Premier Ultimate League

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Premier Ultimate League
Most recent season or competition:
2019
Premier Ultimate League logo.png
SportUltimate
Founded2019
Inaugural season2019
No. of teams12
Most recent
champion(s)		Medellin Revolution
Official websitepremierultimateleague.com

The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate Frisbee league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, transgender, intersex, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid people through high-quality competition, leadership experiences, and community partnerships". The league strives for gender, racial, and economic diversity in the sport of ultimate frisbee.[1] PUL players are paid $40 per league game.[2]

The PUL is organized as a 501c6 nonprofit entity.[3] In its inaugural year it raised funds by holding a "Sponsor-A-Player" program, raising $120,000 in one week.[4][5] This program was repeated for the 2020 season with similar success.[6][7] The PUL is also sponsored by apparel company VC Ultimate.[5]

History[]

The league began with eight teams in 2019. The inaugural championship was won by the Medellin Revolution.[8]

The 2020 season saw the addition of four new teams and the organization of the league into two divisions, Central and East.[3] On April 24, 2020, the PUL announced the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Rules[]

The PUL rules are a hybrid version of USA Ultimate 11th edition rules with influences from both World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) rules and American Ultimate Disc League rules.

The playing field is 80 yards long and 40 yards wide, with 20 yard end zones. Games consist of four 12-minute quarters with 2 minutes between quarters and a 10-minute halftime.[10] Play at the end of the first three quarters concludes with the end of the current possession once the clock expires. In the 4th quarter and overtime (which lasts 4 minutes), play ends when the result of the throw is determined once the clock hits 0:00.[11] If a tie exists at the end of the first overtime period, a second sudden death overtime occurs in which the first team to score wins. The clock does not run between the scoring of a goal and when the subsequent pull is touched.[10] There are 70 seconds allotted between pulls.[10]

PUL games are self-officiated with the assistance of observers, not referees. Marking and throwing fouls follow USAU 11th edition rules, while receiving and positioning fouls follow the WFDF rules. This, along with the end-of-quarter rules, are intended to reduce the likelihood of dangerous contact and injuries.[11] Observers actively call Up/Down, In/Out of bounds or end zone, Offsides, and Delay of Game infractions.[10] Foul discussions must move quickly: before asking an observer for a ruling, players may only discuss for 10 seconds, and observers must rule within 10 seconds or the play is considered contested.[11]

Time-outs allow teams to substitute any number of players on the field, as well as reset the stall count to zero. Defensive players must be within two yards of the offender they are covering in order to call a pick.[10]

Importantly, the PUL employs a Player Overrule option similar to the AUDL's Integrity Rule so that players can reverse a call made in favor of their team if they feel the ruling was incorrect or unfairly benefited their team.[11]

Teams[]

Premier Ultimate League is located in the United States
New York Gridlock
New York Gridlock
Raleigh Radiance
Raleigh Radiance
Atlanta Soul
Atlanta Soul
Austin Torch
Austin Torch
Columbus Pride
Columbus Pride
Indianapolis Red
Indianapolis Red
Nashville Nightshade
Nashville Nightshade
Minnesota Strike
Minnesota Strike
Milwaukee Monarchs
Milwaukee Monarchs
Portland Rising
Portland Rising
DC Shadow
DC Shadow
PUL teams in the United States
Medellin Revolution is located in Colombia
Medellin Revolution
Medellin Revolution
PUL team in Colombia
Team City/Area Founded First Season
Central
Atlanta Soul Atlanta, GA 2018 2019
Austin, TX 2019 2019
Indianapolis, IN 2018 2019
Medellin Revolution Medellin, Colombia 2004 2019
Milwaukee Monarchs Milwaukee, WI 2020 —
Twin Cities, MN 2019 —
East
Columbus Pride Columbus, OH 2019 2019
DC Shadow Washington, DC 2020 —
Nashville Nightshade Nashville, TN 2018 2019
NY Gridlock New York, NY 2019 2019
Portland Rising Portland, ME 2020 —
Raleigh, NC 2018 2019

See also[]

  • Western Ultimate League

References[]

  1. ^ "Home Page". Premier Ultimate League. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
  2. ^ Zagoria, Adam (2019-06-28). "Born of a Boycott, a Women's Ultimate Frisbee League Charts Its Own Path". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
  3. ^ a b Zagoria, Adam. "Women's Professional Ultimate Frisbee League Announces Expansion". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  4. ^ Eisenhood, Charlie (2019-03-19). "PUL Raises $120,000 With Player Jersey Fundraiser". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  5. ^ a b "Premier Ultimate League Player Sponsorship Program". VC Ultimate. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  6. ^ Hayden, Kelsey (2020-03-03). "PUL Sponsor-A-Player Fundraiser Off To Hot Start". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  7. ^ Raynor, Keith (2020-03-09). "Opening Pull: PUL Player Sponsorship Program, Coronavirus Reactions". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  8. ^ Stephens, Edward. "PUL Championship Weekend 2019: Revolution Wins Inaugural League Title". Ultiworld. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  9. ^ "League Update April 24, 2020 - What We Can Do". Premier Ultimate League. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Rules". Premier Ultimate League. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  11. ^ a b c d comments, Ultiworld in Preview with 0 (2019-04-19). "Premier Ultimate League: 2019 Season Primer". Ultiworld. Retrieved 2020-05-27.

External links[]

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