost like one big group of friends where everyone is there to have a great time together" - Kia

"I enjoy the social aspects of meeting new people, making friends and enjoying a good beer" - Andi

"I get Paid to hang out with awesome people who become good friends over seasons" - Rachel

Choose a location and night that suit you and start making money in your side hustle as soon as next week. The process for applying is simple and easy and you get trained in everything you need to know.

The article was written by Skiddlebert Diddlepopper

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Jul 21

5 Things to Do if You Are Not Going to Europe This Month

July 21, 2022 - one year ago

If you have been or are going to Europe, you can stop reading now. We don’t care...

If you are loving this Sydney weather and cannot get enough of this rain, then read on. Whose to say that we can’t still be experiencing amazing new things while still in our hometown? We have complied some new experiences to tantalise your interests.

Go for a Float – Sensory Floatation Pods

This is a sensory overload packed with health benefits. It’s warm, it’s dark and oh-so-salty. Not only will you escape the hustle and bustle of Sydney-living, but you will also lower your blood pressure and maximise your oxygen to the body. Urban Rec’s gym partner Strive Fitness have a salt therapy room and tanks.

Learn to play Floor Hockey

Floor Hockey is as close as you can get to Ice Hockey, but not on ice. This league is perfect for people who want to learn to play and have a good time. There are a few yanks rolling around, but don’t worry, they know how to play fair. This league runs in Camperdown on Wednesday nights.

Try Axe Throwing

Axe throwing is a very primal way to explore your anger and resentment. Maniax have several locations across Sydney and Urban Rec members get only $25 you can throw as many axes at the wall as you desire.

RAINY DAY OFFER: If your Urban Rec game is impacted due to weather, head into MANIAX @ Marrickville for a 1hr Quick Chuck axe throwing session for only $20, and a half price drink voucher.
🔓 USE URBANREC20 PROMO CODE AT MANIAX.COM.AU (YOU NEED TO BOOK AHEAD)

ANYTIME OFFER: Urban Rec members will receive 10% off any Axe Throwing session @ MANIAX Marrickville.
🔓 USE URBANREC210 DURING THE CHECKOUT PROCESS AT MANIAX.COM.AU

Get tickets to our Netball Festival

This charity Tournament coming up on August 13th is going to be a fun and fancy way to show off your netty-wares. As one of our most popular sports, the fight for top spot will be highly contested. The best part, it’s all raising money for Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation through Access Social Sport. Lay to sleep knowing you have done a good thing.

Count your money

If all else fails, open your bank app and think about the extra $5-10,000 you would not have if you were off “making memories”. We are not bitter at all.

The article was written by Madeleine Wilkie

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Jul 1

Urban Rec launches in Melbourne

July 1, 2022 - one year ago

Dust off your runners Melbourne - there’s a new fun-first social sport league kicking off this winter and they care more about making new friends than how good you are with balls

This week in Melbourne registrations opened for the biggest mixed social sport league in town, Urban Rec, where fun and making new friends is taken very seriously. The inclusive, mixed league is launching four playing locations across Melbourne - CBD (Docklands, Southbank), Inner East (Fitzroy, Richmond, Collingwood), and Inner North (Carlton, Parkville, North Melbourne) this winter to help tackle loneliness and isolation post pandemic.

Julie Sweet, a clinical psychotherapist in Sydney, says many of us are out of practice in conducting friendships post-COVID and that we are now experiencing the anxiety of reconnecting. Sweet emphasizes the importance of friendships for overall mental health.

Head Urban Rec Kidult and Managing Director and Madeleine Wilkie says “ Being a grown up can sometimes be lonely, even outside of a pandemic. I found myself living overseas trying to figure out how to make new friends as an adult. I missed meeting new people in a non-awkward way. That feeling when you meet someone new, and realise the world is full of legends. I joined a social sport league and made friends for life. This is what Urban Rec is all about. We bring it together, break down the barriers, and all of a sudden you have a network of new friends you could have for life.”

Social sport leagues for Melbourne currently include Aussie Rules, Basketball, Dodgeball, Flag Gridiron, Hockey, Multisport (a variation of sports throughout the season on the same team), Netball, Soccer (Football for the Brits), Softball, Touch Football, and Volleyball. Leagues are 8-10 weeks long, with registration fees for each league around $100 for individuals. League specific fees and start dates for Melbourne can be found here https://melbourne.urbanrec.com.au/leagues.

Wilkie continues “The key element is FUN. We make sure the games are enjoyable, and your opposition friendly. Making sure the culture and experience is fun for all abilities is at our core, in fact - our whole league is based off fun points. We also take making new friends seriously and organise end of season parties, trips, weekends away, outings, pub crawls, trivia nights, you name it. We are committed to getting adults into recreational, non competitive, inclusive sports.”

Ruth, Dodgeballer from the Sydney Inner West league says “I play with Urban Rec because they welcome all skill levels (including my complete lack of) and they mean it when they say no dickheads! Our opponents are fun, fair and friendly. It’s been three years and I can’t imagine my Wednesday nights without a dodgeball game and a trip to the pub with the team afterwards.”

All are welcome regardless of ability or experience. It doesn’t matter if you have never played before. To get register as a team or individual head to https://melbourne.urbanrec.com.au/ to bring some active, social fun to your weeknights.

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May 5

The Top 5 Sites to Use to Pay for Sport Teams - Urban Rec

May 5, 2022 - one year ago

The new season's launched and sport is back in your life! Passing the ball with your mates each week, the post-game clubhouse feed, and a few drinks to end the perfect night.

This can't get any better ... but it does!

An absolute cracker of a game, 5 Fun points all around, and no one's ready to call it a night. You all head down to the local clubhouse for dinner and the rounds keep flowing as your 5 Fun Point opposition rocks up ... joining tables just feels right. Everyone's already talking about how amazing next season will be as the captains confirm numbers for next season - Yes' all round! Someone mentions a cheeky late-night karaoke and we're on here!

We've all had one of these nights, and it's the best experience a league could go through. Whilst the drinks, next season's rego, pub feed, and karaoke is flying around, no one's kept a track of what's owed.

That's not really fair, so we've got our Top 5 Sites for you to use when you're out next:

Splitwise

A crowd is a favorite and super easy to use. Create a group (everyone's secret soft spot), take a photo of the receipt, and select who had what and who paid. The App does the rest.

SettleUp

SettleUp is an App focused more on larger Groups and traveler expenses with features such as the share function allowing you to send expenses via a link or the ability to add the day’s local exchange rate to the transaction.

Secure your Spot with an Urban Rec Deposit

We know how it feels to be a captain. The center of attention, respect, and love each week is worth getting your mates on the field each week. All is well EXCEPT for the when it comes to collecting money for the season. SHOCK! It's a tough gig being a Captain so we're here to support you. Our $150 Deposit will save your team spot for next season, providing you plenty of time to gather the funds from the team and you don't have to pay the remaining balance until your first game. We got you!

Glunk - Pub Beer Shout / Round

Glunk is an app designed to keep track of whose turn it is to buy the next round of drinks. Claimed to have saved many a friendship and has helped avoid those awkward moments when friends "can’t remember" whose turn it is to buy the next round of drinks. There's also a pause option if a friend decides to leave and come back.

BeamIt

So you've figured out the split, but the transfer could take a couple of days because it's the weekend. Just BeemIt! The Beem It app allows you to send & receive money using your phone in seconds, regardless of the bank. Easy, secure & free to download, it’s the smarter way to move money.

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May 4

How To Not Be a Douchebag Whilst Playing Social Sport

May 4, 2022 - one year ago

The million dollar question, ‘How do I not be a douchebag whilst playing Social Sport’, well it’s simple. Just, don’t! Not being a douchebag is a lot simpler than you think...

Still need some tips? Take a seat in my office, lets talk.

Let’s set the scene shall we..

It’s a nice Summer Thursday night, around 19 degrees, no wind, beautiful sunset & the vibes are immaculate.

🏐We head over to Netball, bibs are on, smiles are on (tip number one: always smile) and the games are getting started. You quite quickly figure out that your opposition are newer to the sport and are still picking up the rules and concept of the game.

DO NOT: Show them how it’s done by intercepting every ball, defending at 100%, putting players in positions of strength.

DO: Mix up your positions, give them extra space to pass and shoot, encourage them, help them, HAVE FUN WITH THEM.

🏀If we look over to our left, we have a Basketball game, the sounds of ‘Shoot a 3’ and ‘Half Court, you wont’. The laughter is broken with a ‘oh come on man, that was a dick move’. Let's go over and see what it’s all about.

DO NOT: Assert your dominance by swatting the ball on someone half your size, stealing the ball from behind when they’re not looking or out of their hands. Full court pressing to get those defensive stats up & act as if you’re in the NBA (hot tip: they don’t even full court press 90% of the time).

DO: Take & encourage the 3 point & half court shots. Someone on a roll and dribbling towards to hoop? Give them space and let them give it a go. Half court defence is the best defence (why tire yourself out for no reason ya know?). Yelling out plays? No one thinks your cool.

🏉What’s that to our right? Touch Footy & ‘Untouched’ by The Veronicas blasting from the sideline. Hell yeah, lets go. Doesn’t take long on the sideline to notice the guy with backwards hat is really making an impression, not in the good way…

DO NOT: Notice a female on the wing, drive as hard as you can towards her, goose step left, no, goose step right, spin, burn her so hard she slips over, jump over her and sprint towards the sideline, TRY!

DO: Notice a female on the wing, keep running straight, you might be able to get around her, she slips over, stop running and help her up. Take the tap and start again from where you are. Not all heroes wear capes, or backwards hats..

As you can see, it really isn’t hard. Being a douchebag is not cool, especially in SOCIAL sport. If you need any more tips, hit us up, were always happy to help make douchebags less douchey.

This article was written by Leish Charters – League Manager, Canberra.

If you would like to play non-douche bag sports with us, check out our leagues or locations page to get started.

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What Not to Ask Urban Rec on a Rainy Night - Urban Rec

May 2, 2022 - one year ago

"I mean, I for one am absolutely stoked with the current weather here in Sydney, I mean who wants to actually be able to run sports leagues when working at a sports company…not me, these consistent rained out weeks aren’t breaking my heart or sending my life into a downward spiral whatsoever, not one bit, nada!…”

If ever there was a more sarcastic paragraph written, than the one above…I haven’t read it! Haha

Let’s get one thing straight here guys, we hate this weather and raining out leagues as much as you guys…perhaps even more, as outside of running sports leagues we at Urban Rec HQ do not have lives. Sad but true. Fortunately for us losers there’s some subtle things we have in our day-to-day goings on that act as coping mechanisms and help us stay positive and upbeat, I’ve created a list below – Enjoy.

“Do you think our games will be on tonight”

Says Keith via email at 7:50am on a Monday morning.

“Due to the delays to my league launch I can now only play 9/10 games of the season, can I get a full refund and withdraw my team as this league is now not as advertised”

Says Karen, on the day her league launch.

“Hey guys, I’ve been down to the oval on my lunch break and I noticed the grass is pretty long, upon reflection I think I may struggle to perform my Benji Marshal sidestep at touch, can you get the mower down to the oval” –

Says Albert, on the first day it hasn’t rained in 3 months.

“Any chance you can just move this league to an indoor venue, in the same locality, on the same night. For the same price. That way we wont get rained out you see” –

Says Hugo, with tremendous industry knowledge and after clearly doing endless amounts of market research that lead him to such a simple and ingenious solution to our weather issue.

“Oh sorry we just assumed that games were off so we didn’t bother to turn up, or let anyone know we didn’t fancy playing”

Says Kim, a complete team no show of their 9:10pm Netty game on an overcast Wednesday.

It is at this point I’d like to take the time to thank everyone not named in the list above for their unwavering support and patience! LEGENDS! For those named in the list above, thank you, you’re the reason we get up every morning.

This article was written by Daniel from UR HQ

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Apr 28

Member Perk - Strive Fitness & Wellness Centre! - Urban Rec

April 28, 2022 - one year ago

Urban Rec is excited to announce a brand new Partnership with Strive Fitness & Wellness Centre in Sydney. This brand new 24hr smart-gym based in Marrickville includes a huge gym floor, cardio, reformer pilates, cylce studio, spa room with hot and cold tubs, sauna, and a very diverse group fitness timetable.

If you are feeling indulgent or want to further enhance your rehab, they also have a wellness centre, equipped with floatation pods & pools, massage, infrared saunas, cryo chambers .

Strive Fitness are offering all Urban Rec members a huge discounted membership package that gives access to EVERYTHING for only $17.99pw – All you need to do is follow THIS LINK and use promo code: URBANREC.

$17.99 / week on a 12-month contract
24/7 Gym Access
Unlimited Group Classes
Dry Heat Sauna
Hot + Cold Recovery Spa

“I have legit never seen a gym floor with this kinda carry on, it’s a seriously sick place to get your sweat on. The equipment in the class rooms are first rate, and the classes are such a great way to get in your health tokens!” Danny Skidmore. Get in touch with us at head office for any more information [email protected] or contact the gym directly on [email protected]

Join Strive Fitness

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Feb 17

Urban Rec Wedding: Nick & Sophie

February 17, 2022 - 2 years ago

So, word has it you guys met through Urban Rec and are NOW MARRIED, how did that happen? What sport? What league? What situation?

We met in 2018 in the UrbanRec flag gridiron season in an individual team (our team is still playing today with a few new faces). Although the team were all strangers when we started playing we would usually go to the bar after each game to relive the highlights of the game and get to know each other. After a few weeks of this, Soph and I started messaging privately and not in the team's whatsapp and before I knew it we were on our first date. It was funny watching the rest of the team slowly catch on, the major give away was me no longer asking for lifts from everyone and consistently arriving with Soph.

One eerie detail we discovered later was how we both got into UrbanRec. I already knew of UrbanRec, previously playing in the indoor soccer league on the North Sydney Tennis courts. Soph however was new to it and discovered UrbanRec when her usual tennis partner was injured and couldn't play with her anymore. Looking for a new way to play sport she recalled seeing UrbanRec flags on the courts next to her when she would play at North Sydney. That's right, for about six months each Tuesday night, I would play soccer and Soph tennis on the courts next to each other. On top of that we independently moved to join the same team in the gridiron league. Small world.

How long have you been together and when did you get married? Tell us about your wedding?

We will be celebrating our 4 yr anniversary this year as well as our first year of being married. Our wedding was in June 2021, one week before the Sydney lockdown. We were extremely lucky because we were not only able to have our 80pax wedding with no restrictions, but also squeezed in a honeymoon to QLD before being locked down

With your dating history, is online or offline dating better or worse?

Neither of us have much experience with online dating so can't compare too well

Tell me why you think Urban Rec was the inevitable way for you to meet your hubby or wife?

I think the great thing about individual teams in UrbanRec is that it gets you out of your comfort zone and usual routine. It's a great way to meet new circles of people, friends and partners alike. In the same team I met Soph, we both became great friends with another couple and regularly catch up. They were even part of my groom's party.

Tell me one thing about your partner that would make them cringe for you sharing? I

won't fall for this trap

What's the secret sauce to making your relationship fun?

For us, we are both spontaneous and enjoy joking around. So trying new things and not taking things too seriously is a winning recipe for us.

Describe your partner in 3 words!

Spontaneous, empathetic and funny

If you could only play one sport with your partner for the rest of time, what would you choose and why?

Squash, we got into it recently and it has bought out the competitiveness in both of us. We are both pretty clumsy on the court but the games are very close

Lastly, tell others why you think meeting people and dating through Urban Rec is a good idea?

UrbanRec makes it easy to try new sports with no pressure to be good at them. Every individual team I've joined has had great people to become friends with that I would otherwise have never met.

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Feb 10

Urban Rec Lovers: Leish & Darcy

February 10, 2022 - 2 years ago

So, word has it you guys met through Urban Rec, how did that happen? What sport? What league? What situation?

We had known of each other from a mutual friend a year before Darcy started playing with Urban Rec. Darcy started in one of the Basketball Leagues and I didn’t really see much of him. He then joined one of the Netty Leagues and I started slowly stepping up my sideline banter whilst he was playing (telling him was shit at shooting 3s). Short story short, the banter got more and more & that turned into getting a drink, which turned into a second date and 2 weeks later we were officially dating.

How long have you been dating? How serious is this? Living together? engaged? babies on the way?

Almost 14 months, basically lived together since COVID lockdown but officially roommates since December! No babies, Leish is impatiently waiting for a puppy….

Were you both using online dating apps before or when you met?

We were on them but both kind of weren’t that active with using them. A date here and there, a bored swipe every other day. Shits & Gigs.

With your dating history, is online or offline dating better or worse?

OFFLINE! We both have old souls and think meeting the old fashioned way is the best way! Meeting organically is wayyy less pressure.

Tell me why you think Urban Rec was the inevitable way for you to meet your current squeeze?

We didn’t know until it happened! Whilst we knew of each other before we definitely wouldn’t have started dating without UrbanRec! Like we said before, our old souls brought us together organically. It’s an easy, less stress way to meet to people and have genuine connections.

Tell me one thing about your partner that would make them cringe for you sharing?

Darcy does ‘fake’ wrestling and his wrestler name is Hugh- Beauty (I can hear him say ‘it’s not fake Leish’). Leish sometimes gives a little piggy snort when I make her laugh too hard

What's the secret sauce to making your relationship fun?

We are definitely on the same wave length and have the same sense of humour. We’re constantly laughing and always never go to bed mad at each other, say I love you at least once a day! Also, never watch a tv show episode without the other person…

Describe your partner in 3 words!

Leish about Darcy: Nerdy, Gentle, Goofy. Darcy about Leish: Compassionate, Smiley, Social

If you could only play one sport with your partner for the rest of time, what would you choose and why?

Basketball, all day, every day. We just have so much fun when we’re playing together, collecting dimes, shooting 3s and playing smart not hard (also known as not playing defence).

Lastly, tell others why you think meeting people and dating through Urban Rec is a good idea?

It is the absolute best and easy way to meet people. There’s no pressure, you’re always having fun together & you’re being active. You never take yourself or each other too seriously and that’s the best part. Perfect bonding

To find out more about signing up as an individual with Urban Rec, check out the FAQ’s!

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