Perth Ultimate League FAQ

PUL Logo

About: The Perth Ultimate League (PUL) is Perth's premier weekly competition managed by WA Ultimate. This mixed-team league has been running since 1998. Going through many different formats, it has been the backbone of developing Ultimate players and competition within Perth.

Welcome to the Perth Ultimate League (PUL) guide.

All you need to know about how to register a team for a league, registration opening and closing dates, “how-to” manuals, which websites are relevant, who to contact and much more! PUL is a mixed-gender competition hosted weekly at UWA Sports Park.

Guiding principles that determine league formats are based on team registration numbers:

Up to 10 teams will be a single pool, round-robin variation followed by finals.
11-15 teams will be a two-pool system including round-robin followed by finals
16 teams plus will be set up to include a divisional structure determined by team strengths with relevant round-robin and finals formats.
After reading this page you should have a solid understanding of how our league works. We have provided a simple checklist for key areas and a comprehensive guide follows.

Check List

Have you got enough players to enter a mixed-gender team?
Have all your players got a membership via www.afda.com?
Have you registered your team on the registration site by the set deadline?
Do you understand the league rules and requirements?
Do you know how and when to make the team payment?
Do you know how and when to submit rules accreditation proof?
How to complete and submit game and spirit scores?
How to record picks up and fill in players?
How to find game fixtures?
Who to contact if there are any issues?

Three websites to watch!

We work across three separate websites, this may seem confusing at first but it won’t take long to get comfortable with the setup.

WA Ultimate: This is our official WA site www.waultimate.com All information relevant to activities and the latest news here in Western Australia. This is where we advertise local league and tournaments unique to WA. Don’t worry we always put direct links to registration pages in all our articles so you shouldn’t have to go looking at an unfamiliar external site.
AFDA: The Australian Flying Disc Association (AFDA), www.afda.com (this is our National Sporting Organisation) they take care of insurance, membership databases and event hosting registration systems. Every single tournament and league has a unique registration page specific to that event only. You not registered for an event unless you appear on the registration page for each league and tournament via this site.
WFDF: The World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) website, www.wfdf.org (our international governing body). This site will be visited less frequently but it where players will need to be directed to in order to get their rules accreditation (more on this later in the help guide).

How to register a team for League?

Firstly all players on your team will need to become a member of WA Ultimate. Becoming a member is simple and free, each player needs to head to www.afda.com and join, see the link "How to become a member" below for more information. Once you are a member you can then either create a new team for a league, see How to enter a team, or you can register for an existing team, see How to register as an individual in an existing team. If you are the Captain or an Administrator of the team you will be able to add players to your roster using the email address they used when signing up, or simply by typing in their full name. To do this you will need to be logged into the AFDA website using your membership. Links for each leagues registration page can be found on the WA Ultimate website or you can search for them on the AFDA website. "How to" manuals are below to assist with registration:

Team Role Requirements

To help us contact the right people when required the following roles must be designated on the registration system

Captain (main team contact for fixtures, finalising the registration process, payments, assuring their team is present and ready to play each week)
Spirit Captain (see definition below)

Teams may appoint an Administrator or Team Manager role on the registration system to be the contact for team payments or be able to make changes to the team roster (if this is not specified then the default contact is the Captain).

Spirit of the Game (SOTG)

The core of Ultimate is the governing concept of SOTG. As a self-adjudicated sport, Spirit is the key that allows the competition to be conducted at any level, from social to elite play. Respect (for teammates, opponents and the rules of the game), sportsmanship, fair play and integrity are concepts of particular importance.

Spirit Captain

The Spirit Captain role is separate from the role of Team Captain. The Spirit Captain must be committed to upholding the ethos of SOTG while focusing on helping their team to be rated as one of the most spirited teams in the competition, and potentially win the Spirit of the Game award. About the Spirit Captain:

The tasks of the Spirit Captain are only undertaken when they are OFF THE FIELD
The Spirit Captain should always be open to discussion regarding the rules
The Spirit Captain should possess a solid understanding of the rules of play.
Coordinate the discussion and collection of the Spirit score for the opposing team following each match
Be the point of contact for your team for all matters relating to Spirit of the Game
They do not hold the position of Team Captain or Team Manager
They should be able to maintain a clear, calm, objective view of the game
They should be willing and able to approach opposing Spirit Captains and their own players and communicate clearly and respectfully in a pressure situation.

Spirit of the Game Scoring System

Your whole team should be consulted when determining a score for your opposition. Determine the score in each of the five categories and sum up the points to determine the SOTG score for the other team. Most scores will be between 8-13 pts. A “2” in any category is considered normal - you award or subtract points based on the examples provided in the help sheet. “10” is a good, average score.

There are five (5) key areas you will address when rating your opposition for the game you just played. Each category is rated out of a total of 4 points and will determine a final score out of 20 for your opponent.

Rules Knowledge and Use - Examples: They did not purposefully misinterpret the rules. They kept to time limits. When they didn’t know the rules they showed a real willingness to learn
Fouls and Body Contact - Examples: They avoided fouling, contact, and dangerous plays.
Fair-Mindedness - Examples: They apologised in situations where it was appropriate, informed teammates about wrong/unnecessary calls. Only called significant breaches
Positive Attitude and Self-Control - Examples: They were polite. They played with appropriate intensity irrespective of the score. They left an overall positive impression during and after the game
Communication - Examples: They communicated respectfully. They listened. They kept to discussion time limits

Spirit of the Game scoring help sheet can be downloaded here.

Payments

All teams are expected to pay their fees by the start of round three in any Perth Ultimate League. This is done in one team payment. Pricing structure and deadlines are clearly outlined in each registration article link on both websites we work with.

Insurance

Insurance is included in your team fee and is a mandatory portion charged by the Australian Flying Disc Association to cover insurance. Only players that are registered on the AFDA league registration page will be covered by insurance. Please ensure any player that plays for your team, whether for one game or more, is registered on the AFDA league registration page. Players can be registered at any time during the league. A breakdown of coverage and links to claim forms and procedures can be found here.

Communication

Email

Your main line of communication will be with our League Director. For matters relating to fixtures, registration issues, score submissions and Spirit of the Game enquiries, general rule clarifications, being able to connect with other team captains and lost property can all be directed via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Facebook

Discussion and informal communication relating to the Perth Ultimate League and local events. Forget your cleats, need players, general Perth related events & items - then check in here. Formal communication will still occur via formal methods as per usual. THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE - Any negative or abusive actions will result in members banned from this group. Request to join here.

WA Ultimate produces a monthly e-newsletter. It is highly recommended that all members subscribe to this newsletter to ensure they are kept up to date with all the latest news and announcements. You can subscribe here.

League Rules

Information on format, duration, forfeits and general rules of play for the Perth Ultimate League can all be found here. It is every players' responsibility to be aware of the rules that govern the competition they take part in.

Fixtures

Fixtures and score updates are all advertised on the WA Ultimate website. Simply head to www.waultimate.com and click the “Events” heading and select the league you are playing in.

Forfeits

Whilst not ideal for anyone involved, from time to time, circumstances may lead to a team needing to forfeit. As soon as you know your team needs to forfeit you need to email the League Director and notify them of the situation. The League Director will assist you with notifying your opposition team. Please note there are penalties associated with a forfeit and they are outlined in the League rules here.

Submitting Scores

All scores are submitted online. The League Director will provide a link to Captains in order to be able to make your submission by the deadline each week. Failure to submit scores on time will incur penalties. The link to the score sheet is also included on the fixtures page on the WA Ultimate website. Simply head to www.waultimate.com and click the “Events” heading and select the league you are playing in. Example score sheet can be found here to help you be familiar with the process.

Game Advisors and Line Assistants

From time to time we have Game Advisors and Line Assistants that use Perth Ultimate League games for training purposes. Ideally, you will never even notice them. Their role is to provide game support only. As Ultimate is a self-officiated sport they hold no other role other than to assist and communicate on-pitch activities during the game. They use hand signals to echo calls made by players and can be called upon to clarify rules. Their advice is NON-BINDING, you do not have to accept any advice they give you however it may assist your team in rules knowledge and make the playing experience better for all. They will ALWAYS introduce themselves and clarify their role prior to a game starting.

Mixed-gender, how does it work?

The Perth Ultimate League is a 7-a-side mixed gender competition. The assumed ratio is 4 male and 3 females OR 3 male and 4 females on the pitch for any one point. We decide the gender split based on the following:
At the start of the game, after the first disc flip, an additional disc flip happens with the winner selecting the gender ratio for the first point. For the second and third points, the ratio must be the reverse of the first point. For the fourth and fifth points, the ratio must be the same as the first point. This pattern of alternating the ratio every two points repeats until the end of the game.

Roster Size

The minimum roster size is nine (9). It is recommended that you aim to have at least one (1) extra male and one (1) extra female substitution outside the standard seven (7) to ensure your team is able to play the whole game.

Uniform Requirements

The minimum uniform standard for the league is that all players wear a matching colour t-shirt E.G. if your team elects to be red then BE RED - not shades of light pink to dark pink. It is advised to pack an alternative in your bag just in case. Navy blue v black is not always easy to differentiate under lights. Shoes are NOT negotiable. All players must have appropriate footwear to take part in our league. Sneakers are more than adequate however you will notice that many players wear cleats (football/soccer boots) given the game requires you to change direction often and the studs help with this. Please note, no metal studs are allowed.

Rules Accreditation

All teams must have at least one (1) player with advanced rules accreditation and at least four (4) players with standard rules accreditation. The proof is to be submitted to the League Director by week four (4) for any Perth Ultimate League. A rules accreditation lasts for 18 months so for each league you do not need to retake the test if you are already accredited but you must submit proof of accreditation of your whole team for each league you take part in. In order to check the status of your teammates' accreditation, you will need their WFDF ID number (help below).

Players can gain accreditation at http://rules.wfdf.org/accreditation

Players can register to login at http://rules.wfdf.org/register

Your league director will request the certificate copies from each team as proof of Accreditation.