American Ultimate Disc League facts for kids
 |
|
| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Inaugural season | 2012 |
| No. of teams | 22 |
| Country | United States (19 teams) Canada (3 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) |
New York Empire |
| Most titles | San Jose Spiders (2) |
| TV partner(s) | Stadium Eleven Sports Network |
| Official website | theAUDL.com |
The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) is an ultimate frisbee league in North America. The AUDL was founded in 2010, and played its inaugural season in 2012 with eight teams. Regular season games are played April through July. The playoffs consist of three rounds: divisional wild card round, division championships, and finally culminating in a final four style showcase known as AUDL Championship Weekend in August. The winner of each division's championship game advances to Championship Weekend, with semifinals on Saturday and the championship game played on Sunday.
AUDL is a semi-professional league. Players do not receive a regular paycheck for playing in the league. Instead, players receive a portion of gate receipts and an ownership interest in the team. Players generally earn $350–$700 per season, and generally hold full-time day jobs.
Rules
The AUDL features a number of rule changes from the traditional set of rules laid out and established by USA Ultimate and the WFDF.
The field area is expanded to 53+1⁄3 yards wide and 80 yards long with 20-yard end zones (the same size as an American football field, but with the end zones taking up twice as much of the field as in American football). Games are timed with four-quarters of 12 minutes each, including a 15-minute halftime. If the score is tied, a five-minute overtime period is played. If the score remains tied after overtime, a second overtime is played in which the first team to score wins.
Notable changes from the USAU format include the use of referees, a drop in the stall count from 10 seconds to 7, a ten-yard penalty for travelling when catching the disc, no prohibition of double-teams, and a yardage penalty for travelling when throwing the disc. There are also other infractions, such as too much physicality, that result in 5-, 10-, or 20-yard penalties depending on the severity of the infraction. While different from the USAU and WFDF rules, many of the changes for the AUDL could also be seen in the MLU.
Teams
As of the 2020 season, 22 active teams compete in four divisions: Atlantic, Central, East and West. There are 19 teams from the continental United States and three from Canada.
Active teams
| Team | City/Area | Stadium | Founded | First Season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | |||||
| Atlanta Hustle | Atlanta, GA | St. Pius X Catholic High School | 2015 | 2015 | |
| DC Breeze | Washington, DC | Carlini Field at Catholic Univ. | 2013 | 2013 | |
| Philadelphia Phoenix | Philadelphia, PA | Garthwaite Stadium | 2013 | 2013 | |
| Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | Pittsburgh, PA | J.C. Stone Field | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Raleigh Flyers | Raleigh, NC | WakeMed Soccer Park | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Tampa Bay Cannons | Tampa, FL | Skyway Park | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Central | |||||
| Chicago Wildfire | Chicago, IL | Langhorst Field, Elmhurst College | 2013 (as Windy City Wildfire) | 2013 | |
| Detroit Mechanix | Detroit, MI | Bishop Foley Catholic High School | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Indianapolis AlleyCats | Indianapolis, IN | Grand Park Events Center | 2012 | 2012 | |
| Madison Radicals | Madison, WI | Breese Stevens Field | 2013 | 2013 | |
| Minnesota Wind Chill | Saint Paul, MN | Sea Foam Stadium | 2013 | 2013 | |
| East | |||||
| Boston Glory | Boston, MA | Hormel Stadium | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Montreal Royal | Montreal, QC | Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard | 2013 | 2014 | |
| New York Empire | New York City, NY | Joseph F. Fosina Field | 2013 | 2013 | |
| Ottawa Outlaws | Ottawa, ON | MNP Park | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Toronto Rush | Toronto, ON | Varsity Stadium | 2013 | 2013 | |
| West | |||||
| Austin Sol | Austin, TX | House Park | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Dallas Roughnecks | Dallas, TX | The Colony Five Star Complex | 2015 | 2016 | |
| Los Angeles Aviators | Los Angeles, CA | Culver City High School | 2014 | 2015 | |
| San Diego Growlers | San Diego, CA | Junipero Serra High School/Balboa Stadium | 2014 | 2015 | |
| San Jose Spiders | San Jose, CA | Foothill College | 2013 | 2014 | |
| Seattle Cascades | Seattle, WA | Seattle Memorial Stadium | 2014 (as the Seattle Raptors) | 2014 | |
Former teams
| Team | City/Area | Stadium | Season(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Revolution | Cincinnati, OH | Sheakley Athletic Center | 2012 (as the Bluegrass Revolution), 2013—2016 | |
| Rochester Dragons | Rochester, NY | Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium | 2012 (as the Buffalo Hunters),2013—2015 | |
| Charlotte Express | Charlotte, NC | Irwin Belk Complex | 2015—2016 | |
| Columbus Cranes | Columbus, OH | Warhawks Stadium | 2012 | |
| Connecticut Constitution | New Britain, CT | Arute Field | 2012 | |
| Nashville Nightwatch | Nashville, TN | Hunters Lane High School | 2014–2018 | |
| New Jersey Hammerheads | Trenton, NJ | Mercer County Community College Stadium | 2013 | |
| Philadelphia Spinners | Philadelphia, PA | Franklin Field | 2012 | Left to join MLU |
| Rhode Island Rampage | Providence, RI | Pierce Memorial Field | 2012 | |
| Salt Lake Lions | Salt Lake City, UT | Taylorsville High School Stadium | 2014 | |
| San Francisco FlameThrowers | Oakland, CA | Laney College Football Field | 2013–2018 | |
| Vancouver Riptide | Vancouver, BC | Swangard Stadium | 2014–2017 |
Championships
| Season | Date | Champion | Final score | Runner-up | Venue | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | August 11, 2012 | Philadelphia Spinners | 29–22 | Indianapolis AlleyCats | Pontiac Silverdome | Pontiac, MI | |
| 2013 | August 4, 2013 | Toronto Rush | 16–14 | Madison Radicals | Lane Tech Stadium | Chicago, IL | |
| 2014 | July 27, 2014 | San Jose Spiders | 28–18 | Toronto Rush | Varsity Stadium | Toronto, ON | |
| 2015 | August 9, 2015 | San Jose Spiders | 17–15 | Madison Radicals | Avaya Stadium | San Jose, CA | |
| 2016 | August 7, 2016 | Dallas Roughnecks | 33–27 | Seattle Cascades | Breese Stevens Field | Madison, WI | |
| 2017 | August 27, 2017 | San Francisco FlameThrowers | 30–29 | Toronto Rush | Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard | Montreal, QC | |
| 2018 | August 12, 2018 | Madison Radicals | 20–16 | Dallas Roughnecks | Breese Stevens Field | Madison, WI | |
| 2019 | August 11, 2019 | New York Empire | 26–22 | Dallas Roughnecks | Foothill College | San Jose, CA | |
| 2020 | NA | No champion due to COVID-19 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
MVP
| Season | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Jonathan "Goose" Helton | Indianapolis AlleyCats |
| 2013 | Jonathan "Goose" Helton | Windy City Wildfire |
| 2014 | Beau Kittredge | San Jose Spiders |
| 2015 | Beau Kittredge | San Jose Spiders |
| 2016 | Dylan Tunnell | Atlanta Hustle |
| 2017 | Jonathan Nethercutt | Raleigh Flyers |
| 2018 | Matthew "Rowan" McDonnell | DC Breeze |
| 2019 | Ben Jagt | New York Empire |
| 2020 | No MVP due to COVID-19 | NA |
League Commissioners
- Josh Moore, Commissioner from 2012 to 2013
- Steve Gordon, Commissioner from 2013 to 2018
- Steve Hall, Commissioner from 2018–present
