If you’re like most people, you have some deep memories about youth sports leagues from your school years. If you were in team sports, you either loved it or… didn’t love it as much. If you weren’t in team sports, you either idolized the players and went to games or had something else going on and missed out.
Whatever your relationship with youth sports leagues, we’re here to tell you that adult sports leagues are a whole new ball game—and joining a sports league as an adult is something you should consider doing. There are countless benefits, but these are our top 7 reasons why you should join an adult sports league!
Meet New People and Make New Friends
Making friends as a kid is easy. You just join a team or a club and those people are your new friends. Some of those people also become your friends outside of team sports. Some of those people might still be some of the best friends you have today. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a version of that for adults?
Good news! Joining an adult sports league is basically the same thing, except you don’t have to ask your mom to sign you up, drive you to practice, and sell chocolate bars for you at work to help pay for new uniforms.
Get to Know Your New Neighbors
Back in ye olden times in the early twentieth century, moving to a new house would mean a parade of neighbors welcoming you to the neighborhood with casseroles and baked goods (we’ve seen this in too many movies for it not to be true!). That’s extremely rare now, so how do you meet people when you move to a new town or city?
More good news! Joining an adult sports league is a spectacular way to get the vibe of your new home base and make connections in the community.
Secret Networking Lifehack
Have you ever heard the saying that big business deals are made on the golf course, not in the boardroom? Golf might not be your thing but joining an adult sports league will help you expand your social circle, and you never know how those connections can come back to benefit you in the future!
Stay in Practice, Stay Your Best
For those of you who played youth sports and either want to continue striving to be your best or lapsed but would like to get back into it, joining an adult sports league could be the motivation you need!
You’ll be on a team of like minded adults focused on playing a particular sport and competing in games to regularly test your abilities. You’ll be there for each other to cheer on your wins and commiserate your losses. Most importantly, you’ll have other similarly motivated adults to engage in friendly rivalries and push each other to achieve more than you’d be able to on your own.
That’s right: adult sports leagues, just like The Fast and the Furious franchise, are all about the family you find along the way.
Shake Things Up
Do you often find yourself feeling bored, lethargic, unmotivated, and unfocused? Do you come home from work every day, watch TV for a while, go to bed, then get up and do it all over again in an endless repetitive cycle of static sameness with nothing new to break you out of this modern ennui? Well, we hate to tell you, but ennui has been a tired trend since the mid-1800s, and you could be doing so much more!
One of the best ways to change your perspective is to change your setting. If you’re having trouble solving a problem, try taking a walk while thinking it over. If you’re having a creative block, try being creative in a different location from where you usually work. If you’re trapped in an endless repetitive cycle of static sameness, try joining an adult sports league!
Keep Your Brain Sharp
Did you know there are steps you can take right now to help keep your brain healthy and strong as you grow older? One of the best steps you can take is to learn new skills throughout your life and regularly practice the things you already know.
This isn’t limited to nerd stuff like reading classic French literature or doing Sudoku puzzles—your brain also benefits from learning and practicing physical skills. Learning a new sport or getting even better at one you already play totally counts for this!
Another way to keep your brain healthy is by reducing stress. While we know that’s a challenge, it’s certainly not impossible. Regular exercise releases endorphins that improve your mood and help you relax.
Even if the exercising part of the exercise is strenuous and feels a bit stressful in the moment, the endorphins will do their magic afterwards and you’ll see benefits like feeling more relaxed during the day, sleeping better through the night, and improved posture.
Sneaky Exercise Lifehack
The most successful way to live a more active life is by finding a physical activity that you enjoy doing. Make sure “getting some exercise” is something you look forward to instead of dread. Join an adult sports league and that’s pretty much your steps for the day sorted while having fun with new friends! You might even find yourself having strange thoughts, like wanting to take up running to improve your cardio so you can be a better player when it’s game time.
Join an Adult Sports League!
If we’ve successfully made our case—and we’re confident we have—you’re now wondering one of three things:
- Should I join an adult sports league?
- How can I join an adult sports league?
- How soon can I join an adult sports league?
Lucky for you, we have the answers! The answer to question 1 is yes, of course you should! Adult sports leagues are super cool and fun, and you’ll have an amazing time. The answers to questions 2 and 3 are right here: it’s easy to get started!
Even luckier for you, we also have a bonus answer: CLUBWAKA. At CLUBWAKA, we’re all about bringing fun people together with co-ed sports, parties, and solidarity through friendship. Yes, we do this with sports leagues, but CLUBWAKA isn’t about sports—we’re about people!
Our founding principle has always been Social First, all the way back to when we got started in the 90s—and if you remember the 90s, you remember “socials” weren’t even a thing yet, so we’ve always been ahead of the game.
Is CLUBWAKA the original social network? Well, we’re very social and our sports leagues are a great way to network, so we’re going to answer yes! We have always helped champion communities where you can just be yourself. Our commitment to encouraging authenticity and low-pressure social interaction makes it easier to find new connections, new friends, and maybe something more—people have even met their soulmates here.
If you’re interested in meeting new people by joining an adult sports league, seek out a CLUBWAKA location and join the club!