USA Ultimate

Membership in USA Ultimate rises 11%, reaches all-time high

Boulder, Colo. (November 16, 2010)—Membership in USA Ultimate jumped nearly 11% in 2010 and reached an all-time high, the National Governing Body for the sport of Ultimate announced today.

 

As the calendar year 2010 nears an end, total membership in USA Ultimate stands at 34,947 members – a 10.6% increase compared to a year ago when the organization totaled 31,588 members. With 3,300+ new members this year, the growth rate is the most significant since 2007 when membership rose 11.2% from 2006.

 

Several segments of USA Ultimate’s membership rose even more sharply, including Youth, College and Coach categories. 

 

Melanie Byrd, Director of Membership and Sport Development was enthused. “We’ve worked hard to continually offer a growing set of services and support for our members, tournaments and leagues, and this growth trend is rewarding because it tells us that our efforts are working. It’s especially exciting to see this occurring even during these difficult economic times when many organizations are shrinking.” 

 

For the first time in the organization’s history, USA Ultimate claimed more Youth members than Adult members. The 8,439 Youth players who joined in 2010 represent a 16% increase compared to a year ago – evidence that programs designed and implemented by USA Ultimate in conjunction with the organization’s long-term strategic plan have been effective.

 

Membership in the College ranks also grew by double digits, as that division welcomed 2,317 new student-athletes into the fold – a 15% increase over 2009. 

 

The other notable increase came in the Coach category as USA Ultimate added 45 new coaches, representing a 38% increase in certified instructors.

 

Of the nine membership categories offered by USA Ultimate, the Adult category is the only one that showed a slight decline, reporting a decrease of 3%.

 

In the last five years, membership in USA Ultimate has grown considerably, boasting 58% growth. And since 2003, the size of the organization’s membership has more than doubled, illustrating an impressive trend for the 31-year-old NGB.

 

“We are obviously pleased with this growth,” commented Dr. Tom Crawford, USA Ultimate CEO. “Our goal is to continue these trend lines, and we are particularly excited to see our youth division grow by 16%, as this was a key priority our members asked us to focus on in our strategic plan. We’ll need lots more growth in our coaching area to support the youth growth, and will be introducing new college opportunities as well as some exciting new opportunities for our adult and league members that should impact our membership in those categories as well.”