When Steve Arsenault moved to South Florida from Boston 11 years ago, he looked for a sports league that would help him make friends and network with people.
Finding little in that regard, Arsenault took matters into his own hands and founded the Miami Sports and Social Club, a coed recreational sports league for young professionals. He has since expanded that venture with the establishment of the Broward Sports and Social Club.
"I belonged to a club up there and there wasn't one down here, so I started one," said Arsenault, who has about 6,000 athletes participating in his two clubs, which fall under the umbrella organization Sports & Social Clubs of SFLA (South Florida).
The Broward club offers flag football, kickball, soccer, volleyball, dodge ball and basketball leagues throughout the year. The winning team gets a shoulder bag and a credit to play in a future league.
Coconut Creek's David Perry, 30, has played five years in the league.
"I really didn't know what to expect," Perry said. "It is a good mix of fun, and a social aspect of it."
Arsenault partners with local parks to run the programs and has added a social aspect where athletes can go to local bars after their games and earn points for socializing.
For example, if five team members go to a bar after the game, they receive five points. If other teams also go there, they can challenge them to darts, pool, beer pong and other games to earn additional points.
"We are going to have a league champ and a social champ for every league," Arsenault said. "If your team [finishes play] at 0-7, or 0-8 and doesn't win anything in the playoffs, you can still be a social champ and be at the bar after the games mingling with all of the other teams."
Coral Springs resident Eric Trader, 26, started playing in the club's soccer league last year and this is his first year playing flag football.
"Everybody comes out here just to have fun and you make a lot of friends out here," Trader said. "I joined three new teams since I have been out here and everybody sort of jells."
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join margate's camp senior
The Margate Parks and Recreation Department is running its 2012 Camp Senior program registration this week between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Firefighters Park, 2500 Rock Island Road.
Registration hours are also held on the weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
A summer recreation program for city residents ages 13-16, Camp Senior is an eight-week program conducted weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. June 11-Aug. 3 at Firefighters Park.
Each year, the program provides a diversity of active and passive recreation opportunities geared for teenagers. Potential trips on tap are parasailing, Laser Quest, Boomers, Incredible Ice, Muvico, Ski Rixen, Rapids Water Park, a canoe trip and an extreme indoor karting trip.