Forfeit Fees introduced for Spring

July 6, 2015 - 8 years ago

This Spring, we are bringing in a new rule, which is tough, but fair. Below are some Q&A for you and your team to go over. If you have any questions, you know where to find us!

If your team forfeits more than once in a season, you will be charged a $60 fee payable to your opposition. 

Why are we doing this? To make it fair on everyone. We don't want any players to miss out on their games. You all pay seasonal fee's and we don't think it's fair for you to miss out on getting your moneys worth. 

How can you avoid paying the fee? By making sure you have a full squad every week. 

Is it OK to bring substitutes? Of course, just make sure they sign an Urban Rec Member form/waiver. 

Is it OK to borrow players from other teams? If you do not have enough players to field the side, you will need to forfeit. You can then choose to borrow players from another team, and play a friendly game. 

If we forfiet, and still play a friendly, will we be forced to pay the fee? No, if we can organise a friendly, we will not fine you. 

What about exceptional circumstances? Of course, if something has happened, please talk to us, and we will consider your situation. If we have enough notice we can make sure we get a friendly match going. 

Can we ask to have our game time moved, so we don't need to forfeit? We will do everything in our power to make sure you and your team can play your scheduled game. If moving your game doesnt inconvenice your opposition, or any other teams in the league, we will try and move it. There is no guarentee we can do this.

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Reasons Why Rebound Volleyball Is the Ultimate Winter Sport

June 18, 2015 - 8 years ago

As Australians, we tend to be very traditional sportspeople. Heck, we are world famous for our innate ability to be brilliant at all things sport, but slowly, and surely we are seeing a rise of niche sports - something our USA friends have been doing for some years. 

Enter Rebound Volleyball (aka Wallyball). Just like it's forefathers Dodgeball, Kickball, and Flag Gridiron it reicks of North America, but heck they know how to have fun, dont't they?!

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Here are 4 reasons why this sport is going to rock your world! 

1. It's great for beginners, or people that lovey Volleyball, but suck at it. It takes all of the principals of volleyball, and affords players to make mistakes like hitting the ball sideways. Instead of that ball headed for the ocean, and your opposition rolling their eyes (cos you suck), the ball is played off the wall, and created a great diversion, and a quick eye to return. 

2. You can always get courts! Rebound Volleyball is played on a squash court which is an added bonus given most of those spaces are left vacant in the important hours. It's a quick moving, high intensity sport, which will test your quick eye, and quick arm. 

3. Great fitness, duh! Because the sport is quick, and never stops, there is less stoppage, and a lot more running around like a chicken with no head. It's a really wild chase, and you are left with the sweaty marks to prove it. 

4. You only need 4 on the court. Which is great, because trying to convnce 3 of your friends to play is way easier than getting 5 of them onboard. Heck you could ask one friend, your Mum and your Dog*, and you have a team!

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If you think this sounds like you, then make sure you join here so you can say "you played Rebound Volleyball, before it was cool". 

*Doggy's dont have opposable thumbs, so do not make great team mates. 

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3 Ways to Meet (And Not Meet) Other Sydney-Siders - UrbanRec

June 4, 2015 - 8 years ago

Being a small fry in a big city can be super intimidating. Everyone seems to be rushing to their next physio appointment before they meet a friend for coffee, then cocktails in Paddington.

Meanwhile some of us bury our head in MX Newspaper on the way home before hitting the gym, passing glances to anyone else who looks even vaguely interested in the hope they might want to go for a beer afterwards. Depressing. 

Well Sydney siders, if you are new to town, or just sick of your friends, or your boyfriend, we have picked

3 ways to NOT meet people, and 3 great ways to get your social life buzzing

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DO NOT. Try and chat to randoms in the pub. While it’s fair game for most travellers, if you want to meet local Sydney siders, they will most likely snub you.It’s not something we are prioud of, but it’s a fact. Maybe it's all the "dont talk to strangers" mentatlity we grew up with, but we don’t know how to do random chats.

DO NOT. Join some singles under 30 group in Meetup.com – recipe for creepville. For some reason, all of the creepers of society make their way to these groups, and unless you have found a good one (tell us), then we ware you away.

DO NOT. Rely on online dating if you want to meet friends, and lots of them. If you are looking for love, then shoot for the stars. But not everyone you want to meet is romance worthy, and it can get awkward. Just sayin.

DO. Get a job. It’s a sure fire way to meet some folks. Sydney siders love some after work drinks in the city on a Friday. Better yet, start working as an Uber driver. The Uber user demographic is 18-45, and you will see all the hot spots as you drive your passengers to swanky bars on Saturday night.  

DO. Sign up for social sports. Urban Rec is Sydney’s biggest provider of social sports, for people that are looking to play… mostly to meet people. You can sign up as an individual, and get matched with a team. AKA Your 8 new best friends. The leagues are totally fun, and totally fine for beginners. 

DO. Volunteer. If your nights and weekends are empty, why not volunteer to work at some of the local sporting events, or races, sport clubs, and community stuff. This is so not awkward for you because hell… you’re working, and it’s a really easy way to meet other volunteers, and people in the community. 

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Why UrbanRec Doesn’t Offer Personal Accident or Injury Insurance

May 28, 2015 - 8 years ago

Urban Rec doesn’t provide any personal injury, or personal accident insurance, and we want to make sure you understand the reasons why, and also how you can get yourself covered.

Australia has one of the best public health systems in the world. As an Australian resident through Medicare we are entitled to free medical treatment, if you do have an accident, generally the cost is covered. You can read more about this here. 

Most Australian residents now have private health cover. The government has intensified most of us to get this with tax breaks. If you do have private health, look into your policy, and see if they cover for ambulance, and rehabilitation services like physio. They are the things you will most likely need if you are playing sport. You can find out more here. 

Blanket insurance policies don’t provide the kind of cover worth claiming for. Some local clubs, or organisations offer a blanket insurance policy for all their players. In our opinion, we don’t think this kind of cover is worth the paper it’s written on. Often after lots of paperwork through associations, and months of proving your injury, filling out forms etc, you can claim a measly $300, or $20 off your next physio appointment. Which we think is hardly worth it.

Everyone’s circumstances are different. Some people have dependants, mortgagees or jobs that can be effected by injury, and therefore premiums are vastly different. If we were to secure cover that was really worth it, we would need to access your personal situation.

Insurance can add a lot of cost to your registration fee. If we were to take out an insurance policy for you as an individual, we would need you to pay at least 12 months of cover, even if you are only playing sport with us for 11 weeks of the year. It would bump up your rego fee’s another $100-$200 per person, per season. We don’t think this is affordable for social sports.

What can you do? If you don’t have a Medicare card or private health insurance, we suggest you take out a personal accident/injury policy such as this.  If you have a previous injury, or you are worried in particular about your income being effected by an injury, we strongly suggest you look into getting yourself covered with a personal insurance policy of some kind.

At the end of the day, Urban Rec works very hard to make sure you are safe, and free from any hazards when you play with us. But, accidents do happen. So make sure you know what you are covered for, and stay informed.

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The Optimists

April 1, 2015 - 9 years ago

I recently saw this trailer on my Facebook feed, and it seriously hit me to the bone. It represents so much of Urban Rec and here is why:

Take a look. 

1. Sport is not always about the sport. The main reason I am passionate about what we do at Urban Rec is because I am passionate about bringing people together. Sometimes, we just need a good reason, a common interest, a common goal to get us together. It's part of what structures, and maintains long lasting relationships. 

2. Being juvenile is amazing. Most of our members are young, but one day, we are all going to be old. It's inevitable. Being young is a state of mind. Even as we see people approaching their 30's we seem to have this idea that being an adult means being serious, and.... well,boring! It doesnt have to be that way. Be a giant kid, have fun, laugh at yourself, and keep building new experiences always. I hope our members can take this methodology with them into their 90's.

3. Losing is OK. Learning how to be a good loser is such an integral part of playing sport, and playing life. If you can understand that sport is very little about winning, and very much about having a go. Now, I am not saying we are all going to get a participation medal at the end of the season. But be OK that you lost, and be happy for those that won. It's a very liberating feeling.

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