Urban Rec + North Gong Hotel

March 9, 2021 - 4 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 - 4 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. 

Meet "So You Think You Can Pivot"

February 16, 2021 - 4 years ago

On the 1st night of netball, we met “So you think you can pivot.” they WOW’ed us with their positivity & smiles, so wanted to share the love!

drumroll...introducing...

so you think you can pivot

• HOW’D YOU MEET? → “About half the team are friends from high school, and then the other half are partners or friends we met outside of high school...I messaged three people, and those people messaged people they knew, and then suddenly, we had a group of 10 in like 2 hours hahaha.”
• WHAT MAKES YOUR TEAM EPIC? → “We are legends because none of us take ourselves too seriously, and at the end of the game we’re going to talk about the funniest thing that happened on the field.  We all vibe really well and compliment each other’s sense of humor, but also encourage each other in whatever we’re doing!”
• WHAT’S A FUN FACT ABOUT YOUR TEAM? → “A fun fact about our team is that one  of our team members has never eaten a kebab!”
• WHAT’S A PLACE YOU WANNA SEE AS A CLUBHOUSE FOR UR? → “Howling Wolf – it’s a whiskey bar in Wollongong Central that is run by three local guys and it’s pretty popular.  His Boy Elroy also has a sports vibe going for them, and they do cocktails and burgers/fried chicken. :-) “

Wanna be our next team feature?! Shoot us your story to [email protected]

Meet "Drop Punts"

January 12, 2021 - 4 years ago

We LOVE giving shout outs to our teams.  Fancy dress, epic team shirts, creative team names, fun cheers, ‘how’d you meet’ backstories...the list goes on.  We love it ALL. 

So...without any further delay, we’d like to introduce...

DROP PUNTS

I had the pleasure to ask the team captain – SIMONE – a few questions so you can get to know them!

• HOW’D YOU MEET? → “All of the women played together for the Wollongong AFL team “The Saints” (bar one).  The men are partners, family and friends.  We all only met in October, but we all get along really well.”
   
• WHAT MAKES YOUR TEAM EPIC? → “We have good banter, we’re not super competitive, and everyone is encouraging and positive.””
   
• WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR TEAM SHIRTS? → “We wear Looney Tunes jerseys from Space Jam….We played AFL 9s last year together (we came 4th in the second division – not far off the wooden spoon haha) and it became a running joke as a new person came each week with the jersey becasue they had conformed to the coolness haha.  That, and we all loved the “Last Dance” doco.”

Wanna be our next team feature?! Shoot us your story to [email protected]

Member Perks

December 6, 2020 - 4 years ago

We love to give our members sweet AF experiences.  And what better way to do that than to partner with other organizations doing fantastic things?! 

MEMBER PERKS!

• CLUBHOUSES → The post-game socialising is the perfect “third-half” routine.  Continue the social shenanigans at our local pubs and clubhouses.
• PARTNERS → We want to support other small companies doing outside-of-the-box things. Rather than keeping you all to ourselves, we know our members are exceptional, so we wanna share you….and support in community positive vibes!

Have an idea of a clubhouse, pub or another organisation doing cool sh$t that you want us to reach out to?  Let us know!

step outta your comfort zone. try something new in 2021.

Epic Events

December 5, 2020 - 4 years ago

Urban Rec loves fun.  And fun events are our favourites.  Become an Urban Rec member today and start doing fun sh$t on the reg and get stoked for all the amazing events you can be a part of throughout the year!

JOIN NOW!

• Step 1 = Create an Urban Rec Member Profile
• Step 2 = Register for a league as an individual OR grab a group of friends and register as a team.
• Step 3 = Eagerly wait for the Urban Rec HQ Fun Facilitators to get in touch with you with all the info you need to have an epic season.
• Step 4 = Show up and experience fun times and positive vibes.

Create memories.

• As we approach to 2021, we invite you to the countdown challenge.
• Try something new.
• Step outta your comfort zone.
• Embrace opportunities.
• Think outside the box.
• Enjoy every

See you in 2021.

Smile!

December 4, 2020 - 4 years ago

Did you know there are 43 muscles in the face, and 17 of the muscles are used when you smile, but all 43 muscles are working when you frown?  We suggeset you save your energy by smiling everyday, and use the extra energy to jump for joy for all the new friends and teammates you are about to make when you make the epic decision to play social sport this summer with Urban Rec.

Smile!

• Step 1 = Create an Urban Rec Member profile
• Step 2 = Register for a league as an individual OR grab a group of friends and register as a team.
• Step 3 = Eagerly wait for the Urban Rec HQ Fun Facilitators to get in touch with you with all the info you need to have an epic season.
• Step 4 = Show up and experience fun times and positive vibes.

Create memories.

• As we approach to 2021, we invite you to the countdown challenge.
• Try something new.
• Step outta your comfort zone.
• Embrace opportunities.
• Think outside the box.
• Enjoy every moment.

See you in 2021.

Rules of Play

December 3, 2020 - 4 years ago

Congrats. You’ve taken the 1^st step and commited to the challenge. Kudos to you! Now...every game has rules. And while we can be flexible in our pursuit of our goals, we gotta have some basic guidelines. Strap in.

game on!

• Welcome to the court of life. You’ve in the game. You’ve got some livin’ to do. You’re committed.
• It might be hard. There may be speedbumps. You might falter. All of that is ok! Accept them, learn from them and refocus. No quitting.
• There are a multitude of reasons – all justified – why your 2020 new year’s resolutions haven’t happened. That is ok. This goal is different. You’re determined. Believe in yourself. Give 100%. No excuses.

Sharing is caring:

• Remember you did not sign up for this goal alone.
• Invite your dream team.
• Be a goal champion.
• Tag us at #urbanrecwollongong to stay accountable.
• Support a friend, and ask them if they are ok.
• Be that person.

You’ve got this.

Goal Champions

December 2, 2020 - 4 years ago

Experiences can be so much better with someone by your side. The whole “If a tree falls in the forest, and there's nobody around to hear, does it make a sound?” idea. Solo experiences can be epic, but how fun is it to have someone there cheering you on as a goal champion?!

TEAMMATE. /ˈtiːmmeɪt/ (n) – a fellow member of a team

Well Oxford dictionary...that doesn’t even come close to explaining what a teammate can be. A teammate can be a mentor, a friend, an enemy. It can be someone who challenges you or empowers you. It can be someone who is there to cry about the losses and smile about the wins, but many years from now, you may not remember an exact score, but you will remember the teammates who were by your side.

GOAL CHAMPIONS!

(1) create your dream team

• Who do you want by your side to celebrate the wins?
• Who do you want by your side to bring you back from the setbacks?
• It can be a list of 1, 2, 5, 10 or more people, but write their names down.

(2) challenge them

• Contact your dream team and challenge them to join you in your countdown to 2021.
• Encourage them to create some goals and get excited.

(3) SUPPORT THEM

• Support their creative process in making and choosing goals.

(4) encourage. motivate. celebrate. (together!)

<3

Countdown to 2021

December 1, 2020 - 4 years ago

2020 has been a year of chaos. Bushfires. Smoke. Hail. Storms. A global pandemic. Lockdown. All of that plus whatever personal challenges you have faced this year. It is easy to just countdown the days until this year is over in hopes that 2021 will be better. But I’ve never enjoyed the easy route. It is the challenge that makes it worth it.

SO...instead of counting down to (hopefully) better days in 2021, I challenge you to embrace the last 31 days of 2020 to THINK BIG about what you can do throughout December to close off 2020 with positivity, so you can jump into 2021 with a skip in your step ready to start doing fun sh!t on the reg.

I invite you to join the @urbanrecwollongong family for inspiration and accountability. At Urban Rec, we are all about creating a community through social sport, so join the team to cross the finish line in 2020 powerfully. Time is precious. What will you do with your time?

Action Steps!

(1) create a list

• Set a timer for 5-10 minutes (or however long your heart desires).
• Write down all of the things that come to mind that you haven’t done this year that you want to do before the clock strikes midnight on 31 December.
• THINK BIG.  TAP INTO YOUR LIMITLESS POTENTIAL.
• Be creative. Get excited.

(2) make a choice

• Spend a bit of  time (I suggest a nice stroll in the park or an ocean swim) to get clarity on the things on your list.
• Make a choice of what item(s) spark a fire within your soul.
• Create a focus.
• Decide what 1-2 goal(s) you would like to focus on over the next 31 days.

(3) know your why

• Channel your energy within.
• Tap into your mind to think about what difference the goal(s) will make in your life, regardless of if you achieve it or not.
• Write your why down to come back to whenever you feel like you are losing your direction.

(4) Commit

high fives! x