Our Story
"Gem City Social Sports didn’t start as a business plan.
It started because I was lonely."
Building a life, not just a company.
Finding Connection in a New City
When I was 22, I moved from Florida to Ohio for a boy — who thankfully is now my husband — but at the time, nothing about that move felt certain. My first real Midwest winter hit hard. I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have a community. And I found myself craving something simple but surprisingly hard to find as an adult: people.
I’ve always been a science nerd — degrees in chemistry and biology, originally planning on medical school — but somewhere along the way, a sociology minor quietly changed how I saw human connection.
"When we’re kids or in college, friendships happen naturally. Recess. Sports. Clubs. Dorm life. Built-in ways to meet people. Then adulthood hits… and those spaces disappear."
So instead of waiting for community to magically appear, I decided to build it.
FROM A CANVA LOGO TO A MOVEMENT
Gem City Social Sports started scrappy. A Canva logo. Flyers printed at Kinkos. Me walking into breweries and coffee shops pitching kickball to strangers. I’m sure plenty of people thought I was a little unhinged.
"But the truth is, I wasn’t trying to build a company. I was trying to build a life."
In April 2016, our very first season launched. The next year, while I was still teaching 9th grade science full-time, that number grew to 223 players. That’s when I realized this wasn’t just a side project. So I took a leap. I left teaching. I went all-in.
BUILDING BELONGING
There was no roadmap. No investors. No big team. I built everything from scratch — the website, registrations, schedules, branding, operations… even screen-printing team shirts in my garage so players could feel like part of the community on night one.
I learned whatever I had to learn to make it work. Not “fake it till you make it” — more like “learn it till you figure it out.”
Because this was never just about sports. It was about creating a place where adults could meet friends, feel included, laugh, compete, and belong.
More Than Just a League
We’ve watched teammates become best friends. Friends become roommates. Strangers become couples, families, business partners, and chosen family.
Some of our closest friends today started as complete strangers — including someone I once met through Craigslist, who joined a league, met her husband, and now lets me be “Aunt Kels” to her daughter.
"That’s the real magic of Gem City."
WHY WE DO THIS
Built For You
If you’re new to Dayton, newly single, craving more friends, trying to get active, or just looking for fun — you’re exactly who we built this for.