USA Ultimate

The USA Ultimate "Super Region" structure is modeled after a number of professional sports where the focus is highly competitive play, geographically focused groups of teams and events, and broad geographic representation, generally across major population centers. The highest levels of the competition structure are relatively large (e.g. compared to the Triple Crown structure). Geographic representation within those levels is a primary component of structure elements such as season schedule, season standings, post-season events, bid allocation, and mechanisms for promotion and relegation. While the focus is not explicitly on grouping the absolute best of the best, regardless of geography, the system provides an exciting and fair way to ultimately determine champions. Just as importantly, the geographic diversity of top level teams and events within the Super Region model is particularly well suited to providing meaningful, accessible competition at all levels, and to building storylines and a fan base for the club season and club teams throughout the country. 

The Super Region model is based on an 8-region structure that is further aggregated into 4 Super Regions, each made up of 2 regions. Adjacent regions are paired, primarily north and south, in order to provide options for good-weather event sites and to minimize time-zone differences for travel. Teams are divided into 3 tiers based on prior year performance in the Club Series. A specific set of regular season events is required for the top 2 tiers. Competitive incentives are tied to performance in each tier, including promotion opportunities, bid allocations to the Club Series, and byes to later stages of the Club Series. The Club Series is used as the primary end-of-season promotion/relegation mechanism, with promotion and relegation occurring specifically within each Super Region.

The top 4 teams in each of 4 Super Regions (16 teams total) from the prior season are invited to participate the following year in the National Tier 1 regular season. The next 4 best teams in each Super Region (16 teams total) from the prior season are invited to participate the following year in the National Tier 2 regular season. The remaining teams in a division are part of the Tier 3 regular season. The top 4 Tier 3 teams in each Super Region, based on prior season finish, will have the opportunity to crossover with Tier 2 teams as part of their regular season schedule. All Tier 3 teams who wish to participate in the regular season will be part of a flexible Tier 3 schedule, which will be comprised of USA Ultimate sanctioned events throughout the country.

Each tier’s regular season is designed to create a schedule that is consistent with a team’s skill level and willingness to travel, while also improving a team’s ability to plan its season. Teams in each tier will compete for opportunities to improve their own standing and playing opportunities during the current year, as well as for future years. The regular season and series will also create groups of teams and events that will be easy for fans to follow, both in person and through media channels, while adding more meaningful playing opportunities to teams at all levels. 

2013 Club Restructuring Process

This news item outlines how you can give us feedback as well as details on the timeline for the 2013 Club Restructuring Process.

Triple Crown Plan

There are two plans being presented for feedback.  Be sure to read both so you can provide informed feedback about which plan, or which elements of the plans you prefer.

 

2013 Masters Structure Changes

USA Ultimate has also announced a proposed plan for changes to the Masters Open, Masters Women’s, and Grand Masters Open divisions. 
 

Confused?

We have set up a page that serves as a plan comparison and FAQ.  

The 4 Super-Regions are as follows:

Super Region A	=		+
Super Region B	=		+
Super Region C	=		+
Super Region D	=		+

Overview

The Club Championship Series takes place after the Regular Season. It begins with Sectionals, continues to Regionals, then to Super-Regionals, and finally to the Club Championships. This structure adds a stage to the Club Series, which pushes Sectionals earlier than in the traditional season calendar. The purpose of the Series is to name a USA Ultimate Club Series Champion, showcase the sport, and serve as the promotion/relegation tool for teams that wish to compete in the following year's regular season leagues. 

Sectionals is the entry point for most teams competing in the Series. Its size is determined by registration within a particular division and geographic area. Teams in the National Tier 1 and National Tier 2 leagues do not have to compete at Sectionals. (The top Tier 1 team in each Super Region advances directly to the Club Championships. The remaining (3) Tier 1 teams in each Super Region advance directly to Super-Regionals. The top Tier 2 team in each Super Region advances directly to Super-Regionals. The remaining (3) Tier 2 teams in each Super Region advance directly to Regionals.) All teams in the Tier 3 regular season and any other teams that want to compete in the Series must start the Series at Sectionals. 

Bids from Sectionals to Regionals are determined by a combination of automatic and strength bids. Strength bids are based on regular season rankings. The number of bids available to Regionals will be based partly on the number of teams in the region (regional scaling) and are also limited by the Tier 2 teams that will start the Series at Regionals.

Regionals will vary in size depending on the number of teams in the region and serves as the qualifying event for four separate 8-team Super-Regionals. One bid is automatically awarded to each region (2). Additional bids will have already been pre-awarded Tier 1 (3) and Tier 2 (1) teams. The remaining (2) bids will be awarded to regions within a Super Region based on rankings. Regionals will also serve as the mechanism for determining the top Tier 3 teams to be invited to the Tier 2-Tier 3 crossover event the next season.

Super-Regionals are (4) 8-team tournaments which serve as the qualifying events for the Club Championships and the primary promotion/relegation mechanism for the next season’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 leagues. The top team from each Super-Regional will join the 4 Tier 1 Super-Regional regular season champions at the Club Championships. The second and third place teams at Super-Regionals will earn spots in next season’s Tier 1 league. Tier 2 league spots will be awarded to the next 4 highest finishers at Super-Regionals, with the 7th place game determining the last team in Tier 2 the following season. Because the events are relatively small and placement throughout each event is meaningful, Super-Regionals have a lot of potential to generate excitement, add to a team’s season, and showcase the sport. This new level of the Series will include 32 teams, and each season allows for up to 4 Tier 3 teams in each Super-Region (16 total) to compete for spots in the higher tiers.

The Club Championships will be an 8-team tournament which will crown the Club Series champion and award bids to the US Open to the top 4 finishers. The field of teams will be comprised of the 4 Tier 1 Super Region regular season champions and the 4 Super-Regional champions from the Series. Because the event is relatively small, it has a lot of potential to serve as a showcase for the sport, both due to its format and flexibility in finding prime event locations.

 

Off-season

After the current year’s Club Series is complete, teams that qualify for each tier will be given a deadline by which they must commit to their tier and the corresponding schedule of events. Teams that decline bids will be slotted into another tier, as appropriate. Declined bids will be offered to the next team on the qualification list. In order to accept a spot one of the top 2 tiers, a team will have to retain its identity (method TBD, but will likely include a combination of name, location, and/or roster composition). 

A bidding process to determine specifically where each required regular season event will be held for each division will also take place so that event organizers and teams can begin making plans for the next season in the early part of the calendar year, and so that fans and media can start getting excited for the upcoming season.

General Description

• 4-stage, end of season championship tournament
• Open to all eligible Club Division teams
• Promotion/relegation mechanism for all regular season tiers
• Different stage starting points for teams from different tiers

About This Simulation

To help teams get a sense on where their team might fit into this structure, we've simulated which tiers teams would fall into based upon the 2011 club series finish.  This is only a simulation, and isn't an actual team tier assignment.

Given that the 2011 series only had 6 regions insteed of 8 regions, using just 2011 series finish isn't sufficient.  We had to put teams into their new regions and in some cases use the rankings as a tiebreaker when comparing the next place teams from two or more different 2011 regions.  We also eliminated college teams from consideration on the likelihood that participation in a regular season will not be relevant to most college teams. This is at best an approximation, with the reality being that the 2012 club series finish is what will earn teams spots into the 2013 season tiers in this plan.  

Sample Tier Distribution:

To help teams get a sense on where their team might fit into this structure, we've simulated which tiers teams would fall into based upon the 2011 club series finish:

• Tier 1 teams
• Tier 2 teams
• Tier 3 teams

(Montreal, QC)

• Everyone else (149 teams)

• Everyone else (166 teams)

• Everyone else (42 teams)