Ultimate Frisbee Association facts for kids
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| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Inaugural season | 2012 |
| No. of teams | 24 |
| Country | United States (22 teams) Canada (2 teams) |
| Most recent champion(s) |
New York Empire (2023) |
| Most titles | New York Empire (3) |
| TV partner(s) | watchUFA.tv |
| Official website | watchufa.com |
The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) is a professional sports league where teams play ultimate with a disc. It used to be called the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The UFA has 24 teams across North America. These teams are split into four groups: South, Central, East, and West.
Each UFA season has 12 regular games, which happen from April to July. After the regular season, the top three teams from each group go to the playoffs. The playoffs are a knockout tournament that ends with the UFA Championship Weekend in late August. This big event lasts two days.
The UFA started in 2012 as the AUDL. It changed its name to the Ultimate Frisbee Association for the 2024 season. The New York Empire team has won the most championships, with three titles. They are also the current champions, having beaten the Salt Lake Shred in the 2023 championship game.
Contents
History of the UFA League
How the UFA Started
The UFA was created by Josh Moore in 2012. Back then, it was known as the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL).
First Season and Early Years
The very first AUDL game was played on April 14, 2012. The Connecticut Constitution team won against the Rhode Island Rampage. The first championship game was on August 11, 2012. The Philadelphia Spinners won that first title, beating the Indianapolis AlleyCats.
In its first year, the league had eight teams. They were divided into Eastern and Western groups. Jonathan "Goose" Helton from the AlleyCats was named the league's best player (MVP) for that first season.
Growing the League (2013–2023)
In 2013, only a few teams from the first season stayed in their cities. However, the league still grew to 12 teams overall. By 2014, the league had 17 teams. This included a new West Division. The league also made a deal with ESPN3 to show many of its games.
In 2015, the UFA expanded even more, reaching 25 teams. New teams like the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds and Los Angeles Aviators joined. During this time, the Raleigh Flyers signed Jessi Jones. She became the first female professional ultimate player in the league. Later, in 2017, Jesse Shofner became the first woman to be on a team's full season roster. She even scored two goals in her first game!
The league continued to change over the years. Some teams stopped playing, and new ones joined. In 2020, the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Canadian teams played their own special series of games due to travel rules. In 2022, three new teams joined: the Colorado Summit, Salt Lake Shred, and Portland Nitro. The league also changed its divisions again.
New Name for 2024
On January 17, 2024, the league announced a big change. It would now be called the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). This new name came from a partnership with the company that owns the Frisbee brand. The UFA also announced that it would stream its top weekly games for free on YouTube. The 2024 season will end with the 13th Championship Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.
UFA Rules
The UFA has some different rules compared to regular ultimate frisbee games. These traditional rules are set by groups like USA Ultimate and the WFDF.
The UFA playing field is larger. It is 53 and 1/3 yards wide and 80 yards long. The end zones are 20 yards long. This is the same size as an American football field. Games are timed with four quarters, each 12 minutes long. There is a 15-minute break at halftime. If the score is tied, teams play a five-minute overtime. If it's still tied, they play a second overtime where the first team to score wins.
Some key differences from standard ultimate rules include:
- Using referees to call fouls and rule breaks.
- The "stall count" (how long a player can hold the disc) is 7 seconds, not 10.
- If a player travels (moves too much while catching the disc), there's a 10-yard penalty.
- Teams can "double-team" a player (have two defenders guard one player).
- There are penalties for being too physical. These can be 10- or 20-yard penalties.
UFA Teams
The UFA has 24 teams. They are divided into four groups based on where they are located. On game days, each team can have up to 20 players active. All UFA teams are based in North America.
Current Teams
| Division | Team | City/Area | Stadium | First Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South | Atlanta Hustle | Atlanta, GA | St. Pius X Catholic High School | 2015 |
| Austin Sol | Austin, TX | Westlake High School | 2016 | |
| Carolina Flyers | Durham, NC | Durham County Memorial Stadium | 2015 (as Raleigh Flyers) | |
| Dallas Legion | Dallas, TX | Colleyville Middle School | 2016 (as Dallas Roughnecks) | |
| Houston Havoc | Houston, TX | SaberCats Stadium | 2023 | |
| Central | Chicago Union | Chicago, IL | Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium | 2013 (as Windy City Wildfire) |
| Detroit Mechanix† | Grand Rapids, MI | Davenport University Football Stadium | 2012 | |
| Indianapolis AlleyCats† | Indianapolis, IN | Grand Park Events Center | 2012 | |
| Madison Radicals | Madison, WI | Breese Stevens Field | 2013 | |
| Minnesota Wind Chill | Saint Paul, MN | Sea Foam Stadium | 2013 | |
| Pittsburgh Thunderbirds | Pittsburgh, PA | Highmark Stadium | 2015 | |
| East | Boston Glory | Boston, MA | Hormel Stadium | 2020 |
| DC Breeze | Washington, DC | Carlini Field at Catholic University | 2013 | |
| Montreal Royal | Montreal, QC | Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard | 2014 | |
| New York Empire | New York City, NY | Joseph F. Fosina Field | 2013 | |
| Philadelphia Phoenix | Philadelphia, PA | South Philadelphia Supersite | 2013 | |
| Toronto Rush | Toronto, ON | Varsity Stadium | 2013 | |
| West | Colorado Summit | Denver, CO | Marv Kay Stadium | 2022 |
| Los Angeles Aviators | Los Angeles, CA | Culver City High School | 2015 | |
| Oakland Spiders | Oakland, CA | Fremont High School (in Oakland) | 2014 (as San Jose Spiders) | |
| Portland Nitro | Portland, OR | Providence Park | 2022 | |
| Salt Lake Shred | Salt Lake City, UT | Zions Bank Stadium | 2022 | |
| San Diego Growlers | San Diego, CA | Mission Bay High School | 2015 | |
| Seattle Cascades | Seattle, WA | Seattle Memorial Stadium | 2014 (as Seattle Raptors) |
Past Teams
| Team | City/Area | Stadium | Season(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Express | Charlotte, NC | Irwin Belk Complex | 2015–2016 | |
| Cincinnati Revolution | Cincinnati, OH | Sheakley Athletic Center | 2012 (as Bluegrass Revolution), 2013–2016 | |
| Columbus Cranes† | Columbus, OH | Warhawks Stadium | 2012 | |
| Connecticut Constitution† | New Britain, CT | Arute Field | 2012 | |
| Nashville NightWatch | Nashville, TN | Hunters Lane High School | 2015–2018 | |
| New Jersey Hammerheads | Trenton, NJ | Mercer County Community College Stadium | 2013 | |
| Ottawa Outlaws | Ottawa, ON | MNP Park | 2015–2022 | |
| Philadelphia Spinners† | Philadelphia, PA | Franklin Field | 2012 | Left to join MLU |
| Rhode Island Rampage† | Providence, RI | Pierce Memorial Field | 2012 | |
| Rochester Dragons† | Rochester, NY | Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium | 2012 (as Buffalo Hunters),2013–2015 | |
| Salt Lake Lions | Salt Lake City, UT | Taylorsville High School Stadium | 2014 | |
| San Francisco FlameThrowers | Oakland, CA | Laney College Football Field | 2014–2018 | |
| Tampa Bay Cannons | St. Petersburg, FL | Gibbs High School | 2015 (as Jacksonville Cannons)–2022 | |
| Vancouver Riptide | Vancouver, BC | Swangard Stadium | 2014–2017 |
† Team was a founding member of the UFA
UFA Championship Winners
| Season | Date | Champion | Final score | Runner-up | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Los Altos Hills, CA |
| 2020 | NA | No champion due to COVID-19 | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| 2021 | September 11, 2021 | Raleigh Flyers | 19–16 | New York Empire | Audi Field | Washington, DC |
| 2022 | August 26, 2022 | New York Empire | 22–14 | Chicago Union | Breese Stevens Field | Madison, WI |
| 2023 | August 26, 2023 | New York Empire | 19–12 | Salt Lake Shred | TCO Stadium | Eagan, MN |
Most Valuable Players (MVPs)
| 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 |
| 2021 | Ben Jagt | New York Empire |
| 2022 | Ryan Osgar | New York Empire |
| 2023 | Jeff Babbitt | New York Empire |
League Leaders
The UFA has had several people lead the league as Commissioner:
- Josh Moore: 2012-2013
- Steve Gordon: 2013-2018
- Steve Hall: 2018–2024
- Tim DeByl: 2024-Present
More About Ultimate Frisbee
- Major League Ultimate – another league that used to exist alongside the AUDL (2013-2016).
- Premier Ultimate League – a league for women's ultimate.
- Western Ultimate League – another league for women's ultimate.
