Ultimate is a non-contact, self-refereed team sport played with a flying disc. Ultimate brings together elements of soccer, american football, and basketball to create a dynamic, action-packed, high-intensity game that requires a high degree of speed, endurance, skill, and most importantly, teamwork.
A game of ultimate is played by two teams with a flying disc on a pitch with end zones, similar to an american football pitch but narrower. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent’s end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the disc, but may pivot and pass to any of the other players on their team. It is a transition game in which players move quickly from offense to defense on turnovers that occur with a dropped pass, an interception, a pass out of bounds, or when a player is caught holding the disc for more than ten seconds.
The sport was developed in 1968 by a group of students at Columbia High School in the USA. 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. This concept, called Spirit of the Game, is integrated into the basic philosophy of the sport, written into the rules, and practiced at all levels of the game from local leagues to the World Games. The sport is now played by an estimated 8 million people in over 100 countries.
The international governing body, the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) is a federation of 103 member associations, which represent flying disc sports and their athletes in more than 100 countries. WFDF has been recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). As the international governing body for the sport, WFDF has the responsibility for sanctioning world championship and other international events. Ultimate in Ireland is governed by the Irish Flying Disc Association (IFDA). The IFDA organises All-Ireland competitions at school, college, and club level, as well as organising representative national teams to compete at European and World Championship level.
