In 2018, the lack of women in amateur Ultimate, and the on-field disempowerment of the token women who played on semi-professional open teams in the AUDL, garnered attention and action from the Ultimate community. That AUDL season, the league was boycotted by over 150 athletes and fans, mostly men who had formerly played on AUDL teams, who were demanding equal representation of men and women at the semi-professional level. The first six semi-professional teams entirely for women and gender expansive players were formed in 2018 in response to this outcry. This show of fan and athlete power has had lasting effects on the structure of semi-professional Ultimate.
What followed in 2019 was the creation of a “21st-century ‘League of Their Own’” (Zagoria, 2019) in the PUL. The first eight teams represented Austin, Atlanta, Nashville, New York City, Raleigh, Columbus, and Indianapolis in the U.S. and Medellín in Colombia. A year later, the league expanded to twelve teams, adding Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Portland, ME.
The PUL employs similar rules as USA Ultimate, the sport’s national governing body. The league elected to maintain one of the core tenets of Ultimate – communal, or self-officiation – considered an “alternative” ruleset rooted in integrity and conflict resolution, showing they care about presenting Ultimate’s unique contributions to sports and society. Being empowered to understand and enforce rules of the game, holding ethics while competing, and communicating through conflict under pressure are all positive values that Ultimate, and the PUL, provide to athletes and demonstrate to fans.
The PUL has been known since its inception for gender inclusivity and has renewed its focus on racial justice and equity. The league proactively invests their limited resources – volunteer time and grassroots funding – in growing with an intentional focus on their vision of social justice within the sport. The PUL pre-season begins in January, with teams signing players and announcing their rosters by March. The competition season begins in April and regular season games take place through early June. Championship Weekend occurs in mid-late June.