Casual Soccer and Basketball in Sydney

I have recently partaken in several games of pick-up or casual soccer and basketball with students and locals from the area. Many of the students for soccer are in a similar situation as me, where we play at our home uni's but do not want to pay $400 to play for the uni squad here. For me, I not only use casual soccer to work on my skills and keep my touch on the ball but also for fun because I love the game. There are many students and locals that just come out to play with us for fun too.

For pick-up soccer, we have created an online group so that we can organize events that most everyone can come to. Usually it works out for us to play at least twice per week and  we get enough for two full teams. As the name implies, the structure is very laid back and nobody gets too intense with fouling or arguing about rules. Everyone is there for pretty much the same reasons and nobody really worries about the score.

My experience with pick-up basketball, however is somewhat different. I have only gone a few times, but my friends and I just try to get five players together (enough for one team) and then head over to a nearby park. When we get there, we warm-up a little and within 10-15 minutes a group of local guys come around and we challenge them to a game. The games usually get pretty intense and the locals especially get into fouling and playing a little cheap. However, it never gets too bad where anyone gets hurt and they are fairly chill about stopping the game to solve a quick issue (foul, injury, etc.).

As the majority of players come from various parts of the world, sports are a good way for us to relate to each other and come together as a team. Even though many of the players speak broken English or have different accents, casual soccer and basketball (among other sports) allow us to communicate to each other in various ways through the game. This has been a great experience and way for me to meet new people and enjoy some good exercise too. I think when sports are structured in a casual manner such as this, it allows other people (especially youth athletes) to enjoy the same experiences and meet new people just as I have.