2022 Beach Sports Party Wrap Up

November 15, 2022 - one year ago

Urban Rec Canberra’s Annual Beach Sports Party.

It was a Friday Night in the early weeks of November. Last years’ event was cancelled with La Nina working overtime, but thankfully this year she had taken the night off and we had nothing but blue skies and beautiful sunsets, the main ingredients for an epic Urban Rec event.

As the teams started to roll in, the smell of freshly mowed grass, sausages sizzling and beer cans frothing to be opened, hit everyone hard. We knew it was going to be a good night.

Your host for the evening, lets call her Ba-na-na, welcomed everyone in at the beginning of the night. This one was special, this one was to raise funds for Access Social Sport Association, raising money to put straight back into the community, the ones who really need it.

Beach Volleyball, Beach Soccer, Beach Dodgeball & Beach Fijian Touch, the sports that filled the night with laughter.

Untouched by The Veronicas, The Nutbush & The Macarena, the sounds that made teams, from all different leagues, dance together.

Sausage Sangas (Vegetarian too of course), Beer, Cider & some of the most top shelf Pepsi Max, the essentials of an Urban Rec Event and with it all being donation based, a successful night for Access Social Sport Association.

The Beach Sports Party, our annual event to celebrate an amazing year of Social Sport, but also a chance for teams who wouldn’t normally see each other, to mingle and become friends.

‘We are signing up a team to Sunday Multisport because I want to play with Sports for Dummies now’ – The Bread Getters, Nov 11th, 9:18pm.

The night slowly came to a close with a public, and very intense, game of Rock Paper Scissors to secure finals spots, a nail biting Semi Final & Grand Final and a hilarious, but fully athletic, Staff vs Winners Beach Volleyball game.

The chants of ‘ba-na-na’, the look of pure enjoyment, the dope AF playlists, the vegetarian sausages (we still can’t tell when they are cooked or not), the vibe of 12 of Urban Rec’s funnest teams, and an all- star staff line up, saw us raise a total of $700 to put back into the community.

Don’t want to brag, but Urban Rec sure know how to throw a party 😎

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WIN YOUR TEAM SUPPORTED BY GRILL'D THIS SPRING

August 29, 2022 - one year ago

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Canberra's favourite boat race is back this spring

August 26, 2022 - one year ago

LAUNCH ON A LAUNCH IS BACK!

THIS YEAR IT’S ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT TEAMS, REGISTERING IN PRIORITY FOR SPRING. 

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KingPin Providing the Fun Point Party!

August 18, 2022 - one year ago

WE’RE HAVING A PARTY AT KINGPIN & OUR FUN POINT WINNERS ARE INVITED!

Urban Rec is built around being fun, hence the fun points, & Kingpin is Canberra’s number one place to go have fun.

I think you could do the math but let me simplify it for you URBAN REC x KINGPIN = FUN POINT PARTY.

It’s simple, it’s straight to the point, it’s genius. All our Fun Point winners, across all of our leagues, will be invited to a night out at Kingpin!

To set the scene – Bowling, Karaoke, Games, Bar Tab AND all of our Fun Point winners in the one place at the one time. To us, that is worth being the funnest team out there each week. (If you disagree, your invite may get lost in the mail 👻)

Moral of this story, go and be the funnest team, the team you would want to play against each week, the team that has banter (the fun kind), the team that doesn’t care about winning & the team that gets invited to party with us at Kingpin at the end of the season.

The end, go forth and vibe my friends.

Urban Rec Canberra HQ

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The Modern Day Side Hustle

August 17, 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 $28 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.

We’re recruiting now for spring apply for your new side hustle here. 

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Christmas in j-UR-ly!

July 7, 2022 - one year ago

Its the middle of winter, but we’re turning up the heat... for THEME WEEK! Yes ladies & gents, the infamous theme week is back, but this time, we’re bringing Assembly along for the ride.

You could have guessed it, but July + Urban Rec = Christmas in j-UR-ly, proudly brought to you by Assembly, The Peoples Pub!

This July 11th to 17th, get out your ugly Christmas sweaters, put your jingle bells on, and defrost your Mum’s copy of Michael Bublé for a tree-mendous time!

Besides just looking amazing and having a good time with it, wouldn’t be Urban Rec if there were no prizes.

ON GROUND PRIZES  Your League Mangers will be roaming the streets with their Santa Sacks looking for teams or players who really put effort into looking ugly .. in their Christmas Sweaters.

ASSEMBLY PRIZES  Assembly will have some tables reserved for Urban Rec from Monday - Thursday. Head in there before or after your game, claim your Urban Rec $20 Schnitty/Burger and drink deal, BUT most importantly dress to impress because Assembly will be picking the best dressed each night & will be giving out some vouchers.

MAJOR PRIZE  Can’t have a theme week without a major prize.. get your whole team involved because you don’t want to miss out on this. Dress your team up, dress them up big. Take a photo and put it on your socials, tag Urban Rec Canberra & Assembly and go in the draw to win the major prize! Simple.

It has been a while between theme weeks, so cant wait to see everyone get involved!

Don’t forget, tag #urbanreccanberra in your social posts to get the snowball rolling, we can’t wait to see you SLEIGH!

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Fireball, A Love Story

June 15, 2022 - one year ago

You can feel it can’t you? That burning sensation in your throat when someone says the word Fireball.. You know what, same, but also, I kinda love it. But did I always? Well, here is how the romance started.

You’re probably thinking this story is going to start like any new age romance - Tinder, Bumble, Hingle.. Plenty of Fish? Sorry to burst your 21st Century bubble, but we met through a mutual friend.

It was a spontaneous, cold night out with a group of friends when we first met. Your warmth started a fire in my soul, so much that I was obsessed and couldn’t get enough. 1 kiss (shot) turned into 2, which turned into 5 & ended with 10. This was not normal behaviour for a first meet, but as fiery as you were, I just wanted more… until the next morning.

Now when we talk about next morning regrets, this my friends was definitely up there, the mems were good but the stomach couldn’t quite keep up. “I’m never talking to him again”, a line we have heard many friends tell us before, over and over and over again about the same person. Did I talk to him again? Did I go running back for more the next weekend? You bet I did & we have been inseparable ever since.

You were introduced to my friends, majority loved you but as always there were some tough critics out there. You were a hit with my workplace, nation wide, you came to all our events and even got your face printed on some of our t-shirts. You may have burnt some people the first time meeting them, but they were obsessed and so was I. We all loved to hate you and hated to love you.

Here we are, a few years later. We have had our ups & downs and we’ve broken up and gotten back together, but it is now 2022 and due to health issues we have decided to be just friends, best friends even. The break up was amicable, a lot of tears but we shared a lot of good times and now I can be the best wing woman I can be.

Fireball, I will always love you, I will always be your biggest fan, but it is now time for me to share you with the world. I promise to always say nice things about you and hype you up to everyone I meet. We will reconnect again, I guess it was just a case of right person wrong time x

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

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Splitting that round at the pub just got easier

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. 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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How to not be a Douchbag 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.

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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.

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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  page to get started. 

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The Launch of Fun & Chups

February 22, 2022 - 2 years ago

February saw the launch of the second of our collaborative campaigns with Grill’d, this time taking apt inspiration from our Kiwi manager, Donald. Named “Fun and Chups”, this campaign tied together Urban Rec’s ethos of promoting fun and socializing with the chance to win real prizes. At all leagues, at the end of the match each team chooses the most ‘fun’ player – one that was supportive, helpful or just made a great experience for all players – and they’re awarded, by the opposing team, a free chips voucher to the Grill’d of their choice.

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