Western Ultimate League
 | |
| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| First season | 2022 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | United States |
| Official website | westernultimateleague.com |
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".[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 shares resources and communicates closely with the PUL.[2]
History
[edit]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-19 pandemic.[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 by ESPN 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]
The Oregon Onyx[17] and Los Angeles Astra[18] departed the league after the 2023 season.
Teams
[edit]The WUL consists of six teams as of the 2024 season.
| Team | Location | First Season |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Sidewinders | Phoenix, AZ | 2021 |
| Bay Area Falcons | San Francisco, CA | 2021 |
| Colorado Alpenglow | Denver, CO | 2023 |
| San Diego Super Bloom | San Diego, CA | 2021 |
| Seattle Tempest | Seattle, WA | 2021 |
| Utah Wild | Salt Lake City, UT | 2021 |
Former teams
[edit]| Team | Location | First season | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Astra | Los Angeles, California | 2021 | 2023 |
| Oregon Onyx | Portland, Oregon | 2022 | 2023 |
References
[edit]- ^ "About". WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ a b comments, Charlie Eisenhood in News with 0 (2019-12-05). "Western Ultimate League To Spotlight Women's Competition With Eye Towards PUL Merger". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ comments, Charlie Eisenhood in News with 0 (2019-12-03). "Premier Ultimate League Adding Four Teams For 2020 Season". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "WestCoast Women's Pro Ultimate takes off running". SAVAGE, The Ultimate Apparel Company. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ Zagoria, Adam. "Women's Professional Ultimate Frisbee League Announces Expansion". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- ^ comments, Kelsey Hayden in News with 0 (2020-02-28). "Inside The Premier Ultimate League, Western Ultimate League Tryouts". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Vondersmith, Jason. "Update: Portland Swifts were set to soar - before coronavirus forced season postponement". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
- ^ comments, Charlie Eisenhood in News with 0 (2020-03-12). "Western Ultimate League Postpones Start of Season Due to Coronavirus Outbreak". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ comments, Keith Raynor in News with 0 (2020-03-16). "Opening Pull: Ultimate Halted By Global Viral Pandemic". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-28.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Statement regarding the Portland Swifts— WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE- Women's Professional Frisbee". WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
- ^ "Western Ultimate League - Women's Professional Ultimate". WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ Hayden, Kelsey; Colvett, Mags; comments, Jenna Weiner in Recap with 0 (2021-12-13). "WUL Winter Cup 2021: Day One Recap". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Stephens, Edward; Rubin, Alex; Hayden, Kelsey; comments, Mags Colvett in Recap with 0 (2021-12-13). "WUL Winter Cup 2021: Day Two Recap". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Hayden, Kelsey; Rubin, Alex; comments, Keith Raynor in Preview with 0 (2022-03-11). "Western Ultimate League 2022: Season Preview". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Weiner, Jenna (2022-05-24). "Western Ultimate League 2022: Championship Weekend Recap". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
- ^ "Western Ultimate League – Women's Professional Ultimate". WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
- ^ "Western Ultimate League – Women's Professional Ultimate". WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2024-09-19.
- ^ "Western Ultimate League – Women's Professional Ultimate". WESTERN ULTIMATE LEAGUE. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-09-19.