Ultimate Frisbee Association

The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) is a professional ultimate frisbee league in North America. It has 22 teams split into four divisions: South, Central, East, and West. Each team plays 12 regular season games from April to July.

After the regular season, the top three teams from each division go to the playoffs. The playoffs are a single-elimination tournament that ends with the UFA Championship Weekend in late August. The championship is a two-day event.

The UFA started in 2012 as the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) and changed its name to the Ultimate Frisbee Association in 2024. The New York Empire has won the most championships with three titles. The current champions are the Boston Glory, who beat the Minnesota Wind Chill 17-15 in the 2025 UFA Championship Game.

History

Founding and inaugural season

The UFA started in 2012 by Josh Moore, originally called the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The very first game was won by the Connecticut Constitution against the Rhode Island Rampage with a score of 29 to 23. The first championship that same year was won by the Philadelphia Spinners.

In the beginning, the league had eight teams split into two groups. Jonathan "Goose" Helton from the Indianapolis AlleyCats was named the league’s best player that season.

2012 lawsuit

In 2012, the AUDL planned to grow by adding teams in New Jersey, New York, and Boston. However, the owners of the Connecticut Constitution and Rhode Island Rampage felt this would break their agreements. After talks failed, the league took legal action. This led to the Connecticut Constitution stopping play and losing games. By the end of the season, both the Constitution and Rampage were gone.

2013–2023

By 2013, only two teams from the first season stayed in their cities. The league kept growing, reaching 17 teams by 2014 and adding a West Division. In 2015, it expanded to 25 teams with new clubs like the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds and Los Angeles Aviators.

In 2015, Jessi Jones became the first woman to play professionally in the league. In 2017, Jesse Shofner became the first woman to score goals during a full season.

Several teams stopped playing over the years, including the Cincinnati Revolution and Charlotte Express in 2016, and the Nashville Nightwatch and San Francisco FlameThrowers in 2019.

The 2020 season was canceled because of health concerns. In 2021, Canadian teams played separately due to travel limits.

In 2021, three new teams joined: the Colorado Summit, Salt Lake Shred, and Portland Nitro. The Dallas Roughnecks changed their name to the Dallas Legion. In 2022, the San Jose Spiders moved to Oakland.

After 2022, the Houston Havoc joined while the Tampa Bay Cannons and Ottawa Outlaws left.

2024 rebranding

In January 2024, the league changed its name to the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). They worked with Sport Dimension Inc., the owners of the Frisbee brand, to create a new look. In 2024, the UFA began showing top games for free on YouTube.

After the 2024 season, the Portland Nitro became the Oregon Steel, and the Dallas Legion stopped playing. In 2025, the league changed its divisions again and added the Vegas Bighorns.

After 2025, the Detroit Mechanix and the Los Angeles Aviators left. The Colorado Summit renamed itself the Colorado Apex, and the Bighorns moved divisions.

Rules

Further information: Ultimate (sport) § Rules

The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) has some special rules that are a bit different from the usual rules. The field is bigger, measuring 53 and a third yards wide and 80 yards long, with end zones that are 20 yards each. Games are played in four quarters of 12 minutes each, with a 15-minute break in the middle. If the score is tied at the end, there is a five-minute overtime period. If it's still tied after that, another overtime period is played until one team scores first.

Some of the key changes include referees who help keep track of time and call fouls, a shorter time limit for passing the disc, and different types of fouls with set penalties. These rules help make the game run smoothly and fairly.

Teams

The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) has 22 teams in North America. These teams are split into four groups based on where they are located. During the regular season, teams can have as many players as they want on their list, but for each game they must choose between 12 and 20 players to actually play.

Active teams

Former teams

* Team was a founding member of the UFA

Championships

MVP

League commissioners

The Ultimate Frisbee Association has had several leaders over the years. Josh Moore led from 2012 to 2013, followed by Steve Gordon from 2013 to 2018. Steve Hall was in charge from 2018 to 2024, and Tim DeByl has been the leader since 2024.