We made a group booking for a Sunday afternoon, for a two hour session it was $20 per person which…read morewas pretty reasonable. Rob was great, friendly and a delight! He demonstrated the technique and we had a few rounds, before the balloon challenge. In the distance 100m away Rob shot a balloon on the target with a modern crossbow, which was something! We couldn't see the other shots, though could hear them. A fun afternoon, our only thing is that it was a bit like a shed out in a park, while we were hoping for a cafe and some shade. As the targets are marked out, they weren't easy to move and were out in the sun. It would have been nice to be in the shade in summer.

Bouncing around in a 16kg ball while dodging other big balls of happiness and trying to kick a…read moresmaller ball into a net. Sounds like a fabulous idea and one that will lead to many bruises and interesting tales. This was my second time at the Football factory. Each time I've found the staff to be kind, supportive and helpful. Especially during those times when I'm too busy impersonating a turtle to save myself for a bombardment of balls. The game is easy. You just need to convince at least 7 of your best mates or frenemines to join you in a round or two. A group of. 12-16 works best for good ball rotation and player down time. You don't want your players to get ball exhaustion. So you hop in a ball, bounce around and try to score goals while not getting stuck in the turtle position. The field is the average size of a indoor soccer field with appropriate protection for spectators. You don't want to see you friends squished by 16kg of big bouncy ball. A few tips to reminder-wear a tee. Singlets are a great way to get harness burn. Hard to explain to family and friends. Bring water. A lot of water for rehydrating in between rounds. Bouncing around in a giant ball is akin to a gym session wrapped in bubble wrap inside a sauna. So hot stuff. Deodorant will be needed.

I was lucky to be invited to the Football Factory to try the super-awesome-potentially brutal & not…read morefor the weak game that's bubble soccer. Kudos to Jean B for being the first one to mention it. For those wondering what on earth bubble soccer is... Well it's basically indoor soccer but you're inside a giant inflatable bubble. Forget any soccer skills that you may have or how fit you are (or think you are) because, when it comes to bubble soccer, everything goes out the window. You can expect 3 things though: - Your knuckles and knees are going to get bruised. - You'll get a good workout, sweat and very likely end up sore. - Most importantly though, you'll have heaps of fun! The guys at the football factory are great and made sure that we had a good time and enjoyed ourselves. Check them out: They do birthday parties, 5 A side comps and say what?! - Laser football?! I totally want to have a crack at that!

Action Indoor Sports was my home ever Tuesday night for some time... I used to play indoor beach…read morevolleyball more or less for something to do to and its the perfect place to do it. The layout is great and the teams are fun and slightly competitive, which keeps you on your toes. i found the fixtures to be well organised although we did have to odd game and 10.00pm at night it was still in good fun. They also organise other group sports like indoor soccer and cricket.

Futsal is a silly sport to play. You spend forty minutes sprinting and pivoting on hard surfaces,…read morein thin shoes. And, if you're playing it with Australians, it'll be full of barely legal blocks. Our national character seems to be that we like running into each other. It's good fun, though. And this league ain't bad. There are three courts, two of which are proper courts in a large dedicated building. The third, however, is a wood-floored gym with a fair bit of slip on the surface - not so good. The range of game times can be a bit problematic as well, with games as early as 6 PM and as late as 10:40 PM. They've got mixed leagues and single sex leagues, though, and offer leagues on most/every night of the week. And with games costing around ten dollars per player, it's worth at least playing a short season if you think you might be interested

I've been playing in the indoor soccer league in the sports hall of Melbourne Girls College for a…read morenumber of seasons now on a Thursday evening. There are 4 leagues of varied ability from woeful (yet very social) to quite a high standard. Games go from 6-10. Here is a run-down of the experience. Positives: - great facilities - friendly atmosphere - competitive games - well organised Negatives: - run like a business (playing a playoff for teams finishing 5-8 can only be a money making exercise) - 6pm games hard to get to - tackling from behind rule is very annoying There are a number of different leagues and times to choose. Make sure you go to their website and make an inquiry.

Eastern Indoor Sports was a bit hard to find but it was worth it because I did something fun called…read moreBUBBLE SOCCER! I used a scoopon and got an hour of bubble soccer for 8 people. If you want a full body workout and to break out in sweat while balling over your frienemies than this is the sport for you. Eastern Indoor Sports hosts many types of sports and bubble soccer is just one of them and it costs $160 an hour for a casual booking. I would suggest to go with more people, 12 people would be ideal with groups of 4 rotating for shorter games as we were all exhausted by the half hour mark. *Tip: wear a t-shirt as the straps in the bubble go over your shoulders.

Attended a Bubble Sportz session at this venue and had a blast. The staff were very friendly and it…read morewas worth the journey out to Knox. It does get quite hot and sweaty running around in the bubbles, so make sure you bring a few subs!

Few of my friends and I got a Groupon deal for this place just for fun and absolutely loved the…read moreexperience. The staff is very knowledgeable ( and if you're really not doing well ( add I did) they will provide cool hints and tips for better aiming) and friendly. There is a spot for 7 archers to shoot at the same time and the session lasts for one hour. They have two different bow types: classic and modern. Both have their own advantages. One session costs $15. Monthly pass is $80. It's a bit out of the city but totally worth the experience! May the odds be ever in your favor...

Now this is a sport that would suit people with a small budget. Bookings are essential, for it is a…read morevery popular sport. So if you want to find out if this is the sport for you, give it a go, it would not affect your budget. It only costs $15 per person, per hour but the price includes the use of equipment that is supplied to you on the day when you attend. It's a family business operated by mother 'Irene' and her son 'Luke' who are both exceptionally skilled and professional shooters. The venue has limited free parking spaces available and the range is an 18-metre indoor range. We were greeted by both Irene and Luke, they handed us the 'safety rules' sheet for us to read that you must follow before doing archery and then they explained the rules to you verbally to be sure you understood it clearly. They are very strict on their safety rules, so everybody can enjoy their time and leave the range without any injuries. You then need to sign-in when you start the and sign-out when leaving. We were handed arm guards and finger guards for your protection, asked whether you're a right-handed or left-handed person and selected the appropriate bow for your body size. We each received six arrows and were instructed that our feet must not go over the yellow lines. They showed us how to place the arrow properly on the bow, how to aim and then shoot when ready. Once you shot all arrows, you must wait until everybody has before it is clear to collect your arrows and do it all again until your hour is up. I was pretty amazed with myself, I did manage to hit the bullseye many times! And then to make it fun and entertaining, Irene added a balloon on the target for us to hit. It was hard but I managed. I enjoyed my experience of archery so much, that I ended up going there another two more times - I was only a visitor in Melbourne. My second visit, my target was moved further away, I'm guessing because I needed more of a challenge and on my third visit, my target was at the end of the room. Very thrilling and self-satisfying indeed. They have bathroom facilities, café and if you're keen and serious about archery, you can shop for your basic archery needs there as well. Suitable for ages 8 years+.

Kids birthday party was poorly run and stressful for parents. The party host did not provide any…read moreinstructions or guidance for the bowling. We had to request several times for drinks as the children were thirsty. Ice cream cake was brought out with no plates or spoons. There were not enough plates and children had to eat cake out of cups. There seemed to be very little to no planning as staff were unaware of number of children attended or names that were previously provided. Not what we hoped for when we booked the party and we would not recommend a kids party at strike to other parents.

It's dark. There's laser beams flashing above my head. I'm standing on a train carriage seat and in…read morethe distance I hear someone yell "you bastard, you shot me!". I'm scared. Very scared. I'm scared that I'm not as agile as I was the last time I played laser tag as a teenager. I jump off the chair and run down the hall, my shoulders raised, my hands holding the gun out from my body and my eyebrows firmly saying "don't you mess with me!". My ability to commando roll and shoot someone in the chest has diminished with old age, but I think my enjoyment of running around in the dark with 12 strangers and a couple of friends has increased. I hobble out. I think I've pulled a hammy, but I have a big grin on my face and high-five my mate in satisfaction.