Problem
Every year, USAU provides the public a framework of competition within which compete the best ultimate players in the world. Any group of people can form a club and enter the competition. This open system is what allowed ultimate to become one of the fastest growing and most accessible sports. Access to the highest levels of competition is something that inspires thousands of adults around the country to train, try-out, and travel for their teams. Yet still the status quo leaves much to be desired.
The current club system, as we envision and enact it, does not adequately serve the ultimate community. There are many talented and enthusiastic players who, for some reason, are dissuaded from or unable to join a club team. Some of these reasons may include:
For players new to the area, the size and sociability of the bay area ultimate scene can be intimidating. Club teams are very clique-y and this is discouraging to people who aren’t as social or extroverted. One should not need to have friends going into the season.
Communication and advertising regarding club teams is notoriously poor.
The window of competition for spots on teams for non-elite players is small, unclearly marked, different for each team, and inconsistently managed.
Expected commitment level varies widely among teams and players leading to troublesome incongruities.
Clubs dissolve frequently, devaluing an investment in one.
In addition, now this grassroots foundation also faces threat from the forces of professionalization and commercialization. The club system stands in opposition to the professional leagues in which team owners and other moneyed interests call the shots, for the good of their bottom line. In a club the members share the power and decisions are always made for the good of the people. A club system is the only system that holds the potential to serve the greater ultimate community; we can’t all be pros but we can all be clubmates.
There are many reasons why our current model is failing to live up to its potential. Surely if we wish to live up to ultimate’s grassroots heritage we must first look to ourselves, the enactors, for both problem and solution. The clubs of old can’t keep pace with the growth of our sport. If we want to preserve ultimate, as we love it, for the next generation, we need a new kind of club.
Solution
A club for everyone. The only club you’ll ever need to join. Based on the model of Western European athletic clubs. Between October and July the club practices as one, learning the foundational playing principles and enjoying all sorts of off-season exploits. In June or July, the club forms as many teams as necessary to participate in the USAU season and local leagues, still sharing resources while competing head-to-head at all our favorite tournaments. The small goal is having more fun with more friends more often. The grand goal is providing cradle to grave ultimate opportunities for everyone.
How is this good for…?
A player - At its core this concept is about designing the most positive, empowering, high-yield player experience we can dream up. From the moment you sign up your destiny will be almost entirely in your hands. Come to as many practices as you can or want. Find a weeknight workout group in your neighborhood. Win a tournament and/or a party. But most importantly, never doubt your place in the community.
An organizer/captain/coach - By combining efforts we can cut costs (field rentals, gear, travel, etc.), streamline coaching, and eliminate redundancies in team management; reducing the burden on individual leaders. By expanding the player pool, holding well-attended practices, and creating a support network we will maximize the impact per effort of each individual leader. And through example as well as policy we will develop from among our clubmates the next generation of ultimate leaders.
Everyone - We live in the age of the social network, a time in which many people are rejecting old ideals of self-interested consumerism and are embracing connectedness. But nobody is judged on their number of Facebook friends, our real-life relationships are the building blocks of a healthy life. Did you know that joining and participating in just one group reduces your odds of dying next year by half? Starting with keeping oneself healthy and continuing by representing our shared values of community, sustainability, and Spirit of the Game, we can be the change we want to see in the world.
This effort is not meant to immediately impact the top tier competitive teams but rather to unite and serve the vast middle class of ultimate. We all play ultimate because we love it; but we also like to compete and improve our skills. We benefit equally from the fitness, the fun, and the friends. The professionalization of ultimate threatens to transform it into just another American pro sport. We want to ensure that ultimate remains accessible to the general public and that it returns dividends to those who invest their time and love. Furthermore, we believe that ultimate is potentially a transformative social force that can improve the lives of players and foster community-at-large.
Change is inevitable and it’s something that we feel happening in ultimate right now. We can sit back and watch as factors beyond our control shape the growth of our beloved sport. Then, decades from now we can all lament these good ole days of close-knit community and a full competition schedule. The power to create our own ultimate experience has always been in our hands but until now we’ve handled it with kid gloves. Ultimate is here to stay and now is the time to make it ours.
