Frequently Asked Questions
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What is this NYC Social thing all about?
NYC Social operates a lot like the sports leagues of your youth. We bring friends and groups together to compete in a wide range of sports and activities. Most of our leagues are 6 to 8 weeks long with a final championship tournament and end of season parties. We also host one-day events and tournaments as well. From soccer, to skeeball, to kickball NYC Social organizes the events so all you have to do is show up and have fun!
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Why should I join NYC Social?
NYC Social understands for most people joining a sports team is about hanging out with your friends or meeting new people and having a fun time! Other leagues are good at organizing the sports but don’t have much of a social aspect to them. Other leagues are good at making it social but they don’t do a good job with organizing the sports. NYC Social is all about getting BOTH right! We strive to keep the games fair and stress free so you all you need to do is show up, play, socialize and have a GREAT time!
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I’ve never played sports before. Can I still play in this league?
Absolutely. Our leagues are for all levels, and no experience is necessary. We’re about the social element of the game! Come out, have fun on the field, meet new friends, head to the bar.
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I’m actually a pretty good player. Will I still have fun in this league?
First of all, congrats you baller! Secondly, you sure will. Our leagues are casually competitive, but should you want a little more advanced play, we offer Competitive Divisions for a few specific leagues.
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How do I register on an existing team?
1. Visit www.nycsocial.com
2. Select the sport you are looking to register for from the “League” menu in the top navigation bar
3. Once on the sport page, click the “registration” tab listed in the navigation bar
4. Now you will see all available leagues for this particular sport
5. Click the division name to see more details about the division such as roster requirements, or click the register button to continue registration for this division.
6. After hitting the register button you will see three options.
7. Select the option to register as a “Team Player” on the right hand side.
8. If this is your first time in our new system, please create a profile. If you are a returning member, please login with your site credentials
9. Please make sure to apply any discount codes or buybacks on the League Registration Terms & Wavier page as they can not be applied later in registration
10. Please make sure to choose the team you are joining from the Drop-Down menu. (Please note: if the team you are joining is not listed in the drop-down menu, it has not been created yet or is in another division.)
11. Once this information is complete, you will be brought to our payment page to complete registration
12. You have now completed your registration! -
How do I become a Team Captain?
Love where your head’s at! Team Captains are leaders in the NYC Social community, so good call. At registration, Captains create and name their team, then get the word out to potential players. Captains are the main point of contact between their team and our Membership Managers, and therefore need to keep an open line of communication leading up to, during, and shortly after the season. Captains are expected to be able to manage their teammates if they are doing something that negatively affects our fun atmosphere.
A Great Team Captain:
- Sends a registration link to potential players, the same URL where they created the team.
- Encourages a positive team spirit, even when losing.
- Sends weekly emails rallying their players and building excitement for the next games.
- Backs up the calls of NYC Social Gamestaff.
- Disputes calls politely and sensibly.
- Is pro-active in settling disputes involving their team.
- Contacts Us no later than noon on the day of a game if their team doesn’t have enough players that week.
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I can’t afford to pay for my entire team. Can I still register as a Team Captain and only pay for myself?
Yes, you can. During the registration process, the captain can choose to pay for the entire team or split the payment across all players. Please reference the sign-up instructions for Team Captains in the “How to Register” section.
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How do I get my friends to register for my team?
There are two ways to do this:
If you have not created your team yet: You are able to invite players to join your team after your registration is completed. At the completion of registration there is the option to “Invite more players to your new team!”. Clicking this button will allow you to send an e-mail and message to anyone you would like to add to your team. Simply add their e-mail address into the form and invite them to join your team.
If you have created your team already: You can still invite players by following these steps. Log into your account and select the Dashboard option. You will see all of the leagues you are currently registered for. Find the league you would like to invite players to and select the “Manage or Add Players” option listed under the Role/Team section. To invite new players click the button that says “Invite Players” in the right hand sidebar under Roster. Add their e-mail address into the form and invite them to join your team. -
How do I see who has registered for my team?
Log into your account and select the Dashboard option. You will see all of your registered leagues. Find the league you would like to view the roster for and select the “Manage or Add Players” option listed under the Role/Team section. To view your roster click the button that says “Roster” in the right hand sidebar. From here you can also invite new players and see the status of all pending invites.
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How do I apply my Buyback/Discount Code?
Our new system now allows us to process Buyback/Discount Codes during registration. To redeem your Buyback/Discount Code, make sure to apply it during registration on the League Registration Terms & Wavier page. The code cannot be applied later in registration.
(Please note: if you received your code prior to this season we will need to add it into our new system. Please contact us at info@nycsocial.com before registering.)
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Do you offer Corporate Teams?
We welcome corporate teams in our leagues! Starting a corporate team is as easy as creating a regular team. If you must pay with a company check or have other specific questions, please Contact Us.
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How do I sign-up as a corporate team?
If you are using a company credit card you can register online as the Team Captain and pay for the entire team. Once the team is paid for you can invite your teammates to join from your dashboard (follow the directions listed above under “How do I get my friends to register for my team?”). If you need to use an alternate payment method, please contact us at info@nycsocial.com.
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What if I only have the minimum number of players on my roster? Why am I paying more per player?
Example: If the roster size for the league you are registering for is between 10-14 players and the price per player is $150, the team fee will be $1800 plus processing fee. If your team has less than 12 players this means that each individual will be paying more than $150, but if you have more than 12 the cost will actually be lower per person. You are no longer able to create a team with the total team fee equal to the minimum number of roster players
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Can we change our team name?
You bet! Team names may be changed at any point during the season. Contact Us and we’ll change it right away.
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How does NYC Social create the teams?
When we’re creating teams for a league, we often create teams entirely composed of Free Agents. This team might have a group of three, a couple pairs, and a number of individuals… Or, it might be three groups of five.
And sometimes we place Free Agents on teams that don’t have enough players. So a Captain may only have found 8 players, and needs more in order to play in the season. We’ll fill out the roster with Free Agents.
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How do Mixer and Draft Divisions work?
Players are not permitted to form full teams in either of these specialty divisions, which we only offer occasionally. Registration pages for both of these types of divisions always prominently display the division type and detailed information as to how teams will be formed.
In a Mixer Division, all players are Free Agents and may request one friend to play with during the season. Otherwise, we create the teams.
In a Draft Division, all players are Free Agents and may request one friend to play with. We then send out Skill Surveys in order to create well-balanced teams.
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What happens after I register?
High Five! Once you register, you’re a member of our community. You’ll get a confirmation email right away. Shortly before your season, we’ll email you with season information, your roster (along with the emails of your new teammates!), and updated information about the Kickoff Party, where you can meet players in the league before the season begins.
After you register, please add info@nycsocial.com to your email’s address book. We send many emails with important season information, and sometimes they get pushed to spam folders.
All payments are made via our online registration pages. We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover. We do not accept Amex, nor do we accept payment over the phone. Checks are only accepted for full-team payments issued by a company.
Registration pages include all pertinent season information: Registration deadline, game dates, location, price, sponsor bar, links to rules, and any other information you need to know about the division.
Registration includes, for almost every league we offer: seven weeks of games (every team plays on the seventh week, regardless of whether or not they make Playoffs), access to drink specials at our Post-Game Socials, Team-Color T-Shirt, all necessary game equipment, paid Gamestaff and Professional Refs, online schedules and standings, and a place in our community. NOTE: This may vary slightly by division, but this is our standard and holds true for almost all of our seasons. Be sure to read all the season details on the registration form before signing.
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What does it mean when you’re Waitlisted?
Every division we offer has room for a set amount of teams. Once we meet that number, we waitlist teams. This means no new teams may be formed, but players are still able to register. If a team slot opens up (which does happen occasionally), we offer the spot to the first team on the waitlist.
When a division sells out, we waitlist player registrations. If room for more players becomes available, we offer the spots to the first players on the waitlist.
NOTE: You must enter payment information to join a waitlist, but you will not be charged unless you are confirmed to play in the division.
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Are the online payments secure?
You bet! Our site has secure payment; the registration page uses https. We then wrap that page within this site, which is http. You are only entering personal & credit card information into an https site. Your payment is secure; we have never experienced a security issue with our payment system.
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What happens if I have to miss a game?
If you are unable to attend a game, be sure to let your Team Captain know so they can keep track of who is showing up. No one will be penalized for this.
Captains, please try to be sure that you will have enough people to make each game to be fair to the other teams that want to play a complete season. If you know ahead of time that your team will be unable to attend your game, please call us and let us know: (212) 929-5353. We will contact your opponent and try to find them another team to scrimmage.
Missing a game results in a forfeit, and it will count as a loss in the standings of your team. If your team forfeits, it negatively affects your Sportsmanship Score. If you notify us by noon on the day of the game, your Sportsmanship Score will be less affected.
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How do Playoffs work?
Every league we offer includes Playoffs and a Trophy. Generally, Playoffs are single-elimination tournaments taking place after the 6th game of the regular season involving the top teams in the standings. This does vary, so be sure to thoroughly read the Info & Registration Page of your division.
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Does every team make the Playoffs?
It depends on the league, in most cases at least half make it.
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Who plays in the NYC Social Leagues?
Our players live in all five boroughs of New York, as well as New Jersey, Long Island, and even some spirited players from Connecticut. It’s a diverse group…you’ll find players who work in every one of the city’s employment industries. What do they all have in common? Having fun and socializing over well-organized games.
All of our leagues have a mix of players ranging from veterans to first-timers of the sport. Experienced players are expected to help us encourage a social environment in which new players can learn.
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How old do you have to be to play?
You must be 21 or older to play in our leagues because of our focus on post-game bar fun.
There is no maximum age. The average age is mid to late 20’s, and we have hundreds upon hundreds of players in their 30s and 40s. We also welcome players in their 50s and beyond! Some leagues have slightly different age averages… Contact Us if you have questions.
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What if our team is short players for a game?
New Yorkers are a busy bunch! We understand that, despite your best efforts, registered members may not be able to attend every game. We allow teams to bring substitute players for any of our leagues. If your team is low on players one week, you may invite players from another team within your division to join you for the week; nobody likes a forfeit.
**Pro-tip you can add players to your roster up to the fourth week. (Registration fees apply)**
Only roster members are allowed to play in playoffs and finals. -
Can we use substitutes during the Playoffs?
There are no substitutions allowed in the Playoffs, but if you are aware that players are not going to make it, you can add players to the roster up to week 4. (Registration fees apply)
Only roster members are allowed to play in playoffs and finals.
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Do I get to keep the T-shirt?
Of course! Your team T-shirt is your uniform and yours to keep; think of your Team-Color T-Shirts as your ID, helping staff to identify you as a paid player. Only registered players may play in our games, so if you don’t wear your shirt at the games, a Game Coordinator will ID you to ensure you’re on a team, issue you a pinney ((if available) so that the Refs know you’ve already been ID’d).
Every player must wear their league shirt to participate in the Playoffs. No shirt, no play.
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Do I get to pick my T-shirt size?
T-Shirts are poly/cotton Gildan brand men’s sizes, ranging from Small to XXX-Large. Be sure to choose a t-shirt size when registering… Otherwise, women are issued Medium, men Large.
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When do I receive my T-shirt?
All t-shirts will be distributed at the field, Week 1. All individual players or teams registering after the deadline for their division of choice will receive a white NYC Social t-shirt to wear during the season.
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Can we customize our T-shirts?
Oh, we encourage this! Feel free to add words and images (names, nicknames, numbers, team logos, images). You may also bedazzle, attach patches, tie-dye, and redesign by cutting the fabric.
Whatever customization you’re planning, make sure you abide by the following rules:
No company names or logos.
No offensive language.
No design that obscures or alters the NYC Social logo.
If a player’s shirt no longer fits into the guidelines above, the player will be charged $10 and issued a replacement shirt. -
What if I want a refund?
You can see our refund policy here – https://nycsocial.com/league-policies/
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What if it rains, is snowing, or is generally miserable outside?
Rule of thumb: ALWAYS assume your game is on. We play through rain, snow, and less than optimal conditions to make sure all games are played as scheduled — and dammit! — because our players are tough. Of course, in special circumstances — blizzards, lightening, alien takeover — we will postpone the games. When in doubt, call the Rainout Line located at the top of this page.