Origins
Ultimate came into being not through invention—which happened various times in the 40’s, 50’s, and again in the 60’s—but through the establishment of RULES, hilariously, by a group of teenagers who played the game in a parking lot in 1968, and eventually decided to write down their rules in 1970, in New Jersey.
Among those then-teenagers was Joel Silver. He’d go on to produce various small, obscure films like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and The Matrix. For those who don’t know the US, that would be like if…Rubgy was invented in Essex by Tony Scott.
Although Ultimate is only 50 years old, disc sports are a bit older. Discus is from the 8th Century BCE.
2,600 years later, in 1871, a pie company, the Frisbie Pie Company, started making pies in tins which had flat lids, which local Yale kids used to play various games, including games that looked like Ultimate, and the name “Frisbie” stuck. Almost 90 years later, in 1957, the toy company Wham-O buys the rights to the term “Frisbee”. And here we are.
The Disc
But, calling a disc a “Frisbee” is exactly like calling an “ATM” or "a “cash machine” a “Cashpoint”; the latter is a branded term owned by Lloyds Bank. Wham-O registers the trademark “Frisbee” in 1959. Ironically, despite being trademark owners, no one uses Wham-O discs. The disc we use is a Discraft (the company) Ultrastar (the “model” of disc):
There are things you don’t know about a disc: Ultimate Disc Anatomy
Organized Disc Sports
Jumping ahead a bit, in 1973, the United Kingdom FDA is formed. By the end of the 70’s, Japan, Australia, and a dozen European countries establish their NGBs, and the United States establishes the Ultimate Players Association, the UPA. It’s a bit communist sounding, but Ultimate was a bit hippy to start, and, frankly, the energy of the “Ultimate Players Association” fit the idea that players self-offciate, and for a long time, ran the sport. It’s since been taken over by professional managers. I won’t get into that.
In 1981, the British Ultimate Federation is formed, separating the sports of Ultimate (and Guts) from the various other individual disc disciplines. 3 years later, WFDF, the World Flying Disc Federation, is formed and elects England’s Charlie Mead as its first president.
WFDF and Modern Ultimate
Today, WFDF, the World Flying Disc Federation, is the international governing body of Ultimate. It’s our “IGB”, if you’re a sportnerd. Ultimate in the United States is governed by USA Ultimate, (or USAU, a “rebranding” from “UPA”). In the UK, Ultimate is government by, wait for it, UK Ultimate (or UKU). Those are the National Governing Bodies, or NGB’s.
In WFDF’s own words (emphasis mine):
The World Flying Disc Federation (“WFDF”) is the international sports federation responsible for world governance of flying disc (frisbee) sports, including Ultimate, Beach Ultimate, Disc Golf, Freestyle, Guts, and Individual Events. WFDF is a federation of 122 member associations, which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in more than 118 countries. WFDF is an International Federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), and the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF), the International World Games Association (IWGA), the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), and the Association for the International Sport for All (TAFISA). WFDF is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code, and is a registered not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation in the state of Colorado, USA.
How popular is Ultimate?
According to a Canadian website citing USA Ultimate as a source, Ultimate is played by 7 million people worldwide. I can’t find the USAU source. UK Ultimate says: “millions of players”. Reddit claims 10 million. I use that number, because I’m old and “10” is easy to remember, and because 10 millions sounds BIG. Is it accurate? No idea.
The top 3 countries, by current strength:
United States
Canada
Great Britain
Yet, Ultimate remains a somewhat remote possibility for inclusion in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, despite those numbers and the sheer awesomeness of the sport. The International Olympic Committee granted Ultimate—and WFDF—”full recognition” in 2015:
In the last decade, however, it’s failed to be included in the games. Will Ultimate ever get there? It’s unclear. 2032 seems to be the new target, although 2028 in its home country seems like it ought to be the best opportunity.
That said, the World Games, a “spin-off” of the Olympics, under the patronage of the IOC, for sports which have failed to qualify for inclusion in the Olympics (played 1 year after each summer Olympics), have hosted Ultimate since 2001. In a way, it’s an “exhibition venue” for sports which haven’t been included in the Olympics. Several of the sports have “moved" up” into the Olympic schedule, and no longer compete in the World Games.
This year, the World Games are in Chengdu, China. The Full 2025 World Games Ultimate Schedule is out. Pool play begins around Tuesday, Aug 12 (well, 3am on Tuesday morning, if my timezone math is right). Unfortunately, the UK either didn’t qualify (or chose not to send a team). But, Aus and Canada are Commonwealth nations to root for, and France and Germany will be competing if you’d rather cheer for a European team. Here’s the schedule (Sorry, UltiWorld. Times in China Standard time):
Tuesday, August 12th
10:00: USA vs JPN (A Pool)
12:00: COL vs CAN (B Pool)
15:30: GER vs CHN (A)
17:30: AUS vs FRA (B)
Wednesday, August 13th
10:00: USA vs GER (A)
12:00: AUS vs COL (B)
15:30: FRA vs CAN (B)
17:30: JPN vs CHN (A)
Thursday, August 14th
10:00: AUS vs CAN (B)
12:00: GER vs JPN (A)
15:30: USA vs CHN (A)
17:30: COL vs FRA (B)
Friday, August 15th
10:00: 5th-8th Bracket Semifinal (4A vs 3B)
12:00: 5th-8th Bracket Semifinal (4B vs 3A)
15:30: Championship Bracket Semifinal (1B vs 2A)
17:30: Championship Bracket Semifinal (1A vs 2B)
Saturday, August 16th
10:00: 7th Place Game
12:00: 5th Place Game
15:30: Bronze Medal Match
17:30: Gold Medal Match
Upcoming Events
The World Ultimate Club Championships (WUCC), also known as just “Worlds”, is held every 4 years. The next event will be hosted in Limerick, Ireland next year in 2026.
This is the PREMIER event in Ultimate, and represents the highest player and team caliber in the world. As is the case with club teams vs national teams in other sports, expect the playing level to be even higher.
I expect that GB’s own Clapham (Open Division) will field a competitive team (as they usually do).
If you are planning to qualify, you’ll have to get cracking, though. place in the Top 2 Mixed teams at Nationals, which begins on 30 Aug. For those not competing for their WUCC spot, there’s a little friendly in Exeter on that same weekend.