Urban rec launches in Melbourne

July 1, 2022 - 2 years 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.