116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
‘A gift to the community’
Cedar Rapids Sports and Social Club celebrates 10th year with big numbers for sand volleyball and other sports
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CEDAR RAPIDS — It all started with a Craigslist ad.
Now, it’s a community staple.
In 2015, Cedar Rapids Sports and Social Club Founder Brian Irlmeier was a full-time graphic designer seeking a “fun side job” in sports.
“I grew up playing sports,” Irlmeier said. “In high school I played football, basketball, golf and baseball — then played pickup and intramurals in college.”
While browsing Craigslist, Irlmeier came across an opportunity to administer a summer kickball league at Noelridge Park in Cedar Rapids through Everplay Sport and Social Club — a recreational group based in Lexington, Ky., with clubs in neighboring states.
“They were trying to expand to the Midwest starting in Wisconsin, Cedar Rapids and Des Moines,” Irlmeier said. “Des Moines didn’t get enough for a kickball league that summer, but Cedar Rapids had seven teams.”
After the kickball season, Everplay’s owner informed Irlmeier the club was ending its Midwest expansion plans, leaving him free to take over the operation and start his own business.
In August 2015, Irlmeier formed the Cedar Rapids Sport and Social Club as an LLC.
The club ran its first official event that fall — a four-person beer mile relay.
“We had 12 teams, so about 48 people signed up,” Irlmeier said. “It wasn’t very profitable, but it was fun.”
What started as a single event and a part-time gig for Irlmeier blossomed into a multi-activity venture that now includes bowling, cornhole, darts, kickball and volleyball leagues — as well as an annual dodgeball tournament and regular beer Olympics.
According to Irlmeier, the club has 3,335 accounts registered on its website. He estimates there are “between 500 and 1,000 active players” participating in his summer leagues (kickball, cornhole and sand volleyball), with 2025 being a record year.
“Just a couple years ago, we had around 100 sand volleyball teams,” Irlmeier said. “We’re at 254 this session.”
How has the club been able to achieve this level of growth?
“I think word has gotten around from different players,” Irlmeier said. “I try to run a quality league that's enjoyable for everybody where it’s a pretty relaxed atmosphere. We try to emphasize not taking things too seriously — the goal is recreational play.”
And the good times don’t have to end when the games are over.
“The focus is more of the social side of things and connecting with other players,” Irlmeier said. “We have sponsor establishments after leagues where you can go and socialize. It’s creating something different than the normal sports organization where you go, play and then leave.
“I think it's fun to see players, especially if they're new to town, get connected with others on a team and make new friendships.”
Club members like Lindsey Brown Schieffer are more than appreciative.
Brown Schieffer moved to Cedar Rapids in 2020 and was in search of an opportunity to play volleyball.
“I posted in a local group and said, ‘I’m new here, looking to join a team’ … I got picked up and am still on that same team five years later,” Brown Schieffer said. “Many times when I walk into volleyball, I see the number of people that Brian has pulled together in one space and I think it's incredible that one person created this vision and has worked to make it a reality.
“To me, it's such a gift to our community.”
As well as things have gone in recent years, running the organization hasn’t always been easy.
After going full-time with the club in June 2019, Irlmeier experienced the full spectrum of turbulence in 2020, beginning with COVID-19 restrictions.
“It was tough trying to figure out what we could and couldn’t do,” Irlmeier said. “There were so many different regulations going on from the state and federal levels about bars and sports. Sports were allowed — but is cornhole a sport?”
That August handed Irlmeier another lemon when a derecho caused significant damage to Sandlot Sports CR — the outdoor facility the club uses for its sand volleyball leagues.
“We lost a bunch of nets, court lines were everywhere … picnic tables were broken and there was debris, twigs, branches and leaves all over the sand,” Irlmeier said. “Luckily, we had a lot of volunteers who helped clear it.”
Through it all, Irlmeier and the club have more than weathered the storm.
“I think there was a need for this in Cedar Rapids,” Irlmeier said. “Something fun to do that breaks up the work week where you get to meet a lot of great people and make some new friends.”
“I feel like anytime I am out at the Sandlot or in any of the volleyball leagues that are CR Sport and Social Leagues, I'm part of a community,” Brown Schieffer said. “It's kind of like Cheers, where everybody knows your name.”
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