About a year and a half ago, I packed two suitcases and moved from the Midwest to New York City. While it had been my dream to live in the city for years, it was a big transition. I went from a college student to an adult, an apartment in a small city to an apartment in Manhattan and a person with a huge group of friends to just a few.

Starting anew in a new city really taught me about the importance of networking. One of the ways I’ve been networking outside of work has been through participation in sports leagues. I’ve always enjoyed both playing and watching sports and in addition to the exercise, it has been a great way to meet people and try new things.

I started playing on the “Thunder From Down Hunter” kickball team with a group of coworkers last spring through the World Adult Kickball Association. We had a lot of fun playing a sport that we hadn’t played since middle school gym class.

This fall, a friend discovered the Zog Sports league, which offers a variety of different co-ed sports. We signed up to play touch football and were placed on a team. While not the best football player, I look forward to playing with my teammates every weekend. We also plan to play together in Zog’s winter football league.   

My biggest piece of advice for someone who moves to a new city is to become involved. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new and different.

Megan

If you’re interested, here are a few co-ed sport leagues in NYC:

Zog Sports 

World Adult Kickball Association 

New York CoEd Soccer 

NYC Social Sports Club