My first time – a personal journey of an ultimate Frisbee match

A newbie’s guide to watching Ultimate Frisbee

 

I was invited by Adam, the most fanatical (and only) Frisbee obsessee that I know, to join him at the Finals Day of World Ultimate and Guts Championship at Allianz Park in London on the 25th June 2016.   As someone who usually only ever watches sport from the comfort of her sofa and who hasn’t picked up a Frisbee since playing on the beach in 1983, I was initially reluctant and considered inventing a reason that couldn’t possibly go with him.  As it turns out, I am very glad that he dragged me along as I had a really fun and memorable day.  The experience of attending my first live sporting event made me recognise that what makes a game special is the energy amongst the crowd.

What made the experience so much fun was the enthusiasm of the fans and players alike.  The feeling of mutual respect and comradery between the teams was mirrored amongst the fans.  Australians sat next to Americans and Columbians, next to Brits and everyone was friendly, courteous and enjoying the spirit of the game.

The atmosphere felt welcoming and would be perfect as a family day out.  There was a surprising number of families with young children and babies amongst the crowd and I can imagine that as a parent myself, the parents did not have any cause to feel unsafe or uncomfortable.

We began the day sitting in the stalls and there was a large, ‘energetic’ group of young male Australians sat in the rows in front of us.  They seemed to arrive tipsy and continued to drink throughout the morning.  However they remained friendly, hugely entertaining and absolutely vital when it came to Mexican wave organisation.  I experienced my first Mexican wave thanks to those guys and learnt that they are even more fun when they go wrong.

Ultimate Frisbee is a game that encourages fans to participate.  There were fans swapping shirts amongst the crowds or just high-fiving each other’s choice of shirts.  There were people doing tricks by themselves, including a very memorable ‘older’ gent (who looked like he’d come straight from Woodstock) doing tricks worthy of a player in his twenties.  There were groups of friends, couples and families playing Frisbee amongst themselves in every available green space around the arena.  During breaks between matches, players and organisers threw Frisbees into the crowd and we were lucky enough to grapple catch a beautiful one.

On a practical note, parking was easy to find and a few minutes walk from the stadium.  The stadium was wheelchair accessible and you could choose between a seat in the stalls or at ground level around the pitch.  We tried both and found that although the sightline from the stadium seating was excellent, the feeling of being immersed in the game from watching at the side of the pitch was fantastic.  Seeing every facial expression, hearing the talk between the players and even enduring the short but thorough soaking from the rain was much more memorable to me.

What could have made it even better? Less time spent in ‘team talks’ between points and more organised activities around the stadium, such as a disc golf trial area or Frisbee related games for children.

The men’s final was incredibly fast paced and exciting to watch.  The tricks and manoeuvres that I saw being performed with the simple old Frisbee of my childhood was astounding.

If a play deserved a replay, it was put on the big screen to be admired again.  There were many plays during the course of the day that had the crowd cheering for a replay.

The highlight of the tournament for me was the women’s final between USA and Columbia.  The Columbian team’s support on the side-lines was positive, exuberant and entertaining to the crowd.  The whole team appeared to be there for the joy of the experience and their smiles throughout the match were contagious, as was their enthusiasm.  I am sure that if they had had the foresight to bring merchandise with them, a large number of the crowd would have gone home sporting the vibrant yellow and green jersey (me included!).

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable day.  I am a convert to the ultimate Frisbee fan club and can’t wait to practise my moves with my lovely new Frisbee.

Rebecca

Ed’s notes – Thanks a lot for this Rebecca. She makes many valid points but one stands out for me. The, at times, interminable delay between points. I ‘get’ the fact that teams swap ends after every goal and that D comes on whilst O leaves, but does the coach have to appear every time. Personally I’d have a maximum time between points. Lets start at 30 seconds and take it from there. What does anyone else think?