Premier Ultimate League facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Premier Ultimate League

Sport	Ultimate
Founded	2019
Inaugural season	2019
No. of teams	11
Most recent champion(s)	New York Gridlock (2024)
Official website	premierultimateleague.com

The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional league for the sport of ultimate in the United States. Ultimate is a fast-paced sport played with a disc, often called a frisbee. The league was created in 2019.

The PUL's main goal is to promote fairness in sports. It works to create more opportunities for players who are women, transgender, and non-binary to play at a high level. The league wants to make sure that people of all backgrounds can enjoy and succeed in ultimate. Players in the PUL are paid $40 for each league game they play.

The league is a non-profit organization. To raise money, it started a "Sponsor-A-Player" program. In its first year, this program raised $120,000 in just one week. The league is also sponsored by the clothing company VC Ultimate.

History of the League

The First Seasons

The Premier Ultimate League started in 2019 with eight teams. The very first championship was won by a team from Colombia called the Medellin Revolution.

In 2020, four new teams joined, and the league was split into two groups, or divisions: Central and East. However, the 2020 season had to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because the pandemic was still a concern in 2021, the league held a special, shorter competition. Games were played over three weekends in different cities. The winners of these events were the Raleigh Radiance, Milwaukee Monarchs, and Medellin Revolution.

Changes and Growth

By 2022, the league returned to a full season and was organized into three divisions: Midwest, South, and East. That year, the Medellin Revolution won the championship again, beating the DC Shadow.

In December 2022, the Medellin team left the PUL to join a new league in Latin America. A new team, the Philadelphia Surge, took their place.

More changes happened in 2023 and 2024. The Columbus team took a temporary break, and the Portland Rising also decided to pause its operations. But the league also grew, with the Los Angeles Astra joining for the 2025 season.

How to Play: PUL Rules

The PUL uses a special mix of rules from different ultimate organizations, like USA Ultimate and the World Flying Disc Federation.

The Field and Game Time

The playing field is 80 yards long and 40 yards wide. There are 20-yard end zones at each end, which is where teams score points.

A game has four quarters, each lasting 12 minutes. There is a 10-minute halftime break. The clock stops after every goal, which makes the game faster.

Officials and Fair Play

Instead of referees, PUL games use "observers." Observers help players make the right calls, but the players are expected to be honest and officiate the game themselves. This is called self-officiating. Observers will make calls on things like whether a player is in or out of bounds.

The league has a special "player overrule" option. This means a player can tell the observer that a call made in their team's favor was wrong. This rule encourages good sportsmanship.

Teams in the PUL

The league is divided into two divisions: North and South.

Former Teams

Some teams have left the league or are taking a break.

League Champions

This table shows the winner of the PUL championship each year.

See also

• Western Ultimate League