Please review my UFA vs USAU men's club series intro for a contextual framework for what's below.
The basic idea is that I'm weighing the pros and cons of various criteria between USAU men's elite club and the structure and play in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA).
Accessibility for Fans
This is a slam dunk for UFA. I have a wife and 6-year-old daughter - they are incredibly supportive of all my frisbee endeavors and I very much appreciate that. The UFA single game structure, seating, the scoreboard, the fan experience - all of that is miles ahead of even the best run USAU events as it relates to digestibility and accessibility of the product for family and fans.
I'm sure a lot of folks have the "team mom" families that come out for their college and club teams (Bravo, of course, has them). Those folks are incredible: sitting through 2-4 day tournaments, bringing snacks, wandering around a massive field complex, sitting through byes; all that stuff is amazing, but that is just not an accessible experience for many.
Some folks' families do not have the resources nor work flexibility to commit to a full weekend like that. Some parents or friends simply may not want to. It's hard to keep track of the format, scores, scheduling, field sites, byes and other pieces that go into a tournament. I get confused as a 20+ year coach at times.
My parents have been supporting my frisbee career since I was 19 - they've come to more Summit games in 2 years than they did for college and club in 20. That wasn't because they weren't supportive, it's simply because it's so much more reasonable to sit in the stands for 2 hours and be able to see the freakin' score clearly without squinting at some flip board (if the tournament happens to have them). They've got an announcer at every game telling them what's happening on the field. They've got clear names and numbers on all the jerseys so they can get to know more than just the couple of people they've met before.
The accessibility of streamed games for fans is also significantly ahead of what the options are for club. Yes, some of the local UFA streams aren't great (we are so fortunate to have Justin "Rabbit" Salvia running our broadcast for the Summit and Ian Toner and Chuck Kindred calling our games), but regardless, every single game UFA is streamed, archived and available for easy access.
I appreciate the heck out of what Charlie and Ultiworld have done to expand the coverage of USAU games - there is so much more film than there used to be. I know Ultiworld is continuing to grow their coverage, but regardless of the broadcast quality inconsistencies, every UFA game is streamed, from an elevated angle and available on a single website/platform.
Advantage: UFA
Season Format
I'm on the record in other spaces: I do not like the tournament structure. I understand why it is what it is. I understand and enjoy the bond and community you have the opportunity to create in a tournament setting. I also understand that relative to cost and logistics, it is one of the more feasible ways to play this sport and compete with some level of geographic diversity.
All of that being said, my biggest issues with the tournament structure are the following:
I do not believe it is a healthy or safe structure for an individual to play 6-7 games in a weekend from an injury standpoint. I have seen dozens if not hundreds of young players get or develop consistent nagging injuries from the tournament format. I do believe folks can appropriately prepare themselves for the structure through training, but I think a lot of folks do not have the knowledge or resources to appropriately do that at all levels of the sport.
I do not believe tournaments showcase our players at their best throughout the whole event. Early in the tournament there is always some level of consideration for what you need to save for later stages. Bracket games are unquestionably different than pool play games at nationals.
It generally makes game-planning and nuanced strategizing more challenging. At a non-nationals tournament it's possible that I don't see pools until the Wednesday before the tournament. If you're making the semis or finals of nationals there's more opportunity to prep and game-plan but beyond that it's generally more rushed. Do we make it work? Sure we do. Our coaching staff takes pride in Bravo being one of the most prepared club teams at any tournament we attend, but it is a ton of work and effort and I recognize not everyone has the capacity to spend 20+ hours a week leading up to tournaments scouting 10 different teams in an amateur sport.
What I do like about the USAU season is the ability to build and grow. Yes, every game does matter as it relates to rankings, bids, seeding, etc. but realistically, Bravo gets the chance to spend the regular season tinkering, growing and building up with that clear focus on a single tournament at the end of the season - that's what our end goal is - winning along the way is great, but not important. The ability to have a season structure that reinforces that process-oriented approach is hugely positive for us.
As someone who did a lot of coaching and playing in mid-tier club, I do want to acknowledge that this could be very different for teams that don't have the reasonable likelihood that they'll earn a nationals (or regionals) bid. The Triple Crown Tour is a rich get richer structure. Bravo gets to go to US open and Pro Champs and play the best teams and know that win or lose, our bid is probably secure - we can experiment with personnel, try new sets or get younger folks a lot of developmental reps against top competition. For teams that are fighting to secure a nationals bid, they may have a very different attitude because every win or loss, and the margins of those games, can be critically important. What is a positive for me, may be a negative for others.
On the UFA side, I do appreciate the single game structure. I know our regular season schedule months ahead of time and even playoffs give ample prep time for individual opponents.
Additionally, players to get mentally and physically prepare to play one game a weekend (maybe two on road trips or championship weekend) and that allows them to really approach it with an all-in mentality. Fitness is still hugely important, because playing 100% for 2+ hours is still a really challenging thing, but there is still that knowledge that win or lose, there isn't another game right after or early the next morning.
What I really dislike about the UFA structure is the inherent conflict with being process and growth oriented when there are only 12 regular season games and winning game 1 is the same as winning game 12. There is a tension here because making the season longer just isn't feasible without leaning into more games in more weekends (USAU structure!). Knowing that the season is shorter and wins all really matter, there simply are less opportunities to give that young guy a shot or to try that new personnel grouping or that new scheme, because we do need to make sure we both win enough games to qualify for playoffs, but also feel like we have built up enough chemistry across the shorter season to feel ready to compete with the best.
Advantage: Push
-TK
I'll update the links as I release new entries.
Part 1 - Accessibility for Fans and Season Format
Part 2 - Strategy Differences and Offensive Tilt
Part 3 - Referees vs Self-Officiated/Observers
Part 4 - Accessibility for Players and Coaches
Part 5 - Grassroots vs Financially Motivated
