University Divisions

Ultimate is a strong, well represented sport at university level with over 50 HE institutions taking part each year in a programme that offers competition in the disciplines of Mixed, Women's & Open and caters for beginners & experienced players alike. A typical season will see some 20 tournaments organised, both indoor & out, on a regional & national basis.

Universities play a very important role in the development of the Ultimate and each year hundreds of new students get hooked on this fantastic sport. Indeed many of the top players on the UK circuit had to wait until arriving at university to get their first taste of the game.

Ultimate is an official sport of the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA), with both open indoor and outdoor nationals worth BUSA points to the eight highest ranking institutions. Busa regions are as follows:



For more information about BUSA, please see their Website.

 

If you would like to contact someone regarding university ultimate please see the university coordinators committee page to see who to get in touch with.

Eligibility in University Ultimate

The UKUA University regulations were drawn up inline with the eligibility rules of the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) [see here].

UKUA University Eligibility Rules

1. Terminology

1.1. The Association: the UK Ultimate Association;
1.2. Co-ordinator: the Association University Co-ordinator;
1.3. Committee: the University Ultimate Committee;
1.4. University: University, University College or Institute of Higher Education;
1.5. Region: A group of universities, determined by the Committee on a geographical basis, which are placed together for the purpose of contesting a tournament, or to act as a playing group or representative area;
1.6. Athletic Union/Sports Office: The body within a University recognised by the Association as being responsible for the organisation of student sport within the institution.
1.7. Series: a progression of connected tournaments leading to the allocation of a Championship title [e.g. Indoor Regionals & Indoor Nationals constitude the Indoor Series]

2. Eligible Participants
For an athlete to be eligible to compete in official Association University tournaments, and to represent his/her University at such an event, he/she shall:

2.1. Be an internally registered student at an institute of Higher Education
2.2. Be a registered member of the Association.
2.3. Be registered on a credit rated course (e.g. Degree or HND); and
2.4. Be undertaking a study programme equivalent to at least 60 credits per year, or in the case of a postgraduate student be undertaking a study programme of no less than 50% of the full time student programme. In other words, the participant's primary occupation must be as a student; and
2.5. Be a player who is permitted by the Association to participate alongside amateur competition in the sport; and
2.6. Have paid the appropriate Union or Athletic Union subscription and have support of the Athletic Union or Sports Office.

3. Special Cases for Participation
The following persons are classified as eligible to participate in official Association University tournaments, and to represent his/her University at such an event:

3.1. A student who is fully registered as an internal student at more than one institution (and is by these regulations eligible to compete for each of those institutions) may choose, annually, from among the institutions which they are eligible, which of those member institutions to represent.
3.2. A sabbatical officer of either a Students' Union or an Athletic Union who has paid the appropriate Union or Athletic Union subscription.
3.3. A student satisfactorily finishing his/her course of study in December, March or later, until the end of the academic year, provided his/her Union or Athletic Union subscription has been paid;
3.4. A student embarking on a Sandwich Course and/or Year Abroad course provided all of the following:
3.4.1 The appropriate fee has been paid to their Athletic Union; and
3.4.2 The duration of the course in industry/abroad covers no more than one scholastic year.

3.5. Any cases in doubt should be referred to the Committee.

4. Ineligible Participants
The following athletes are ineligible to participate in official Association University tournaments:

4.1. Students at 'franchised' colleges unless recognised as fully registered internal students of the institutions they wish to represent;
4.2. Externally registered students, as determined by the University's registrar;
4.3. Association members not permitted by the Association to participate in the sport, for whatever reason.

5. Team Participation
A team is eligible to participate in official Association University tournaments provided all of the following:

5.1. The team consists solely of eligible participants as laid down in sections 2 and 3 above.

6. Ineligible Teams
A team shall be deemed ineligible to participate in Association University tournaments if any of the following apply:

6.1. A team fields a player who is deemed ineligible for participation as of section 4 above;

7. Unintentional Breach of Eligibility
Following an unintentional breach of eligibility, any of the following may apply, at the discretion of the Committee:

7.1. If a potential breach is discovered before the first game the ineligible team plays, any ineligible players will be banned from playing for any team during the tournament. If this leaves the team without enough players to field a full line:
7.1.1 The team may choose not to take part in the tournament, or;
7.1.2 The team may choose to play as an open team for the tournament and will not be eligible to finish in a qualification position.

7.2. If a breach is discovered after the start of the first game the ineligible team plays, one of the following shall apply:

7.2.1 The team may choose not take any further part in the tournament;
7.2.2 If the current games are still in group stages, the team may choose to continue playing as an open team (as above).

7.3. If, after any of 7.1 or 7.2 have been imposed, an ineligible team finishes in either a qualifying or trophy position, they shall not receive the award, and the next most eligible team shall instead receive the award.
7.4. If the breach is discovered after the tournament has finished, and the ineligible team has finished in either a qualifying or trophy position, they shall be stripped of the awards, and the next most eligible team shall instead receive the award.

8. Intentional Breach of Eligibility
Following an intentional breach of eligibility, any of the following may apply, at the discretion of the Committee:

8.1. If the breach is discovered during a tournament, the rules as set out in section 8 above shall be followed;
8.2. If a breach is suspected of being intentional, the matter shall be fully investigated by the Committee. No further action will be taken until the matter is resolved;
8.3. If a breach is discovered to be intentional, the Committee may impose any ruling felt necessary, including, but not limited to, the club fielding the ineligible team being:
8.3.1 Banned from attending the next Association University competition;
8.3.2 Banned from attending Association University competition for the remainder of the scholastic year;
8.3.3 Banned from attending Association University competition for the next scholastic year;

9. Movement of Players Between Teams
This rule is to be applied with respect to any set of Association University tournaments that allow clubs to enter multiple teams at a single stage [i.e. Regionals being one stage, Nationals/Not the Nationals being a second stage]. The following define what movement of players between teams within the same club during a Series is acceptable:

9.1. In each event, clubs entering more than one team shall declare which team is the first, which is the second, and so on, so as to facilitate the following rule;
9.2. Players may only play for one team at each stage of the Series, e.g. a player may not compete on the first team at Nationals Division 1, and on the second team at Nationals Division 2.

10. Breach of Movement Terms
A breach of the movement terms defined in section 9 above shall be classed as an intentional breach of eligibility and shall be dealt with using the terms defined in section 8 above.

11. Additional Queries
If a team's current situation is not clarified by this document, any additional queries, clarifications or questions based on the above must be addressed directly to the Co-ordinator.


Results

Past results in National University Events.

 

Results since ultimate became BUSA in the 2006-07 season to present are here.


University Outdoor Nationals 2006

Division 1:

 Pos Team   University
 1  Ro Sham Bo  Edinburgh
 2  Mythago  Bristol
 3  No Frills  Cardiff
 4  Haze  Loughborough
 5  OW!  Oxford
 6  Picnic  Plymouth
 7  Strange Blue  Cambridge
 8  Flatball  St. Andrews
 9  Trinity  Dublin
 10  UCL  UCL
 11  Random Fling  Nottingham
 12  DUF  Durham
 13  Jedi  Leeds
 14  Brunel  Brunel
 15  Far Flung  Glasgow 
 16  Phat Ed's  Sheffield

 

Division 2:

 Pos  Team   University
 1  UCD  Dublin
 2  Mohawks  Sussex
 3  Sublime  Portsmouth
 4  Skunks  Southampton
 5  Too Many Pies  Newcastle
 6  Uriel  Exeter
 7  Bears  Warwick
 8  Aye-Aye  Norwich
 9  BLT  Bath
 10  BUF  Oxford Brookes
 11  Blaze  Stirling
 12  Fingers 6  Manchester Met
 13  Dark Horses  Strathclyde
 14  Ro Sham Bo 2  Edinburgh
 15  York  York
 16  PickUp  -


University Women's Outdoor Nationals 2006

 Pos  Team  University
 1  Jedi  Leeds
 2  Flaze  Loughborough/Nottingham (collaboration)
 3  Skunks  Southampton
 4  WOW!  Oxford
 5  Shimmy  Bristol
 6  Sublime Stars  Portsmouth
 7  JU-Bears  Birmingham/Leicester/Warwick (collaboration)
 8  Strange-Hawk-Eye  Cambridge/Norwich/Sussex (collaboration)
 9  London  Brunel/Holloway/Imperial (collaboration)
 10  Phat'eds/York/Manchester  Manchester/Sheffield/York (collaboration)
 11  Too Many Pies  Newcastle

Spirit Winners: Shimmy


University Mixed Outdoor Nationals 2006

 Pos  Team  University
 1  Ro Sham Bo 1  Edinburgh
 2  Flatball  St. Andrews
 3  Jedi  Leeds
 4  Phat'Eds  Sheffield
 5  Mohawks  Sussex
 6  Positive Mojo  Aberdeen
 7  Haze  Loughborough
 8  Equilibrium  London School of Economics
 9  Too Many Pies 1  Newcastle
 10  Jesters  Leicester
 11  Bears  Warwick
 12  Aurora  Durham
 13  Ro Sham Bo 2  Edinburgh
 14  Too Many Pies 2  Newcastle
 15  Too Many Pies 3  Newcastle
 16  Pick Up  -

Spirit of the game: Flatball


University Indoor Nationals 2006

 Pos  Team  University
 1  Ro Sham Bo  Edinburgh
 2  No Frills  Cardiff
 3  Mythago  Bristol
 4  Haze  Loughborough
 5  Skulltimate  Cork
 6  Phat'eds  Sheffield
 7  Picnic  Plymouth
 8  Brunel  Brunel
 9  Far Flung  Glasgow
 10  Strange Blue  Cambridge
 11  Flatball  St Andrews
 12  Random Fling  Nottingham
 13  Fingers 6  Manchester Met
 14  UBU  Birmingham
 15  Jedi  Leeds
 16  Aye-Aye  Norwich


University Women's Indoor Nationals 2006

 Pos  Team  University
 1  Skunks  Southampton
 2  Ro Sham Bo  Edinburgh
 3  Positive Mojo  Aberdeen
 4  Jedi  Leeds
 5  Captain Huck  Dublin City
 6  Shimmy  Bristol
 7  WOW  Oxford
 8  Strange Blue  Cambridge
 9  Bears  Warwick
 10  Sublime  Portsmouth
 11  Random Fling  Nottingham
 12  Ro Sham Bo 2  Edinburgh
 13  Squaws  Brighton
 14  Floorplay  Manchester
 15  Too Many Pies  Newcastle
 16  Brunel  Brunel

Spirit Winners: Captain Huck


University Mixed Indoor Nationals 2006

 Pos  Team  University
 1  No Frills  Cardiff
 2  Ro Sham Bo  Edinburgh
 3  Mythago  Bristol
 4  Brunel  Brunel
 5  Random Fling  Nottingham
 6  Flatball  St. Andrews
 7  Skunks  Southampton
 8  Bears  Warwick
 9  Positive Mojo  Aberdeen
 10  Force Kings  Dublin
 11  Far Flung  Glasgow
 12  Sublime  Portsmouth
 13  Jedi  Leeds
 14  Pies  Newcastle
 15  Phat'Eds  Sheffield
 16  Mohawks  Sussex
 17  Strange Blue  Cambridge
 18  Fingers 6  Manchester Met
 19  Uriel  Exeter
 20  Fish  Lancaster
 21  Thrown  Kings College London
 22  York Ultimate  York
 23  Mental Discs  Staffordshire
 24  UBU  Birmingham

Spirit Winners: Pies


The University Year

Table to be transferred

For upcoming University Events see here

The location of open national events follows the regional rotation system.


Regional Rotation System

The concept of a rotation system for UU national competitions was born at the UU AGM in 2003 and seeked to solve the location problems that, under the previous method of allocation, could see a player spending the entirety of their University Ultimate career having to travel the length of the country to play Nationals. It was also acknowledged that knowing which region were to host Nationals would allow teams to adequately prepare for the event.

It was decided to split the UK into 3 regions - Scotland, The North & Midlands and The South - and to implement a 4-year rotation system for the Indoor & Outdoor Open Championships with a weighting of 2:1:1 in favour of the larger North/Midlands region.

Open Indoor and Outdoor Nationals will be in specifically paired regions that change each year so that travel times are roughly equal for all teams across the 4 year rotation. Twice in the four years, the North & Midlands will hold Outdoor Nationals, and during these years, Indoor Nationals will be in both Scotland and The South exactly once. When Outdoor Nationals is in Scotland or the South, Indoor Nationals will be in the North & Midlands.

The relative youth of the Women's and Mixed competitions meant that they were not included in the rotation system and so the University Committee seek to hold these as centrally as possible.

The 2003/2004 season was the first season in which a rotation system for Division 1 Nationals was implemented and subsequently corresponds to 'year 1' above.

In 2005 it was further decided that Division 2 Nationals (previously NTN) would follow the system on a one year down basis.


University Coordinators Committee

The UU Coordinators Committee is responsible for the administration of University Ultimate: they oversee the tournament allocation process for Regionals and Nationals, enforce rostering rules, adjudicate any eligibility questions, and aid the Regional development of Ultimate.

The membership of the committee is as follows (NB The committee may co-opt additional people on a year-to-year basis):

 

 James Melzack is the current UKUA University Coordinator. He is a UKUA qualified coach and also a qualified sailing and rock climbing instructor. Prior to his election as University Coordinator, Chef was the Northern regional coodinator. If you have any questions about University Ultimate he is your first point of contact. Unicoordinator@ukultimate.com

 

 

 

 Felix Shardlow is the current Women's coordinator. Felix has been involved in South East Ultimate for six years. He created the website www.seultimate.org. Prior to his election as women's coordinator Felix was regional coordinator for the South East. If you have any questions relating to womens he is your first point of contact. uniwomenscoordinator@gmail.com

 

 

 

 Shimmy is the University Mixed coordinator and plays for Brunel. If you have any questions relating to the university mixed division send Shimmy an email. Unimixedcoordonator@gmail.com

 

 
 
 

Tom Disney is the Northern regional coordinator. Tom plays for Liverpool team 'Boogie Knights'. If you have any questions specific to the Northern region send Tom an email Northrc@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Pugh is the South East Regional coordinator. Jon Plays for Surrey Scorpions whilst at University and Lucky Huckers in the club division. If you have any questions specific to the South Eastern division send Jon an Email. southeastrc@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Graham Reed is the Western regional coordinator and plays for Bath's 'BLT'. If you have any questions specific to the Western region send Graham an email. southwestrc@gmail.com

 

 

 Edd Carmichael is the midlands coordinator and he plays for Warwick Bears, If you have any questions specific to the midlands region send Edd a email. midlands_rc@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 Scotland is currently without a regional coordinator,  if you would like to volunteer for the role please get in touch.


UKU University Coordinator (in the chair)

The UKU University Coordinator is a full member of the UKUA Board.

The University Coordinator should be the main point of contact for new University or College teams and for related official enquires.

The Coordinator should act as the chair for the UKU University Committee, leading discussion and ensuring its productivity. The Coordinator should support the Regional Coordinators in their duties.

Through liaison with the UKU Director of Competitions, attempts should be made to schedule the major UKU University tournaments around the other major UKU tournaments to enable the more talented University players to compete in more than one division.

The University Coordinator will be responsible for agreeing format and scheduling of UKU University tournaments, as well as ensuring a standardised process of tournament bidding and dealing with any irregularities that arise.

The University Coordinator is responsible for making seeding decisions at the major University events (this should be merely a matter of applying the accepted algorithm).

The University Coordinator should ensure that the resources available to university teams {risk assessments, code of conducts, applications for funding, etc} are kept up to date and are well publicised.

Nearing the end of their tenure, the Coordinator is responsible for advertising the AGM and chairing it or arranging for a replacement Chair.

The Coordinator is appointed by a majority vote at the University Ultimate AGM.

The current University Coodinator is James Melzack.


National Women's Coordinator

The National Women's Coordinator takes the lead role in developing and encouraging the Womens game across the country & represents the interests of female players within the UKU University Committee.

Specific tasks including:

  • Participating in the organisation of the university womens indoor and outdoor nationals. (I.e. bidding process, seedings)
  • General promotion of the women's sport to university clubs.

The National Womens Coordinator is an advisory member of the UKUA Board & should support the Regional Coordinators in their duties.

The National Womens Coordinator is appointed by a majority vote at the University Ultimate AGM.
The current Womens Coordinator is Felix Shardlow.


Five Regional Coordinators

The following five regions each has a representative on the UU Coordinators Committee:

The Midlands
The North
Scotland
The South East
The West

 

Regional Coordinators perform the same role across the country as follows:

The Regional Coordinator is responsible for passing UUCC directives to the Region's University clubs.

He/She is also responsible for gathering information from the region's clubs to help the committee make informed decisions on University Ultimate.

The Regional Coordinator is responsible for promoting Ultimate and encouraging development in the area, this involves:

  • Getting bids for major events from local teams
  • Encouraging and assisting Universities running "fun" tournaments
  • Organising and selecting bids for Regional qualifiers
  • Assisting any developing clubs within their region
  • Leading a group of volunteers in running a regional league (where appropriate)

The Regional Coordinator should also act as a secondary point of contact after the University Coordinator, dealing with matters relevant to their region.

The Regional Coordinator is appointed by a majority vote within the relevant region.


Mixed Coordinator

This is currently held as a non-voting, advisory position.


Survival

So, what should you expect if you've just joined your university club? Definitely a few good nights out and a few heavy mornings in the first few weeks of term. Each club has their favourites from pub crawls and pub golf to the three pint challenge, the traditional ultimate drinking game. Most clubs organise socials throughout the year so if you want to join a club for the drinking you couldn't do any better than Ultimate!

Pretty soon you'll be lucky enough to attend a tournament. In all likelihood, this will be an indoors Beginners event sometime October/November [though there are occasionally Beginners events in January]. Once you start attending tournaments you'll experience the best part of the Ultimate Social Side. Each tournament has a party on Saturday night, after having played Ultimate all Day, where everyone lets off a bit of steam! If it's your first tournament you'll notice the standard of Ultimate drop slightly on Sunday morning. You might think this strange but it's pretty much the same at every tournament the world over...

Unless it happens to be near your home town and your club has a record of avoiding socials [a shameful state of affairs that should be avoided], you'll be spending the whole weekend away, and probably kipping on someone's floor. To that end, there's a list of things you could forget.


Tournament Essentials (& desirables!)

All tournaments
Kit:

  • First & second shirt or Light & Dark
  • Shorts
  • Team socks

Disc
Money/cheque book
Team Banner [check out LookFly if you haven't got one]
First aid kit:

  • Antiseptic spray/wipes
  • Arnica - bruise relief
  • Deep Heat
  • Freeze spray
  • Gauze
  • Paracetamol
  • Plasters
  • Support bandage [self adhesive 'vet tape']
  • Tape [zinc oxide/copper oxide, microporous]
  • Tubigrip

Footbag [Hacky sack]
Sleeping Bag
Rollmat
Water bottle
Towel [yes, please do not forget!]
Dancefloor wear

Indoors
Non-marking trainers
Knee pads
Elbow pads

Outdoors
Boots/Astros
Tent
Waterproof