The Western Ultimate League (WUL) is a women's professional 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".[1]
The WUL was formed to parallel the Premier Ultimate League (PUL), another women's ultimate league established in 2019, with an eye toward a future merger.[2][3] The WUL was established to provide professional opportunities for women and non-binary athletes in the Western United States, building on the success of showcase games that began in 2019 along the West Coast.[1] The league is committed to creating equitable and accessible pathways for participation while showcasing the abilities of women and non-binary players through professional-level games that are broadcast globally.[1] The WUL also focuses on developing future generations of players through clinics and community outreach programs.
History
The WUL started with a 2017 and 2018 series of women's and mixed showcase games affiliated with the American Ultimate Disc League (now the Ultimate Frisbee Association), and a 2019 series of professional women's showcase games along the west coast including games between Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver-based teams and between Los Angeles and San Diego–based teams.[4][5]
The inaugural 2020 Western Ultimate League season began with tryouts in January and February 2020 with seven teams.[6] Competition, which had been set to begin in March 2020 and continue through May, was postponed[7] and then canceled due to the COVID-19pandemic.[8][9]
In January 2021, the Portland Swifts announced they were withdrawing from the WUL.[10] The six remaining WUL teams first competed in December 2021 at the Winter Cup in San Diego.[11] The Utah Wild emerged victorious,[12][13] and two plays from the Winter Cup were featured on SportsCenter.[14] After the Winter Cup, the league announced the addition of a seventh team, the Oregon Onyx.[14]
The first regular season was conducted in 2022, with the Seattle Tempest emerging as champions.[15] In October 2022, the league announced the addition of an eighth team, the Colorado Alpenglow,[16] and in March 2023 they announced the creation of two conferences, Northwest and Southwest.[17]
The Oregon Onyx[18] and Los Angeles Astra[19] departed the league after the 2023 season.
The Oregon Soar joined the league after the 2024 season.[20]
With the addition of the Oregon Soar for the 2025 season, the league restructured its format from the two-conference system that had been in place since 2023. The league moved away from the Northwest and Southwest conferences, which had previously consisted of three teams each following the departure of the Los Angeles Astra and Oregon Onyx after the 2023 season, to operate as a single seven-team table for the 2025 season.
In 2025 the first WUL vs PUL All-Star Game took place.
Teams
The WUL consists of seven teams as of the 2025 season.
The WUL Championship Weekend is the annual postseason tournament that determines the league champion. The event features the top four teams from the regular season competing in a single-elimination bracket over two days.
Format
After a 9-week regular season, the four highest-ranked teams qualify for Championship Weekend. The tournament uses a standard four-team bracket:
Saturday: Two semifinal games (1 vs 4 seed, 2 vs 3 seed)
Sunday: Third place game (semifinal losers) and championship final (semifinal winners)
Tournament History
Championship Weekend rotates host cities annually. San Diego hosted the inaugural event in 2022, followed by Seattle (2023), Colorado (2024), and the Bay Area (2025). The host region's team has won the championship in 2023 and 2024.
2022
The 2022 WUL season marked the league's first full inaugural season, featuring seven teams competing across the Western United States. The regular season ran from March 11th to May 1st using a hybrid format of traditional home-and-away games combined with special weekend events.
The top four teams advanced to Championship Weekend on May 14-15 at Mira Mesa High School in San Diego, California. The Seattle Tempest emerged as the league's first champions, completing a perfect season by winning every game including a victory over the San Diego Super Bloom in the finals. Seattle's dominant inaugural campaign established them as the WUL's first dynasty.[21]
Semifinals Saturday, May 14
Finals Sunday, May 15
1
Seattle Tempest
24
4
Arizona Sidewinders
12
1
Seattle Tempest
18
2
San Diego Super Bloom
15
2
San Diego Super Bloom
24
3
Oregon Onyx
15
Third place
4
Arizona Sidewinders
17
3
Oregon Onyx
14
2023
The 2023 WUL season marked a major expansion as the league welcomed the Colorado Alpenglow as its eighth franchise and split into two four-team conferences for the first time. The Northwest Conference featured Colorado, Oregon, Seattle, and Utah, while the Southwest Conference included Arizona, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. The season utilized a hybrid format mixing traditional home-and-away games with special weekend events over 10 weeks from March 10th to May 14th.
Despite losing twice during the regular season, the Seattle Tempest dominated the Northwest Conference and successfully defended their championship at home in Seattle. Championship Weekend on June 3-4 saw Seattle defeat San Francisco 13-7 in the semifinals before edging San Diego Super Bloom 13-11 in a thrilling final—marking Seattle's second consecutive title and their second championship game victory over San Diego.[22]
Semifinals Saturday, June 3
Championship Sunday, June 4
SW1
San Diego Super Bloom
21
NW2
Utah Wild
15
SW1
San Diego Super Bloom
11
NW1
Seattle Tempest
13
NW1
Seattle Tempest
13
SW2
Bay Area Falcons
7
Third place
NW2
Utah Wild
10
SW2
Bay Area Falcons
14
2024
The 2024 WUL season marked a return to traditional home and away games with a streamlined six-team format. The league was divided into two three-team conferences: the Northwest Conference (Colorado, Seattle, Utah) and Southwest Conference (Arizona, Bay Area, San Diego). Each team played every in-conference opponent twice and faced two out-of-conference teams during the 9-week regular season from March 13th to May 19th.
The season culminated in Championship Weekend on June 1-2 at the Pinnacle Athletic Complex in Thornton, Colorado. In a major upset, two-time champions Seattle Tempest failed to qualify for Championship Weekend, while two teams that had never won a semifinal match advanced to the Championship Game. The Colorado Alpenglow, in just their second season, defeated the Utah Wild 20-12 in the finals to claim their first WUL championship on home turf.[23]
Semifinals Saturday, June 1
Championship Sunday, June 2
NW2
Utah Wild
15
SW1
Bay Area Falcons
13
NW2
Utah Wild
12
NW1
Colorado Alpenglow
20
NW1
Colorado Alpenglow
19
SW2
San Diego Super Bloom
15
Third place
SW1
Bay Area Falcons
15
SW2
San Diego Super Bloom
17
2025
The 2025 tournament took place June 7-8 at Fremont High School in Oakland, California, with San Diego Super Bloom defeating the Bay Area Falcons 12-10 in the championship final on Sunday, June 8 to claim their first WUL title.[24]
Super Bloom advanced to the final after defeating Seattle Tempest in the semifinals, while Bay Area advanced by beating Colorado Alpenglow. The championship marked the end of a three-year streak where the host city won the title, as Bay Area was unable to continue that tradition on their home field.
San Diego finished the 2025 regular season with a 5-1 record before their championship run. The team was led by MVP finalists Kaela Helton and Dena Elimelech, along with DPOTY finalist Kaitlyn Weaver and OPOTY finalist Kelli Iwamoto.
Semifinals Saturday, June 7
Finals Sunday, June 8
1
Colorado Alpenglow
16
4
Bay Area Falcons
19
4
Bay Area Falcons
10
2
San Diego Super Bloom
12
2
San Diego Super Bloom
17
3
Seattle Tempest
16
Third place
1
Colorado Alpenglow
13
3
Seattle Tempest
18
WUL vs PUL All-Star Game
The first-ever WUL vs PUL All-Star Game took place on August 23, 2025, in Madison, Wisconsin, during the UFA's Championship Weekend. This historic matchup brought together the top players from both professional women's and non-binary ultimate leagues, with rosters selected through a combination of fan voting and coach selection. The game was scheduled during UFA Championship Weekend to maximize visibility and energy, featuring high-quality live streaming and benefiting from the national championship audience atmosphere.
This inaugural All-Star Game represented a significant milestone for women's and non-binary ultimate, showcasing the talent from both leagues on a premier stage. The event was included with Saturday UFA title game tickets, making it accessible to championship weekend attendees and marking a new chapter in professional women's ultimate competition.
WUL end of season awards are voted on by players, coaches, league officials, and media members, ensuring a balanced evaluation that considers both on-field performance and overall contribution to the league and sport.
San Diego Super Bloom (Head Coach Angela Wells, and asst. coaches Benjamin Eto, Alisha Stoun, Jonathan Helton, Carlos Ruiz, Shar Stuht, Henry Argetsinger, Jeremy Cho)[25]
6-2
2024
Bay Area Falcons (Head Coach Manisha Daryani and Assistant Coaches Shaun Webb, Candice Tse, and Byron Liu)[26]
5-1
Bay Area Falcons, Arizona Sidewinders, Colorado Alpenglow, San Diego Super Bloom, Seattle Tempest, Utah Wild
2025
Colorado Alpenglow (Head Coach Madison "Badger" Oleson, Defensive Coach Lena Goren, and Offensive Coach Thomas Echols)[27]
6-0
Colorado Alpenglow, San Diego Super Bloom, Seattle Tempest
References
1 2 3 "About". Western Ultimate League. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
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