Best of Toronto
The Best Summer Sports Leagues in Toronto
The best summer sports leagues in Toronto include a range of popular athletic activities as well as niche sports. For seasoned athletes or recreational players, participating in a club or league is a great way to enjoy the warmer weather, stay in shape, and meet new people.
As evidenced by some of the smaller leagues on this list, the quality of a Toronto sports league is not necessarily defined by the size of its membership. Being part of a tight, dedicated group of enthusiasts can often provide a more rewarding experience than a larger one. And the more grassroots the community, the more welcoming it usually is to newbies.
If you ask me, the best sports leagues provide experiences as social as they are athletic. Get back into a favourite activity or try your hand at something new, and chances are you'll shed pounds, acquire skills, and gain friendships and team bonds that endure on and off the field.
Here are the the 12 best summer sports leagues in Toronto as voted by readers of this site.
The TSSC not only offers sports like soccer, ultimate Frisbee and tennis, but you can also sign yourself up for cooking and photography classes, speed dating, Amazing-Race style urban adventures, and much more. With a multitude of co-ed and single-gender activities for teams and individuals happening year round, the Toronto Sport and Social Club truly has something for everyone.
Members of ToRD are fast on their quad-wheeled feet and fiercely loyal to their sport and community. An all-female operated organization, Toronto Roller Derby is the largest flat-track derby league in Canada, providing an especially supportive athletic and social environment for girls and women.
Not So Pro Toronto offers outdoor sports like flag football, softball, ultimate Frisbee, and rowing; indoor options like basketball and floor hockey; as well as a variety of clinics, bootcamps, and parties throughout the year. Even if their summer offerings aren't your thing, you might want to mark up the cooler months of your calendar with their ski and snowboard club excursions.
Who doesn't love a little dodgeball? Recreational, intermediate, and competitive players can get their fix with the Toronto Dodgeball Association. All of their summer leagues are played on outdoor sand courts, and each 60- to 70-minute game is officiated by two referees. Every team has a shot at having their name engraved on the championship trophy, and the league throws team pizza parties after playoff games, to boot.
TUC is the place to get involved in Toronto's ultimate Frisbee scene. This year marks the not-for-profit, volunteer-driven club's 30th anniversary. Offerings include skills clinics for beginners, hat tournaments, pickup games, year-round co-ed and single-gender leagues for all skill levels, and a separate league for juniors aged 18 and under. Warning: start chasing plastic with these folks, and you may find it hard to quit. Stall eight, stall nine, up!
Remember elementary school gym class kickball? If not, refresh yourself every Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at Alexandra Park. Simply put, a group of guys and gals come together to play a sport that's like baseball, but with kicking. And then they go out for drinks (okay, maybe not quite like elementary school). It's free to participate, newcomers are welcome, and wacky outfits are optional.
Toronto Recreational Sports League
If you're a resident of the Yonge and Eglinton area, the Toronto Recreational Sports League will cater to your needs. All of their field and gym locations are located as close as possible to the intersection. If there's a place you can't find by yourself, their site lists helpful directions to each of their facilities. Sports offerings include baskbetball, soccer, and ultimate Frisbee. All leagues are recreational, co-ed, non-contact, and for adults in their 20s and 30s.
Toronto Services Soccer League
Toronto's soccer fanatics need to look no farther than the TSSL. League membership consists of anywhere between 80 to 110 teams at any given year. Games are held all over the city, from Centennial Park in Etobicoke to Seneca College, Glendon College, and Sunnybrook Park. Individual players looking for a team can fill out a submission form and be sorted into a team based on experience and preferred position.
In the summer, the XTSC's offerings include outdoor field and turf soccer, dodgeball, and ultimate, and indoor court volleyball for adult recreational league players in Toronto. Benefits include competitive pricing, same game locations, referees, various free games and tournaments, and more.
For those looking for some fun on two wheels with balls and mallets, there's Toronto's league of bike polo. Bike polo calls Scadding Court Rink in Alexandra Park its home on weeknights and Sunday evenings. The best way to keep up with the pick-up league is to stay tuned to the league Facebook page or by following them on their Twitter.
Do you crave beach volleyball all year long? Beach Blast brings it, with indoor and outdoor sandbox courts at 15 Leswyn Road in North York. The league runs 365 days a year, and you never have to worry about being rained out of your plans for some fun in the sand with friends.
Scarborough Adult Baseball League
Started in 1985 after a series of semi-organized pick-up baseball games, the Scarborough Adult Baseball League grew from its initial four teams to its current 10-team, two-division configuration. Games are played on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with most games taking place at Wishing Well Park.
Toronto Roller Derby photo by DAVIDARTEMIW PHOTOGRAPHY and dodgeball photo by Toronto Dodgeball Association. All other photos by Jennifer Tse.
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So going to Toronto Kickball, going to check out the others too
I wish there were more community run and non-profit leagues out there. The for profit orgainizations charge like $8 a game and usually have locations spanning the entire city (extra $5 for ttc to get there). lame.
...also dragonboat!
many leagues run throughout the year as well - TUC, TCSSC, Beach Blast all have indoor leagues in the cold months...
For those interested in playing Ultimate Frisbee, you can definitely learn more and/or improve your skills with Norman Lew, http://www.ultimateworkout.ca/. He's a super friendly, motivational leader and coach.
Try it out and have fun!
Use the email address provided to get more info--you'll get an answer.
CHECK OUT THE FOX AND FIDDLE, YONGE & WELLESLEY.
CONTACT ; SAN 416 944 9369.
- Lower league fees
-Same location every game
- Refereed games
Our first season was quite good and it was smooth sailing, but as time went on, I realized that everytime one needed to interface with the league organisers or had a chance to test their customer service, XTSC failed. Also they are unapproachable, disorganized and quite rash in their decision making.
Examples:
- Teams were not assigned to their playing location of choice.
-On more than one occasion, our team was assigned to multiple playing locations. This is in direct conflict with one of their selling features.
-League does not even have a phone number to call and get someone on the line to answer questions.
- The referees are rude, disengaged and rarely keep a handle on the game. If anything the presence of referees encourages players to play more aggressively and try to get away with it. Players on my team have dislocated their knee, got stiches on their lip. All due to overly agressive play which escalated from the referee being too passive throughout the game.
-One season, players had parked their cars on XTSC approved parking areas(communicated to us via email from the league), however this had not been properly researched. After one game, all 36 cars had been ticketed($40 each) and all the league could do was shrug and say OOPS!
- The actual XTSC organiser plays in the same league. God forbid you have been assigned to play in their bracket. If you actually have the misfortune of playing against the organiser's team(personal expereince) - refereeing becomes very partial, games get unpleasant and aggressive. The organiser steps in and makes decisions on games which directly affect the progress of his personal team.
- I have heard of teams being disqualified by the league organiser without just reason. First and second hand, I have noticed the league organiser being quite autocratic and dismissive in his interaction with his customers. There is no way to call XTSC and emails to them get answered in a very selective manner.
I could go on.
Needless to say, in spite of whatever benefits XTSC claims they offer in the opinion of myself and over a dozen players(all young professionals) on our roster, its NOT WORTH IT. Customer service is poor, the league is run in a very unprofessional manner and organizational skills are quite pathetic.
Really leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
Now after 2 years of giving this league a chance, all of us have decided to take our business and patience elsewhere. The other leagues are not perfect, but at least they have the basics right and know how to run themselves as an impartial business. TSSC, TRSL or anywhere but XTSC!
Pick-up sports played include: Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey (Floor or Road), Soccer Dodgeball, Kickball and Ultimate Frisbee are all played. There is no fee for joining and the majority of events are completely FREE.
If anyone is interested in organizing pick-up sports games with the Toronto Outdoor Club, please contact volunteers@torontooutdoorclub.com. Anyone can become an event coordinator with the club. All you need to do is undergo a short training session. Events are always well attended because of their online reservation system.
Toronto Outdoor Club