If you sanction or affiliate your league, tournament, clinic or practice with the UPA, you agree to run it in accordance with the following guidelines.
Proper Use, Health and Safety Guidelines •
General Safety Rules •
Lightning policy •
Heat, nutrition and hydration •
Sideline safety •
Field use •
Insurance Coverage •
Accident reportsSanctioning Procedures •
What "events" can be sanctioned with the UPA? •
Rosters •
Waivers •
Dues/Fees •
Youth participants •
Deadlines Apply For Sanctioning - Download the application if you have read the event guidelines above and would like to sanction your league, clinic, practice or tournament with the UPA.
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Proper Use, Health and Safety Guidelines
First and foremost, organizers and players are responsible for the safety of themselves, participants and spectators. All are expected to comply with safety guidelines when hosting an event affiliated with the UPA.
General Safety RulesOrganizers of UPA sanctioned events must:
- provide insurance coverage for the event and players;
- provide directions to area hospitals in player programs, at event headquarters and with an organizer or official that will be at the fields throughout the course of the event;
- have a cell phone for emergency use at the fields for the duration of the event;
- follow all event guidelines and procedures for collecting and submitting follow-up paperwork such as rosters, waivers, and fees;
- enforce youth requirements;
- enforce all UPA safety guidelines and regulations.
Lightning can be a significant threat to the safety of participants in outdoor athletic events like Ultimate. The odds of being struck by lightning are significantly reduced when proper safety precautions are taken. The following preventative steps should be taken by UPA event coordinators in an effort to maintain the safety of participants and spectators.
- Establish a chain of command to determine who is watching for a potential lightning threat and who will make the call to stop play and send individuals to safety.
- Establish a means by which a lightning safety decisions and procedures will be communicated effectively to participants and spectators.
- Establish a means to monitor local weather conditions and weather advisories/warnings both prior to and during the event.
- Be aware of and be able to communicate to participants and spectators the location of the closest safe shelter. Safe shelter includes the following:
A) First choice: Any frequently used building with electrical wiring and plumbing facilities which will help to ground the structure. Shower facilities should be avoided. Showers and other plumbing facilities should not be used during a storm event.
B) Second choice: Any fully enclosed vehicle with a hard top and closed windows. It is not the rubber tires that protect the occupants from a lightning strike, but the hard metal framework which dissipates the electric charge around the vehicle. It is important to not touch the sides of the vehicle. - Use the Flash-to Bang method to determine when and if you need to send people to shelter. By the time the Flash-to-Bang count has reached 30 seconds, all individuals should be in a safe shelter location.
Flash-to-Bang: Begin counting when a lightning flash is sighted. Stop counting when the associated thunder is heard. Divide the count by 5 to determine how far away the lightning is. 30 seconds equals about 6 miles. Lightning has been known to strike from as far away as 10 miles, even under clear skies.
- Wait at least 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning or sound of thunder before resuming play.
- If you can't get to a safe shelter, try to avoid being the tallest object in an open field or on open water. Avoid other tall objects, metal objects, and water. Assume a crouch position with only the balls of your feet touching the ground, your arms wrapped around your knees, and your head lowered. Minimize contact with the ground. Do not lie flat.
- Avoid using telephone land lines. Cell phones are safe provided the person has followed other safety guidelines.
- If someone is struck by lightning, observe the following procedures:
- Survey the scene for safety
- Call 911
- Lightning victims are safe to touch. They do not carry a charge.
- If necessary, move victim carefully to a safer location
- Evaluate airway, breathing and circulation. Begin CPR if necessary.
- Evaluate and treat for hypothermia, shock, fractures, and/or burns.
Heat, Nutrition and HydrationHeat-related illness occurs where body cooling by evaporation is limited. Sweating depletes the body’s salt and moisture, which leads to dehydration. If a player recognizes any signs or symptoms of heat-related illness, he or she should treat the problem immediately.
- Signs and Symptoms of Heat Illness can include change in level of consciousness, abdominal cramps, nausea/vomiting, fatigue/tingling, chills, inability to spit, dry mucous membranes, decreased urine output and change in color.
- Steps for the treatment and prevention of heat illness:
- Acclimate – Gradually increase exposure to heat in days prior to competition.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and carbonated beverages.
- Avoid certain medications/drugs that can increase risk of heat illness.
- Avoid certain nutritional supplements that can dehydrate the body and/or increase metabolism and heat production.
- Condition your body – Are you fit enough to sustain performance under current conditions?
- Drink and eat – Eat and drink “optimally” before, during, and after play.
- Don’t drink too much – Over-hydrating can be dangerous if it leads to a fluid and electrolyte imbalance.
- Monitor your urine – Clear/copious = hydrated. Dark = Need water/electrolytes.
- Be sensitive to prior illness – If you’ve been sick, your body may be more susceptible to dehydration.
- Rest and cool down after play – Find shade, wet the skin, get in front of a fan or breeze.
- Players and spectators should make every effort to keep objects, including but not limited to bags, strollers, chairs, coolers and tents, as far away from the playing field as possible.
- If a player feels that an object on the sideline is not safe, s/he should inform Event Staff and should refrain from playing until s/he is satisfied that safe conditions have been established.
- The UPA and Event Staff reserve the right to move or remove objects or spectators from, on or near the playing field if those conditions are, in the opinion of the UPA or Event Staff, unsafe for players, staff, or spectators.
- Spectators and gear must remain a minimum of five meters from the perimeter lines (real or imaginary) surrounding the field.
Field Use
Organizers and event directors must have appropriate permits to use "fields" for UPA sanctioned events. Fields include any area designated for Ultimate use during a sanctioned event. Discretion must be used when determining whether or not to continue with games in a situation that may be detrimental to the care and condition of the fields. Situations such as these could include, but are not limited to, participation during or after weather such as rain or snow in which case fields may be saturated. The UPA encourages the proper use of fields and recommends canceling events or games when necessary to avoid the mistreatment or destruction of fields.
The playing field and surroundings should be essentially flat, free of obstructions, and afford reasonable player safety. Well trimmed grass is the recommended surface.
The corners of the playing field proper and the end zones should be marked by cones made of a brightly colored, flexible material.
Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in the immediate disqualification of the team, individual or organizer.
Insurance CoverageAll UPA sanctioned events are required to provide insurance coverage for their events. In order to receive our insurance coverage you are required to complete the Insurance Request Page in the sanctioning application. Applications and requests for insurance coverage must be received prior to the start of the event. UPA sanctioning does not include insurance coverage for non-Ultimate activities such as parties, meetings, meals, driving, alcohol, showers, etc.
Events that have already been approved for sanctioning can request additional insurance certificates by completing and returning the Insurance Request Form. Insurance certificates can not be back-dated. See our
insurance summary for more details.
Back to top An
accident report must be completed immediately when an accident occurs and mailed or faxed to the contacts on the instruction form. This holds true whether the person involved is a participant or a spectator, or whether or not you feel the incident will result in a claim. Although you may not have sufficient information to answer all the questions, it is important that the form be completed as fully as possible. Do not delay sending in the report form; an incomplete form is better than none at all. Always include your name and daytime phone number where indicated on the form.
Competition Guidelines
Spirit of the Game
Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player himself. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win at all costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players.
Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For over 30 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head from time to time - just as in any sport, just as in life. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is how, even amid the most difficult of situations, utmost graciousness is allowed to meet that challenge head on. Through this balance, Ultimate players are free to demonstrate the most honorable and the most joyous sides of human nature in sport.
Most Ultimate players care deeply about Spirit of the Game. The organizational challenge for the UPA is to foster an environment where the challenge does not become, "to see what I can get away with". Rather than dictate what Spirit of the Game is or should be, it is up to each player to do so for him or herself within the context of the teams he or she plays with and against.
Back to topRules
UPA sanctioned events will be played under the
11th Edition Rules of Ultimate. Any changes to those rules, implemented under the captain's clause, must meet the following criteria:
- They must be agreed upon at the captain's meeting prior to the start of competition; and
- They must be approved by the event organizer. (This approval is necessary because certain rules may require more notice to implement than would be given the morning of competition. An organizer may choose not to approve a rule change that cannot be adequately implemented or that might be deemed inappropriate or inconsistent as part of the overall competition.)
Sanctioning Procedures
If you sanction your "event" with the UPA, you will be responsible for submitting materials to the UPA. These include rosters, waivers, fees and chaperone forms if you have youth players. A link to all
forms can be found on the main sanctioning page.
There are many ways to accomplish these procedures. Materials can be collected manually, but directors may also require that participants submit them directly to the UPA. As the Event Organizer you can choose how you want to handle this process. The UPA is constantly working to provide additional services to make these steps easier. If you have any questions about the procedures or would like to discuss your options, please contact the
Outreach Director.
Back to topWhat "events" can be sanctioned with the UPA?
The UPA is devoted entirely to the sport of Ultimate as defined by the UPA and the current edition of the rules. As a membership based organization, the UPA only endorses and affiliates with events that support our
definition, mission, vision, and values statement. The UPA defines Ultimate as a:
Player defined and controlled non-contact team sport played with a flying disc on a playing surface with end zones in which all actions are governed by the "Spirit of the Game."
For the purposes of sanctioning, an "event" is defined a single Ultimate activity or program which runs continuously for a specified amount of time.
Event criteria:
- Can include practices, leagues, tournaments, clinics and camps.
- The UPA sanctions (and insures) events, not teams. Therefore, everyone at a sanctioned event must be registered. Players/teams can not opt out of registering for any reason.
- Each individual event must be sanctioned separately with the UPA. This includes events which have a separate or additional registration process, gaps in play, different names, etc. Examples would be seasonal leagues and practices.
- Events may not exceed 6 months.
- With the exception of winter leagues, events may not be sanctioned across two calendar years (i.e. Nov.-Feb.). To sanction for the following year, applicants will need to reapply.
- UPA insurance covers all Ultimate related activity at affiated events. Insurance does not cover non-Ultimate activities such as socials, partys, showers, non-Ultimate games, driving, alcohol, food, etc. Read more about the UPA's general liability policy.
Back to topRosters - A complete UPA roster needs to be submitted for each team that participates. Organizers may use an excel spreadsheet in place of the actual roster form but it must contain all of the same information. All participants must be listed on a roster. Sanctioned events may not include non-sanctioned teams or players.
Rosters may be submitted through the
online or manual rostering system. Manual rosters may be mailed or emailed to
Melanie@hq.upa.org.
Liability Waivers - Each participant is required to have a waiver on file with the UPA. Waivers for annual members are good for one calendar year. Each calendar year, players must submit a new waiver.
Dues/Fees - Each participant of a UPA sanctioned event is required to either be a
UPA member or pay the one time event fee. One time event fees are $10 for adult players (18 or older) and $5 for youth players. One time event fees only entitle that player to participation in that event for the duration of the event. Players who pay the one time event fee will in no way be a member of the UPA and will not receive other benefits associated with UPA membership.
While the UPA does encourage full membership sign up for the benefit of the players, either option is permitted in any sanctioned event. See the
rebate program for additional incentives to encourage full membership sign up.
Youth Participants - Any player under the age of 18 is a youth participant.
- WAIVER: Youth participants must complete/sign the waiver of liability AND have it signed by a parent/guardian.
- CHAPERONES: Each team/event with a youth participant must have an adult chaperone. It is recommended but not required that every youth team have 2 chaperones and that 1 chaperone be retained for every 12 youth participants. Each chaperone must complete a chaperone form and submit it to the event organizer or UPA. A minimum of one chaperone must be identified for each event with minors participating.
- Chaperones must be 18 or older AND have graduated from high school.
- The chaperone will be legally and morally responsible for the health and welfare of the players s/he is chaperoning.
- The UPA, event organizers, and minors on the team are counting on the chaperone to exercise good judgment.
- The chaperone is responsible for keeping the medical authorization forms on site at all times for all youth players they are responsible for.
- MEDICAL AUTHORIZATION FORM: Each youth player must complete a Medical Authorization Form. This form is turned in to the organizer or chaperone and must remain on site at all times in case of an emergency. It is the organizer's responsibility to make sure these forms are completed and that youth players don't participate without them. These forms are never turned in to the UPA.
Deadlines - Organizers must submit materials every couple of weeks throughout the course of their event (unless of course everything is taken care of). All final materials must be submitted (postmarked) no later than 10 business days after the last scheduled day of the event.
Deadlines are important for many reasons. We want player satisfaction which means that they expect a quick turn-around after they submit waivers and fees to event organizers. Players need these materials to be accounted for at the UPA so they can participate in future events. As a UPA event, you should help players by submitting their materials promptly and regularly.
Back to top Applying for Sanctioning
If you have read the event guidelines above and would like to sanction your "event" with the UPA, read these procedures for applying.
- The event organizer who signs the contract and application and who will be responsible for the event materials must be an adult (18 or older).
- Review the sanctioning guidelines and procedures.
- Review and complete the UPA sanctioning contract/application.
- Organizers applying for sanctioning must be a current member of the UPA. Include a check with your application or login to pay online for your membership.
- Submit the completed application along with the deposit at least two weeks prior to the date that you need the certificate to: UPA, Attn: Sanctioning
- Event organizers will be notified once their application has been received and reviewed.
