FAQ

Big Apple Recreational Sports (BARS) is New York City’s nonprofit, community-minded sports organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and LGBTQ+-friendly folk living in New York and the tristate area. We create a space for people who want to play sports free of harassment, discrimination, and unnecessary drama. In addition to this, our organization is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all participants.

BARS has four sports: bowling, dodgeball, kickball, and pickleball. In addition to these, BARS has an active calendar of events that include organization-wide social events and player-led philanthropy.

League: a league is defined by three details: the sport played, the day it is played, and the time of day it is played. Some leagues are further defined by the format of play. For example, different dodgeball leagues use different types of balls (which impact the dynamics of the game).

Division: BARS has two divisions: the WTNB+ Division, and the Open Division. The former is specifically for women, trans, and nonbinary players.

Post-play: all BARS games have a designed post-play. This is a happy hour, organized by BARS leadership, that takes place at a designated public place such as a LGBTQ-friendly bar.

Seasons: BARS seasons are identical to the calendrical ones: winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Absolutely not!
BARS athletes are all skill levels, from absolutely-know-nothing beginners to people who have played competitive sport at the collegiate level—and everything in between.

Every sport has a league dedicated to novices. Look for leagues labeled “Social”, which are the best fit for those with little or no experience. In addition to this, BARS frequently hosts once-a-season group training sessions for those new to each sport, or for those who want to brush up on the rules.

Remember that all leagues are open to all skill levels unless otherwise stated. That said, be mindful that if you are a novice joining an advanced league, there may be a big learning curve ahead of you.

Most of our events are located in Manhattan, while others take place in Brooklyn or Queens. As we have multiple offerings of each sport, we ask players to review our offerings for specific location information.

BARS is a year-round organization. Each sport offers something in all four seasons. The day and time you play is determined by the sport and league you sign up for.

Games may take place any day of the week, Monday through Sunday. The day of play is determined by the league you select. Weekday games are played after 5 p.m., but weekend games can take place in the morning, afternoon, or evening.

Absolutely not. All you need is your own two feet, the MTA, and your (and our) good friend: pizza rat.

The average season per sport is approximately eight weeks.

Yes. There are no leagues requiring perfect attendance.

Once you have been assigned your team, please share your schedule with your team captain so that they can plan appropriately. Absences need to be shared with the team captain as they are often recorded to track veteran status.

Yes. Players must attend 50% of their games. Those that do not will be barred from registration for the following season.

We ask all prospective players to double check that they can attend the minimum number of games before registering.

For most sporting equipment needs, we recommend Paragon Sports if you want to shop locally.

Bowling
The venue provides both shoes and bowling balls. Bowling ball weights range from 7 lbs. to 16 lbs., with finger hole sizes in S, M, L, XL, and XXL. Please be aware that there are fewer bowling balls in the smallest and largest sizes; we recommend those players arrive five minutes early to claim their bowling balls from the venue’s inventory.

Players are welcome to bring their own bowling balls and/or shoes. Our bowling venue requires players to wear bowling shoes, so please arrive wearing socks. Players that bring their own bowling balls should check in with their league leadership as they must sign a waiver before playing.

Kickball
Kickball does not require any equipment beyond what is already provided by the referees onsite. Many players choose to wear cleats to the field to aid with grip while running, but please be aware that metal cleats are not allowed per the Dept. of Parks and Recreation.

As Kickball is the only year-round outdoor sport, players must dress appropriately for the winter season as temperatures in New York average as low as 25ºF (–4ºC) from December to March, which can be dangerous for anyone dressed inadequately.

Additional reading:
REI: How to dress in cold weather.
WNYC: What should you wear to run in the cold?

Pickleball
Pickleball players must wear athletic attire to games. In particular, players should not wear shoes with soles that mark or damage court flooring. Please check with your assigned league directors, via your team captain, to determine the type of court flooring for any particular league’s venue.

Players are welcome to bring their own paddles. Alternatively, paddles will be supplied to those that have none, as will pickleballs.

Dodgeball
Dodgeball players must wear athletic footwear to games. Heavy shoes, such as boots, or open-toed shoes such as sandals, are not allowed.

New players will notice that some players wear kneepads to protect their knees while dodging. While these are not required, we recommend a pair of cheap volleyball knee pads for anyone looking to level up their gameplay and have some extra protection.

More experienced players may use additional gear, such as finger tape to protect against finger jams or liquid chalk to help with gripping the ball.

Speak to your team captain to get in touch with your league’s leadership. Extra inventory varies per season.

Registration timelines are typically announced 1-2 months before each season. If you want to be notified of upcoming registration dates, you have three different ways:

• Follow us on Instagram @bigapplerec or @bigapplerecwtnb
• Sign up for our email newsletter. The sign up form is on the bottom of every web page of BARS’s website (in the footer).
• Periodically visit the website in the weeks leading up to registration. We post news stories with registration updates.

Registration proper—i.e. actually signing up for an open spot—opens around 20-40 days prior to the first day of play. Be on the lookout for those registration timelines and mark your calendars when registration begins.

All registration takes place here, on our website, at bigapplerecsports.com/pages/registration.

Pro tip: some of our leagues are extremely in-demand. If you want a shot at getting in, we recommend attempting to sign up the minute registration opens—not so unlike tickets to a pop diva concert (for better or worse).

The Open division is open to all LGBTQ+ identities as the name suggests.

The demographics of our Open Division typically trend toward gay and bi cis men, and the post play locations are almost always bars frequented by such audiences. To complement this, BARS established the WNTB+ division.

The Women, Trans, & Non-Binary (WTNB+) division of BARS is focused on providing a space for traditionally underrepresented gender identities, and is socially centered around sapphic communities within the LGBTQ+ community.

Every league allows you to join as an individual. In addition, some leagues allow you to join with a buddy. You and your buddy are guaranteed to be on the same team. If you are signing up for a buddy league, you and your buddy must both register online. Simply putting their name in the buddy field does not automatically register that person.

BARS does not offer any leagues composed entirely of pre-built teams at this time. Periodically, we do host events, such as the Big Apple Sports Classic, which invite pre-built teams, but these are the exception not the rule.

Yes

Yes and yes 🙂.* If you have the spare time, you could literally fill your week with nothing but LGBTQ+ balls moving through time and space at fast speeds. There are no registration limits.

Waitlisted players are invited to register once a spot in a league is made available. If a spot becomes available, players will be invited according to their order in the list. Players can always email their respective sport's general inbox to check their place on the waitlist, as well.

Once a spot opens up, the waitlisted player is contacted via email by a leadership member with the necessary registration link. Please note that we require a quick answer so as not to hold up the rest of the waitlist.

Waitlisted players may be invited to join after the beginning of the season. Generally speaking, players that are not on the waitlist after the beginning of a league will be unable to join through any other means.

In the rare instance that a league begins without a full roster, that league’s registration may remain open for a time after the first date of play—at the discretion of that league’s leadership.

WTNB+ is an initialism meaning women, trans, and nonbinary people. The WTNB+ division prioritizes inclusivity for underrepresented genders, with strong social ties to sapphic community and culture.

Players who identify as part of the WTNB+ cohort may register as part of the WTNB+ Division, which has its own days and times for play. Alternatively, WTNB+ that wish to register as part of the Open Division are given the opportunity to do so ahead of the general audience registration period.

If you have any questions, we invite you to contact the Commissioner of WTNB+ Players by emailing us at info@bigapplerecsports.com.

BIPOC, pronounced “buy pock”, is an acronym meaning Black, Indigenous and people of color. During each registration window, BARS invites those who identify as BIPOC to register ahead of the general audience registration period. If you have any questions, we invite you to contact the Commissioner of DEI via info@bigapplerecsports.com.

Veteran status is conferred to players who attend the designated minimum number of games per any one season. The default required is 75% attendance, but this can change due to weather-related cancellations or seasons that are abnormally long or short.

Players are notified of veteran status around the time of each season’s final game. Veterans are given the opportunity to register for the following season before all other groups. Veteran status only lasts for one season and must be reattained each season.

Please note that there are some seasons that do not confer veteran status, as determined by the sport and the season.

Yes. You can read it in full here.

In any one week, BARS leagues are playing at different venues all over New York City. As such, we recommend you email each individual sport’s leadership to answer your specific question.

Bowling: bowling@bigapplerecsports.com
Dodgeball: dodgeball@bigapplerecsports.com
Kickball: kickball@bigapplerecsports.com
Pickleball: pickleball@bigapplerecsports.com

BARS aims to provide a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all of our members and participants. As such, we take player concerns seriously. We do not tolerate:

• Harassment, including sexual harassment
• Discrimination
• Bullying
• Or any conduct egregiously unsportsmanlike and/or at odds with the mission and ethos of BARS

Reports or incidents should be submitted to your respective director of the Day of Play or any other trusted leadership team member. Each report will be reviewed thoroughly and taken seriously. For contact information, please reach out to your captain, or to the director of the Day of Play, or to info@bigapplerecsports.com.

Please also note that at every venue, BARS players should comport themselves responsibly. BARS games take place in a number of locations including public parks, schools, and private sporting venues. Breaking the rules of a venue, or unsportsmanlike behavior, speaks poorly of the entire organization, and may even threaten our continued relationship with the venue. If you see a fellow player breaking the rules, we encourage you to speak with your team captain or league leadership.

We are always looking for new partnerships with LGBTQ spaces and business owners! Please get in touch with our events team by emailing events@bigapplerecsports.com.

We thank you for your interest! Partnership opportunities can be sent to the marketing team at sponsorship@bigapplerecsports.com