Cultivating community through small-sided sports leagues

In 2023, Bryan Buse came to us with the idea of having a sports league for sand volleyball. Our announcement to set up a 6-week long season was a complete hit, and the success from this season inspired us to test the waters by exploring what other sports we could host. For our 2024 calendar year, we have scheduled sand volleyball again, coupled with three brand new sports leagues: cornhole, dodgeball, and kickball. Each of these leagues is 6-weeks long, with two seasons each, except for kickball. This adds up to a total of 42 weeks of this year being booked by games and tournaments! Our hope for these leagues is to provide a fun way to get active, along with a simple way to foster community through signing up as an individual and being assigned to a team or getting together a team of your own.

Sports and social clubs were the inspiration for the creation of these leagues. Other than the obvious physical benefits of playing a sport and getting active, this format of sports is believed to aid in self-confidence, leadership skills, and stress management. However, by providing the equipment and space to have these leagues, Wimberley Parks and Rec is supporting the growth and strength of our community in unexpected ways. One of our leagues has already started: dodgeball at the community center. Chills on the Creek registered a team of staff members for this league, using our series for team building on and off the court. During the sand volleyball season in the fall of 2023, the City of Wimberley formed a staff team, and some players bought hats to represent the team acronym: C.O.W. If you have a community that you want to strengthen, doing so through our sports leagues is a proven success.

While multiple seasons are fully booked, we still have plenty of availability on our website. Registration is available for individuals or teams, and information may be found at wimberleyparksandrec.com/programs/#sports.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact the recreation manager at rlittleton@cityofwimberley.com or call (512)660-9111.