Tiffany Zhu

Junior varsity boys soccer player Luca Barchietto (10) competes in a pickup league on the weekends. Pickup sports allow athletes to experiment with new techniques that they would otherwise not be able to implement in more high stakes environments.

Sports can carry the connotation of highly competitive environments where teams or individual players ultimately triumph over another in a high-stakes match. However, for those that still want to play sports without the pressure, pickup games offer more relaxed and flexible options.

Pickup games allow athletes to play on informal teams in a casual environment without the constraints of a strict point system or league. Most pickup games operate on an open invitation basis, where players can join community groups or simply show up at local courts, fields and gyms during playing times.

Beach volleyball player Claire Sun, a senior at Castilleja, plays pickup beach volleyball after school and on weekends. Since most beach volleyball clubs are in Berkeley or Santa Cruz, making daily commutes is impractical. Instead, Claire plays pickup to continue honing her skills even outside of clubs. 

“I’m part of a lot of adult pickup groups and essentially there’s these big group chats with 80 to 100 people in them,” Claire said. “Somebody will be like, ‘Anybody down for a game today?’ and people would just show up. It’s a great way to meet new people and play with people of all different skill levels. Everybody is there to have fun because they truly love the sport.” 

Varsity boys basketball player Timmy Chen (11) frequents local gyms like OFJCC and Bay Club Santa Clara for pickup basketball games, where athletes gather to play short games to 15 points on two courts. Players rotate through teams in 2v2 or 3v3 formats.

“Pickup is that perfect intermediary where you don’t have to give it that much of a commitment, but you’re still able to play the game,” Timmy said. “It’s way more laid back. You’re not really trying to get super good, you’re not super competitive — you’re just there to have fun.” 

Pickup culture is more spontaneous than competitive sports, since teammates play without a set schedule and do not pressure each other to score points. Often, games operate with relaxed rules and flexible team structures, prioritizing enjoyment over competition.

Junior varsity boys soccer player Luca Barchietto (10) regularly joins pickup soccer games at local high schools like Cupertino and Lynbrook. These gatherings are organized on an online group with about 300 members and typically attract 10-30 players of varying ages and skill levels every day.

Unlike competitive sports, the group Luca plays with doesn’t actively keep score throughout the match or tally up season records. Instead, after about two to three hours of play, a player will typically call “last goal wins,” creating a brief moment of lighthearted competition to end the day.

Since the teams in pickup are not confined by gender or age, athletes can learn from players from all backgrounds and expose themselves to techniques they wouldn’t encounter within school or club teams.

“Pickup is a less stressful environment than high school sports because people aren’t necessarily counting every goal that’s scored,” Luca said. “If you make a mistake, no one really remembers or pays much attention. I’m free to try out whatever I want without fear of getting people mad at me, which drives me to try out some new things, which I normally would not try.” 

Luca sees pickup soccer as a way to refine the techniques that school training does not emphasize. Through pickup soccer, he learned skills like overlapping runs, where a player runs past the ball handler to open up a new passing lane, which he now implements into formal matches.

Beyond skill development, pickup sports allow participants to foster connections with people they may not interact with on a regular basis.

“I’ve met a lot of players from like other schools like Gunn or Mountain View that I now know when we play against them for school basketball,” Timmy said “But also, I’ve made friends with a lot of the adults there, which is interesting because usually I don’t come into as much contact with people who are older than me.”

These cross-generational connections often evolve into mentorship opportunities, creating an informal support system for all players. Luca appreciates the feedback and praise he receives from older players, acknowledging that pickup’s looser structure empowers him to lead his team members on the field.

“Since in pickup there are not any captains or team leaders, there is room for individual players to take on some leadership,” Luca said. “No matter who they are, if they feel that a certain pass is right or if it’s the right time to shoot, they can. Anyone can chime in and say what they need to say.”

Ultimately, pickup sports remind athletes why they play the game in the first place––not for trophies or recognition, but for unpressured enjoyment and connections with teammates.