Why I gave up my career in health to pursue the world of social sports.

March 29, 2021 - 3 years ago

With the autumn season quickly approaching, I realize that I haven’t had a chance to properly introduce myself! My name is Lindsay.  I’m the General Manager for Urban Rec here in the Gong, but I prefer the title of Fun Facilitator!  :-)  My goal is that the night(s) you play with us is the most spectacular part of your week!  I want to provide a space where you smile, laugh, sweat, make friends, play sport, trying something new (or return to something old) and HAVE FUN! With that, I wanna tell you a story…

Certified Athletic Trainer. Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach. Personal Trainer. Fitness Instructor. Sports Trainer. Functional Movement Specialist. Coach. These are all the professional hats I’ve worn throughout my life, and all of of them have blessed me with the opportunity to observe the raw emotion, universal language, genuine interaction and influential power sports can have in bringing people together from all walks of life, regardless of circumstance.

As a former athlete, coaches would always preach about hard work, dedication, perseverance, teamwork, diligence, blood, sweat, tears, et cetera, et cetera.  All of that is valid and true, but ultimately, for me, all of those cliché quotes, pump-up speeches and motivational vibes boil down to the simple fact that:

“Sport has the power to change the world.  It has the power to inspire.  It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.  It speaks to youth in a language they understand.  Sport can create hope where once there was only despair…it laughs in the face of all kinds of discrimination.”
~ Nelson Mandela

After working with collegiate, semi-professional and professional athletes for about 5 years at the University of British Columbia, BC Hockey, Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Florida International University, I chose to leave the world of high performance sport and enter the clinical setting of Athletic Training (scope of practice of sports physio for all you Aussies...) by helping to open a comprehensive fitness, strength and conditioning and active sports rehabilitation clinic in Grenada, West Indies. I was excited to start something from scratch, develop my clinical proficiencies and contribute a skill set to a community that previously did not have access to it.  I quickly realized that, while I was experiencing a huge amount of professional growth in the process of building a business, I was craving more.

My spirit yearned for the competitive environment of sports. My mind craved the dynamic, intense, need-to-be-quick-on-your-feet mentality and fast pace that working with teams of upwards of 100 players required. My body missed the long days, sleepness nights and physical demand of Athletic Training and Strength and Conditioning. But mostly, working in a clinical 1:1 setting with people paying high hourly rates and visiting 4- and 5-star resorts to do in-call rehabilitation or massage for overseas guests made me realize that, while there can be tons of money in the clinical setting and medical tourism, the 1:1 setting did not set my soul on fire in the way I thought it would.

That stated, I kept pushing along, focusing on building the business, acquiring patients and facilitating partnerships with high-stakes resorts, not realizing the personal toll it was taking on me, because I was simultaneously volunteering as a football (soccer) coach with the Jason Roberts Foundation (JRF), which provided me the connection to team sports that had become so deeply engrained in my identity.  While coaching, I was also working with JRF to get a proposal accepted to become a Street Football Partner for the Homeless World Cup Program and send a team from Grenada to the annual Homeless World Cup (HWC) Tournament.  The goal of HWC Street Football Partnerships worldwide is to deliver life-changing programs by providing at-risk and marginalized populations – whether that be homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence, poverty, illiteracy, et cetera – a lifeline to regain hope and inspire change in their lives.  By using football as its platform, HWC epitomizes the power of sport.  It is impossible to list, and no words can describe, all of the memorable moments I experienced during the 2015 HWC in Amsterdam and the global impact of the program. 

Midway through the week at HWC, my cheeks hurts from laughing and smiling, and my eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and the endless tears from stories I’d heard from players of how HWC has changed their lives. My soul was inspired again.  So, as I’ve done my whole life, I trusted my intuition and decided I needed to leave the financial security that would potentially come from working in a clinical setting to pursue what sets my soul on fire – facilitating positive change through sport by working with teams, outreach programs and large-scale events.

So why did I leave my career in health to pursue the world of social sports?  I am a deep believer that everyone needs sport.  That doesn’t mean people have to strive to go professional or be the best.  It simply means that everyone needs a space where they can – for a second, minute, day or year – experience the positive physical, emotional and mental impact of feeling safe, inspired, connected and hopeful.  Sports give us that.  Sports give us that rare thing that can motivate you on sunshine-filled days, comfort you in a tumultuous storm, elevate you, challenge you and believe in you, even when you may not believe in yourself.  Sports welcome people with open arms, reminding us connections can extend beyond race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.  Sports remind us to embrace our child-like spirit to play, try something new, challenge ourselves, smile, laugh and have fun.  Sports remind us that, while we do not all speak the same language through the words rolling off our tongues, we all speak the same language of on the pitch, court, track or venue.  Sports remind us that on the pitch, we are all equal, and we are strongest when we harness the power of our differences to change the world.

I hope that find a space within Urban Rec that sparks a childlike energy to play and have fun.  I hope we provide you an outlet for the potentially boring day-to-day to try something a lil’ different.  I hope we give you an opportunity through social sport to feel connected. <3 x

Autumn Leagues OPEN!

March 24, 2021 - 3 years ago

We are quickly approaching the end of our 1st season in Wollongong and amping up for our AUTUMN season!  CRAZY TALK!  All of our AUTUMN LEAGUES are now open for registration online & we can’t wait to have you play!

NOTE – If you are a current team playing in SUMMER, if you re-register during 22-29 March, you will get $100 off your team registration for your current league!

** All leagues with ** are NEW leagues, meaning they are 50% off for individual & team registration for the autumn season **

MONDAY:

• Aussie Rules 7s @ UOW – starts 03 May **
• Basketball @ Berkeley – starts 17 May
• Multisport @ Berkeley – starts 17 May
• Multisport @ UOW – starts 03 May **
• Street Soccer @ UOW – starts 03 May **
• Touch Footy @ UOW – starts 03 May **

TUESDAY:

• Flag Gridiron @ UOW – starts 04 May
• Indoor Soccer @ Koonawarra – starts 27 April **
• Street Netball @ UOW – starts 27 April **

WEDNESDAY:

• Netball-7s @ Berkeley – starts 28 April

THURSDAY:

• Dodgeball @ Corrimal – starts 22 April **
• Street Soccer @ UOW – starts 13 May

Shoot us a message to [email protected] with any questions! 

Urban Rec + North Gong Hotel

March 9, 2021 - 3 years ago

We are excited to announce our new parthership with North Wollongong Hotel. Part of what makes Urban Rec so amazing is the element of social we bring to sports. “The third half” is one of the most important elements of playing sport and getting to know your team mates.

North Gong Hotel has been a foundational part of Wollongong’s social scene for many years, with the best beer garden we ever did experience and amazing food. We could not be more exicted to be working with this great venue and cannot wait to enjoy a few frothies and schnitty’s in the sun with our members. 

DISCOUNTS FOR MEMBERS

20% off food for players when presenting their Urban Rec members card at the time of purchase. 20% is not valid with any other offer such as our $7.50 schnitzel on Wednesdays.

PUB NIGHTS

Each season Urban Rec hosts pub nights, and all teams are encouraged to get to the clubhouse and claim their free jug(s)! This is a chance for teams to not only socialise with their team mates but other teams within the league!

PRIZES

Fun point winners from all leagues will win a $100 voucher for their team to share and enjoy. It pays to be fun!

For more info about joining one of our leagues, click here.

For more info about additional member perks, click here. 

How Urban Rec is Improving Netball

March 6, 2021 - 3 years ago

Netball is one of Aussies most beloved sports! But as we have grown the sport within our leagues we have come to realise that it’s a complicated beast, and in order to keep our players happy, here are some changes we are making…

Our Event Hosts: As you know we pride ourselves on making sure our Event Hosts are so much more than just umpires. Our staff have personality and coaching style game play. BUT we do recognise that in order to learn, you need someone who knows the rules intimately, so we are committing to hire Event Hosts who have umpire experience or an intimate understanding of the rules. 

Calling your own contacts, offsides, and stepping: Across all of our leagues, we ask you to be adult enough to make these calls if you knowingly make a mistake. We never want our leagues to be where people come to cheat. BUT if you are a learner or you genuinely did not know you made a mistake, our Event Hosts will be making those calls for you. READ: We get tougher, and you learn when you have stuffed up, and hopefully become better at making that call for yourself next time. 

Wet weather calls: Most of our Netball leagues are outdoors, which is awesome – until it rains. But making calls can be tricky. We would like to make the call a little less subjective. While our rain out policy does not change, if the courts are wet, on most occasions we will cancel the games. Netball is tricky enough on the knees without adding further risk. This does mean you should expect 1-4 rain out’s per season, potentially extending your season to run for 11-14 weeks instead of 10. We never take away games, but you do need to plan a little longer into the season. 

CHOOSING A NETBALL LEAGUE THAT SUITS YOU AND YOUR TEAM:

STREET NETBALL:  This style of Netball is basically the gateway sport for people who are new to the sport, and want to learn more. We take away all the intimidating factors. No bibs, fewer postisions, and in some cases, fewer hoops (wow). The same principals apply, and the basics of netball remain, but this is netball re-imagined, and re-purposed for people that truly want to play a simplistic and non-intimidating version of the game. Expect to see alot more of this style game popping up, and opportunities for you to learn and play this style of Netball. 

FAST5 NETBALL: Our original and best. This is a league suited for players who want to get involved and play Netball, but they  don’t want all the snooty behaviour that can go along with Netball. This league calls for a lot less stoppage in game play, and a few adpatations to make the game a bit more unpredictable and fun.

7’S NETBALL: This is the style of Netball you have come to know and love. It’s proper 7-aside, and a more traditional version of the game. There is a bit more structure, and if you are a Netball purist, you should probably start here. HOWEVER...this is not some horrible and scary comp with faceless umpires, this is still Urban Rec style, meaning you will use fun points, and always play with a fun first attitude. We will continue to offer some more of these leagues across Sydney, but we are concious that there’s plenty of other people doing it, and we don’t want to saturate the market!

These changes we hope, will help elevate your experience and help you to choose the right league that suits you, and also understand that we are listening, and we do want to make changes if you guys are want them. It is, afterall… your sport.