How to play a new sport this year
From meeting new friends to being an engaging way to stay active, recreational sports can change your life for the better.
Sports aren’t just for getting active, they’re an opportunity for adults to reconnect with what makes them happy and find community at an age when it’s harder to find one.
“You leave high school or college where you have recreational, club, and varsity sports that were so accessible and your friends were all right there,” said Matty Lehman, commissioner of the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League. “Then you move to a new city or suddenly you don’t have access to those things and it’s like, how do I keep doing what was so fun for me, or was a good self-care activity or way to stay physically active?”
Many Philadelphians, like Lehman, find that answer through local sports. From meeting best friends to future spouses, Lehman has seen recreational sports change peoples’ lives. If you’re not sure yet what your resolution should be, try out a sport, says Philly Dodgeball league player Danica Stone: “Give it a shot. If I want to stay active, I’d much rather be chasing a ball around than running on the treadmill.”
We’ve narrowed down your search for local sports leagues and recreational groups for adults and youths in Philadelphia. We’ve also gathered online tools and apps that can help you find activities near you.
Adult leagues
Better Off Bowling Philadelphia is a national bowling organization with leagues in Philadelphia. A six-week, mixed-gender bowling league at South Bowl that’s great for socializing and meeting other adults. 💵 $73 to $83 to join 🌐 betteroffbowling.com/philly 📞 866-483-2695
City of Brotherly Love Softball League is a local inclusive slow-pitch softball league with more than 30 teams, with playing levels from casual to competitive. They offer two seasons per year: April through July and September through October. 💵 $70 to join 🌐 cblsl.org ✉️ joincblsl@cblsl.org
Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League (GPFFL) is a local inclusive flag football league that provides casual to competitive play for adults. They offer two seasons in the spring and fall. 💵 $55 to $100 to join 🌐 phillyflagfootball.com 🌐 facebook.com/PHLFlagFootball ✉️ commissioner.gpffl@gmail.com
Heyday Athletic is a sports organization that oversees six sports clubs across Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. From basketball to volleyball and even yoga, Heyday offers two dozen sports leagues to choose from. 💵 $50 to $100 to join 🌐 heydayathletic.com 🌐 facebook.com/HeydayAthletic
Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance (PADA) is an Ultimate Frisbee organization that runs leagues in the Philly region, even Delaware and South Jersey. From casual to competitive play. 💵 $70 to $90 to join 🌐 pada.org ✉️ staff@pada.org
Philadelphia Adult League Softball (PALS) is a local inclusive slow-pitch softball league with a focus on inclusivity. They offer two seasons per year starting in April and again in July. The league also provides opportunities for teams to volunteer in the community. 💵 $80 per person or $835 per team 🌐 phillypals.com 📞 267-225-2480
Philadelphia Falcons Soccer is a local inclusive soccer club that provides pickup, organized leagues, and tournaments for adults who become members of the club. They also provide skill training and practices. 💵 $30 to $50 to join 🌐 phillyfalcons.org 📷 @phillyfalcons
Philadelphia Gryphons Rugby Football Club is a local inclusive rugby club that provides casual to competitive play, and opportunities for social gathering and volunteering in the community. Join any practice or scrimmage session by contacting organizers or sign up as a member. 💵 $25 to $50 to join 🌐 phillygryphons.org 🌐 facebook.com/PhillyGryphons 📷 @phillygryphons ✉️ play@philadelphiagryphons.org
Philadelphia Kickball League is a local kickball league that organizes games from April to August with an award ceremony and social at the end of the season. Players must be 21 or older. 💵 $75 to join 🌐 phillykickball.net 🌐 facebook.com/phillykickball
Philly Dodgeball is an adult recreational dodgeball league in Fishtown. They offer mixed-gender leagues on Tuesdays and a women’s league on Thursdays. Year-round play with a new season starting about every eight weeks. 💵 $65 to join 🌐 phillydodgeball.com 📷 @phillydodgeball ✉️ phillydodgeball@gmail.com
Stonewall Sports is a local inclusive sports organization that offers bowling, dodgeball, and volleyball leagues. They also conduct health education and social events in the greater Philadelphia LGBTQIA+ community. 💵 $55 to $60 to join 🌐 stonewallphilly.org 🌐 facebook.com/stonewallphilly ✉️ info@stonewallphilly.org
Youth leagues
Kensington Soccer Club is a youth soccer organization that provides casual and competitive play throughout the year. The soccer club is a community-focused organization providing programs and jobs to 1,500 Kensington families. 💵 Pay what you can 🌐 kensingtonsoccer.org 📞 267-536-2717 ✉️ kensingtonsoccerclub@gmail.com
Palumbo Soccer is a youth soccer club that has casual to competitive teams, and summer camps and training clinics. For competitive travel soccer, there are tryouts. 💵 $125 per player for travel soccer 🌐 palumbosoccer.org ✉️ info@palumbosoccer.org
Philadelphia City Rowing is a youth rowing organization that provides free rowing and swimming programs to youth who are in Philly public schools. There are also summer camps. 💵 Free to join 🌐 philadelphiacityrowing.org ✉️ info@philadelphiacityrowing.org
Pickup sports
Penn Park Ultimate Frisbee Pickup is a local mixed-gender Frisbee pickup group welcome to players of all skill levels. Join their facebook group to find pickup games. 🌐 facebook.com/groups/pennparkfrisbee/
Philadelphia Pickleball is a local pickup pickleball group where you can connect with others to find places to play. Join their facebook group to find pickup games. 🌐 tinyurl.com/PhillyPickleball
Philadelphia Volleyball is a volunteer-run pickup volleyball group that organizes games across the city. From casual to competitive play, this is a pickup sports group, not an official league so there’s no obligation or commitment to play. 🌐 facebook.com/groups/PhiladelphiaVolleyball
Apps & online tools
Just Play Soccer is a mobile app for finding local pickup soccer games near you. Download the app for Android or iPhone.
Meetup is a mobile app for finding others near you to play sports or other hobbies. Download the app for Android or iPhone.
Open Sports is an online platform and mobile app for finding pickup sports near you. Look for games online at opensports.net/discovery or download the app for Android or iPhone.
Philadelphia Parks & Rec Finder is the city’s online search tool for events and programming provided through Parks & Rec. Look for sports programs online at phila.gov/parks-rec-finder.