By Nathan Fowler, UK Ultimate

What is Ultimate?

 Ultimate Frisbee and London is the group responsible for organising Ultimate Frisbee within London as part of UK Ultimate. UKU is the National Governing Body for the sport of ultimate in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 

 

Ultimate has been growing steadily in the UK for many years, and players can be found across the whole country. Ultimate is a fast-moving team sport enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of players the world over. Although frequently compared to sports like soccer or American football, ultimate has some unique features that set

it apart. There are no referees, and it is played with a flying disc.

 

To compete at the highest level, ultimate players require speed, agility and

endurance, yet beginners find the game easy to learn and fun to play. There are no referees in ultimate. The players make their own foul calls and settle disputes according to procedures laid out in the rules of ultimate. Upholding the principles of fair play and spirit of the game during competition becomes a challenging responsibility for players and is one of the defining aspects of the sport. Spirit of the game places the responsibility for fair play on every player. Highly competitive play is encouraged but should never sacrifice the mutual respect between players,

adherence to the rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. The self-refereed nature of the sport is a unique and interesting feature of the sport and it is one of the reasons so many people love to play the game.

 

 

 Within London there are over 50 active teams training and playing on a

weekly basis. To find your nearest venue, use Totally Sporty’s club directory.

It is worth noting that ultimate is frequently played as a

mixed sport with no restrictions on the number of men/women on each team.

It is for this reason that the main division is known as “open” rather than

“men” and whilst this doesn’t occur at the higher levels of competition, where

the game becomes increasingly physical, it is common to see social/beginner

level ultimate as a genuinely mixed team sport where men and women play

side-by-side.

 

London Ultimate organises a summer and winter league within London with over

40 teams competing in each competition. As well as this, London ultimate is

tasked with growing participation and knowledge of the sport.

Current initiatives include:

       -establishing regular Corporate Ultimate tournaments;

       -establishing a regular Indoor League;

       -establishing regular 'Complete Beginners' sessions;

       -becoming more involved in the development of Junior and Schools

        programmes