Ultimate Frisbee

Contributed by Nicola Sichi.
Regional Director, USA Sport Group.

Ultimate Frisbee is a fun, low cost game that can be enjoyed by everyone. Ultimate Frisbee was created in the summer of 1968 by Joel Silvers. The game was developed whilst Joel was attending an enrichment program in Northfield, Massachusetts. Joel returned to Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ where he got the new sport added into the curriculum.

Ultimate Frisbee, or Ultimate as it is also known, has expanded to colleges around the country and gained enough popularity where unofficial National Championships were held in the mid to late 1970s.

How to play

Ultimate Frisbee is played between two teams of seven players on a large rectangular field that has two end zones (like American Football). The aim of the game is to complete a pass to a player standing in the end zone.

Once a player has the frisbee they are not allowed to move and must throw it to a team mate (a bit like netball). By passing from player to player, the attacking team tries to move the frisbee up the field towards the end zone they are attacking. If the disc hits the ground, or is intercepted or knocked down by the other team, then possession is given to the other team, like a turnover in football. Possession also changes if a receiver is outside the playing area when he or she catches it.

We offer a variation of this frisbee game; disc golf, on our flagship Multi Sports camp. Click here for more information.

To learn more, visit USA Ultimate.