ST Sports’ Play of the Month – Ultimate frisbee

SINGAPORE – When she was in secondary school, Jodie Soh was never the sporty type. But taking up ultimate frisbee in polytechnic has made her more physically active.

What kept the 21-year-old in the sport for the five years since are the thrills of the game and the friends that she met in ultimate frisbee, which is one of few mixed-gender team sports.

“When I first started playing the sport, it was quite nerve-racking,” said Soh, a member of the provisional national Under-24 squad. “I was running down the field, and the disc was thrown, there was also a guy defender that was chasing after it.

“I heard the guy coming behind me, both of us jumped for the disc, and I snatched it out of his hand, and I managed to score. And it was just a very exhilarating and exciting moment.”

In ultimate frisbee, a non-contact sport, mixed seven-a-side teams are required to have a 4:3 ratio in terms of genders. It can be either four males and three females, or vice versa, but both teams must have the same breakdown.

It is also a self-officiated game, meaning players have to act as their own referees to resolve disputes in matches.

In the seven-a-side game, which originated in the United States, play is advanced through passes.

Any incomplete pass – whether from bad throws, drops, blocks or interceptions – results in a turnover of possession.

Points are scored when one team catches the disc in the opponent’s end zone. There are two end zones at each side of the 100m-by-37.5m playing field – about the size of eight basketball courts.

Various throwing techniques are used in the sport, from the forehand and backhand throws to the hammer (top-down throw for long distances) and scoober (tossing the disc upside down).

The local governing body for the sport, Ultimate Players Association Singapore (Upas), estimates that around 6,000 people play ultimate frisbee here – mainly in secondary schools, with others at tertiary institutions or clubs.

Having been in ultimate frisbee for several years, Soh feels the need to clear some misconceptions.

“I think one common misconception is that it’s a dog sport, because (people think that) dogs are usually the ones who are chasing discs on the field,” said Soh, a business undergraduate at the Singapore Institute of Technology.

“Another one is that ultimate frisbee is just rugby, but with a disc. But I think that’s not true, because rugby or American football mostly is just one gender. But for frisbee, it’s one of the few sports that is mixed gender, and also because of the self-refereeing concept, that’s what sets us apart.”

To play ultimate frisbee at a higher level, players have to be accredited on the spirit of the game through the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF). In Singapore, that applies to those in tertiary institutions and above.

The self-officiating element of ultimate frisbee is what drew national U-24 player Skye Fong to it.

“That’s one thing I like about this sport, because everybody will play honestly,” said the 19-year-old biomedical engineering student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

“If you play frisbee, you have to uphold the spirit of the game. There are game advisers, but ultimately, the players will come to a conclusion and make a decision.”

Upas, which was granted provisional national sport association (NSA) status by Sport Singapore on July 8, is working towards attaining full status.

Jonathan Yeo, Upas’ head coach of national youth training programme, said: “Being a full NSA means more funding and resources and that’s what we are trying to push for.”

There is still a lot of work to be done towards that end, including getting an academy up and running and having a coaching system in place.

The association is also trying to get the sport included in the National School Games, but will need to overcome the logistical challenge of running the competition.

As Upas improves on its set-up, the U-24 team will be looking forward to the World U-24 Ultimate Championships in Spain in June 2025.

They finished second in the 2023 edition in Nottingham, England, losing 15-5 to the United States in the final.

“The US are a different breed and it will be hard,” said Yeo, adding that they will still be trying to win.