From Wikipedia - Reading time: 8 min
| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| First season | 2022 |
| No. of teams | 7 |
| Country | United States |
| Official website | westernultimateleague.com |
The Western Ultimate League (WUL) is a women's professional 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]
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 on 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] and in March 2023 they announced the creation of two conferences, Northwest and Southwest.[17]
The Oregon Onyx[18] and Los Angeles Astra[19] departed the league after the 2023 season.
The Oregon Soar joined the league after the 2024 season.[20]
The WUL consists of seven teams as of the 2025 season.
| Team | Location | First Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest | |||
| Colorado Alpenglow | Denver, CO | 2023 | |
| Oregon Soar | Portland, OR | 2025 | |
| Seattle Tempest | Seattle, WA | 2021 | |
| Utah Wild | Salt Lake City, UT | 2021 | |
| Southwest | |||
| Arizona Sidewinders | Phoenix, AZ | 2021 | |
| Bay Area Falcons | San Francisco, CA | 2021 | |
| San Diego Super Bloom | San Diego, CA | 2021 | |
| Team | Location | First season | Last season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Astra | Los Angeles, CA | 2021 | 2023 |
| Oregon Onyx | Portland, OR | 2022 | 2023 |
| Season | Date | Champion | Final score | Runner-up | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | May 15, 2022 | Seattle Tempest | 18-15 | San Diego Super Bloom | Mira Mesa Senior High School | San Diego, CA |
| 2023 | June 4, 2023 | Seattle Tempest | 13-11 | San Diego Super Bloom | Memorial Stadium | Seattle, WA |
| 2024 | June 2, 2024 | Colorado Alpenglow | 20-12 | Utah Wild | Pinnacle Athletic Complex | Thornton, CO |
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)