Sport | Ultimate frisbee |
---|---|
Founded | 2022 |
League | Ultimate Frisbee Association |
Division | West |
Location | Portland, Oregon |
Stadium | Providence Park |
Website | watchufa |
The Oregon Steel are a professional ultimate team based in Portland, Oregon. The Steel compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team plays its home games at Providence Park. [1] Their first season (as the Portland Nitro) was in 2022, [2] [3] and they rebranded as the Steel (in honor of Oregon's steelhead trout) after the 2024 season. [4]
Ultimate frisbee is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. The term "frisbee" is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and thus the sport is not formally called "ultimate frisbee", though this name is still in common casual use. Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play.
Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1867 and is situated on the historic M. Lloyd Frank Estate in South Portland's Collins View neighborhood. It is composed of three distinct but adjacent campuses: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Graduate School of Education & Counseling, and the Law School. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic programs competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III Northwest Conference.
Portland, Oregon, United States, is home to three major league sports teams — the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association, the Portland Timbers of Major League Soccer, and the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The city also hosts a wide variety of other sports and sporting events.
The Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) is a professional ultimate league in North America composed of 23 teams divided between the South, Central, East, and West divisions. Each UFA season has 12 regular season games which run from April to July. Following the conclusion of the regular season, the top three teams from every division advance to the playoffs, a single elimination tournament that culminates in a final four style showcase known as the UFA Championship Weekend, which is contested in late August over two days.
The Detroit Mechanix are a professional ultimate team based in the Detroit metropolitan area. The Mechanix compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. The Mechanix, owned by Brent Steepe and was founded in 2010, began play in 2012 as one of the eight charter teams of the league.
The Toronto Rush are a professional ultimate team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Rush compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division.
The Portland Stags were an American semi-professional ultimate team based in Portland, Oregon. The Stags competed as part of Major League Ultimate (MLU) in the league's Western Conference until the league suspended operations in 2016. The team was one of the original eight teams that formed the MLU in 2013. The team saw the post-season three times and in 2016 saw its first appearance at the MLU Championship.
The Philadelphia Phoenix are a professional ultimate team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Phoenix compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team is owned and operated by Main Line Today's "Woman on The Move" Christina Lee Chung, MD, FAAD. From 2020 to 2021 the Phoenix competed in the Atlantic Division. The team's home field is located on the campus of Neumann University.
The New York Empire are a professional ultimate team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Empire compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team played its first season in 2013. The Empire won their first title in 2019, followed by titles in 2022 and 2023.
The Minnesota Wind Chill are a professional ultimate team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wind Chill compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the Central Division. They are one of two teams in the UFA to represent a state rather than a specific city. The team won their first UFA Championship in 2024, beating the Carolina Flyers 17-16.
The Oakland Spiders are a professional ultimate team based in Oakland, California. The Spiders compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team was founded as the San Jose Spiders in 2014 when the league expanded to the West Coast, and played under that name until moving to Oakland in 2022. The Spiders won the National Championship in their first season and became the first team in the league's history to win consecutive titles when they defeated the Madison Radicals in the 2015 championship game.
The Austin Sol are a professional ultimate team based in Austin, Texas. The Sol compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the South Division. The team was founded in 2016, and played its first match on April 2, 2016. The Sol play their home games at The Pitch. The owner and general manager of the Sol is Patrick Christmas, the head coach is Steven Naji, and the assistant general manager is Ryan Purcell.
The Dallas Legion, formerly the Dallas Roughnecks, were a professional ultimate team that competed in the South Division of the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). Founded in 2015, the team played their first year in the 2016 AUDL season, wherein they won the championship title.
The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, transgender, intersex, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid people through high-quality competition, leadership experiences, and community partnerships". The league strives for gender, racial, and economic diversity in the sport of ultimate frisbee. PUL players are paid $40 per league game.
The Boston Glory are a professional ultimate team based in Greater Boston area. The Glory compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team was announced on December 4, 2019, and played its first season in 2021 owing to the cancellation of the UFA 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Western Ultimate League (WUL) is a professional women's ultimate league in the Western United States. It was founded in 2020. The WUL's stated mission is to "promote visibility, opportunity, and equity within women's ultimate".
The Portland Rising is a professional ultimate team based in Portland, Maine which competes in the Premier Ultimate League (PUL). It plays at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Their stated mission is to "dream big and work in partnership with our community to RISE together."
The Houston Havoc are a professional ultimate team based in Houston, Texas. The Havoc compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the South Division.
The Salt Lake Shred are a professional ultimate team based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The Shred compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team plays its home games at Zions Bank Stadium, a soccer stadium in Herriman, Utah.
The Colorado Summit are a professional ultimate team based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Summit compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team plays its home games at the Colorado School of Mines' Marv Kay Stadium.