Here’s what’s going on

Welcome to VU Fall Leagues (VUFL)

Our adult mixed competitive & oldsters leagues are back! Plus we have a new option for high school athletes –  hopefully you can find one (or more that suits you!)

For more information about each league, please click on link below:

• Oldsters Mixed – Female-Matching 30+, Male-Matching 40+– Mondays 
• High School Mixed – Grades 8 – 12 – Wednesdays
• Adult Competitive Mixed – ages 15+ – Thursdays 

Registration – click here 

Questions: Contact Dan Kaplan – dan@valleyultimate.org

League Goals and Values
This is our 3rd year running this league and we look forward to continuing a welcoming, fun, and competitive atmosphere to keep us all playing Ultimate even as the daylight fades in New England autumn.

We seek to create a community space for players to compete in a welcoming and friendly environment. We strive to foster an inclusive playing opportunity and welcome feedback on how to continue to improve in this area. We adhere to the USAU Gender Inclusion Policy and have collected equity resources on our website, which we encourage players to explore. We expect all participants to demonstrate the highest level of respect for one another and the ultimate community; harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated and should be reported to the league coordinator (contact info below). Players will be removed from play immediately pending further investigation.

Registration is open now until August 22nd!!

here’s what’s going on

here’s what’s going on 

here’s what’s going on 

Click here for the latest

Welcome to our (brand new) VU Summer League (VUSL)
Weeknight Summer League 2024

When:

• Monday (Women’s)
• Tuesday (Grandmasters Mixed), and
• Wednesday (Mixed Competitive) 6-8pm

Dates : June 17  – August 15, 2024
Location: Oxbow Field – Northampton
Ages: Women’s = 14+ ; Grandmasters = 35+ (women), 40+ (men) ; Competitive = 14+
Cost: $60 for one league, $50 (per league) for two, $40 (per league) for three –
Sliding Scale Options Available (see below)
Registration: May 7 – June 7 Ability Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Vibe: Mixed, Competitive, Fun Ultimate!

Coordinator: Kyle Taylor 

Details? Read below

Registration – click here 

League Goals and Values This is a new league and we look forward to a welcoming, fun, and competitive atmosphere to keep us all playing Ultimate through the summer! We seek to create a community space for players to compete in a welcoming and friendly environment. We strive to foster an inclusive playing opportunity and welcome feedback on how to continue to improve in this area. We adhere to the USAU Gender Inclusion Policy and have collected equity resources on our website, which we encourage players to explore. We expect all participants to demonstrate the highest level of respect for one another and the ultimate community; harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated and should be reported to the league coordinator (contact info below). Players will be removed from play immediately pending further investigation. VU Summer league competition format:

• 7 v 7, mixed (coed) play (4:3, alternating majority)
• Current USAU Ultimate Rules 
• Games start at 6pm
• Games to 15, half at 8 (or at 60 minutes if not 8 points yet)
• Hard Cap at 90 minutes (7:30pm)
• Timeouts – 1 per half, plus a floater
• Halftime is 5 minutes. It can be shorter by agreement of the captains.

  Dates, Standings, Playoffs: Please note, team numbers and rotation may change based on interest 

• Women’s League

• • • Weeknight league play will begin on Monday, June 17 at 6pm
    • There will be four teams, each team will play each other twice, and we will keep track of standings. 
    • On July 29 (Week 7), Ranks 1v3 and 2v4 will play 
    • On August 5 (week 8) W1 v W2 and L1 v L2
    • On August 12 (week), W1a v W2a and L1a v L2a

• Grandmaster’s League

• • • Weeknight League will begin on Tuesday, June 18 at 6pm
    • There will be four teams, each team will play each other twice, and we will keep track of standings. 
    • On July 30 (Week 7), Ranks 1v3 and 2v4 will play 
    • On August 6 (week 8) W1 v W2 and L1 v L2
    • On August 13 (week), W1a v W2a and L1a v L2a

• Competitive League

• • Weeknight league play will begin Wednesday, June 19
  • There will be six teams. 
    • The first 5 weeks will consist of a simple round robin.
    • Teams will be ranked into two pools of 3 after the round robin. Week 6 – Week 8 will be cross-pool play
    • Teams will face off according to pool play results for Week 9 (1v2, 3v4, 5v6)

How are teams formed?

• This is a draft league; Once players are accepted into the league, they will be drafted by captains onto teams.
• Players must be in good standing (paid, registered) to be eligible for the draft
• All appointed captains will meet for a draft at least one week before the season begins. 
• If you would like to be a captain please indicate so on your registration form.
• We intend to create 6 teams (of 16 or 18 players) – evenly split between male & female/anyone-matching players.

Is this league for you?

• This league is open to all players, but will be geared toward an intermediate /advanced  level. This means that a player should have some experience playing ultimate, whether on a team or in a previous league. This is not intended to be a teaching/introductory league.
• Players can sign up individually and may request to play with one friend

Registration: 

• Acceptance into this league is based on a lottery and is not first-come, first-served
• Lottery registration is open from Tuesday, May 7 at 6am and will be open through Friday, June 7 at 10pm.
• We will notify you if you are accepted and collect payment then (note that you must pay within 3 days of selection – otherwise your registration will be given to someone else). 
• Registration is $60, $50, or $40 (depending on the number of leagues you sign up for), but those who cannot afford to pay full price can choose to pay less at checkout (VU sliding scale).  All players must be current USAU members or purchase the additional, once-per-year Valley Ultimate affiliate fee of $17 (this is how we are being insured). 
• Male-Matching players who “bundle” their registration with a female/anyone-matching player will receive priority to participate. 
• If you are interested in playing in this league, please fill out the following Registration Form. 

Questions: 

• Contact Kyle Taylor 

Pricing (VU Sliding Scale): 

• Sustainer Price: $75
• Full Registration Price: $60
• Cost Price: $40
• Financial Hardship Price: $20
• Request a full fee waiver – no questions asked

Gender Matching: 

• Here is language we plan to use regarding gender matching:
  • Female-matching: any non-cis gendered man who prefers to match against women or nonbinary players
  • Male-matching: Any person who prefers to match against men 
  • Anyone-matching: any non-cis gendered man who is comfortable marking any player on the field
• Please keep in mind that we envision the “anyone-match” position to be occupied by players who are not cisgender men. The position exists to create space for nonbinary/genderfluid players in mixed ultimate, and to allow all players to feel comfortable in their matchups.

Valley Ultimate Youth Club Program:

Opportunities for Gx & Bx U20 athletes

Are you

• between the ages of 14-19?
• hoping to develop your Ultimate game?
• looking for great coaching, fun skill building, and local & regional competition?

For more information – check out our website and sign up today

Dear Valley Ultimate Friends,

Here’s the short version!

This has been an active year for our small organization. After a quiet time during the pandemic, we not only have seen our activities return, but in 2023 they expanded significantly (see below). And as this year ends, we want to let you know of another incredible opportunity to help us continue this activity into the future

Valley Ultimate has received an unrestricted anonymous pledge to match dollar-for-dollar up to $5000 (in total donations) to our non-profit before December 31st 

If you’d like to help us continue to grow in the future, please give now: 

• Please just click here to get to our secure Paypal link (we use paypal because they support us by providing a low “non-profit rate”) – 

• Or use this QR Code

• Or send a check to Valley Ultimate, 46 Oak St.Florence, MA 01062

Thank you!

and if you want to read more details – keep reading below.

***********************************************************

We have been considering an Annual Fund for a few years now – and it feels like this is the time to do it. 

To get an idea of the expanded scope of our activities, this year our organization:

• Created and managed league experiences for over 400 participants ages 12 – 65
• Co-sponsored local events – including 
  • the first-ever women’s semi-pro game in the Pioneer Valley with over 1800 tickets sold. 
  • a new regional youth club tournament with over 300 participants from all over New England and New York
• Organized and managed over 50 volunteers performing over 200 hours of work
• Managed a youth-club league with over 60 participants and sent a Youth Gx team to compete nationally at the Youth Club Championships in Colorado
• Brought back our end-of-season, Ultimate community ‘Hatgiving’ tournament. 

What will this $ be used for? Our intentions for the coming year are to: 

• Continue to expand opportunities locally for regional residents of all ages and abilities to learn and play Ultimate. 
• Continue to  support the growth of our Ultimate community through our monthly newsletter, our Western MA coaches annual meeting, and sponsorship of local events. 
• Continue developing & implementing successful sliding scale payments, which have proven to be an effective tool to allow people to participate regardless of economic ability. 
• Continue to develop access to our programs throughout our region with innovative strategies and direct support to individuals working in the field as coaches, organizers, educators, etc.
• Revamp our website

We give thanks for all the people who have participated, chaperoned, volunteered, and supported our efforts to promote Ultimate this year. We are excited by the possibilities that will open up for our Valley Ultimate community to receive a gift of this magnitude. And we appreciate you considering supporting this request to meet this $5000 matching donation opportunity.

Thank you for your consideration.

For the Valley Ultimate Board

Dan Kaplan

Dan Kaplan

President, Valley Ultimate

dan@valleyultimate.org

valleyultimate.org

Valley Ultimate is a non-profit 501© 3 organization and all donations are tax-deductible.

Indoor Mixed Hat League

2nd Session Draft Lettery Registration Is Still Open

Session begins on January 7th…….

When: Sundays,  7 – 11 pm
Dates : First Session – November 12 – December 17 (6 weeks)
Second Session – January 7 – Feb 11 (6 weeks)
Post-Season – Feb 25 & March 3 (2 weeks)
Location: Allsports, Northampton MA
Ages: 16 & over
Cost: $180 for full season (Sessions 1,2, and postseason)
($100 for one session) (sliding scale options available)
Registration: By lottery – October 8 – October 22nd
Ability Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Vibe: Mixed, Competitive, Fun Ultimate!
Coordinators: Dan Kaplan (he/him) & Mariana Lopes (she/her) & Ben Ayres (he/him) & Sage Campbell (she/her)

Registration – click here

For more information – click here