In A Nutshell

The Shanghai Ultimate Players Association (SUPA) is a non-profit organization that supports and promotes ultimate frisbee in Shanghai. For the uninitiated, ultimate frisbee, or just "ultimate", is a non-contact field sport where teams score by passing a flying disc to a team member in the end zone. It's like a peaceful combination of soccer and American football, with a Frisbee instead of a ball. Some hippie high school kids invented the sport in New Jersey in 1968 and now it's recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Throughout the year, SUPA secures fields and arranges weekly pick-up and casual games. During the spring and fall seasons, SUPA runs "League", which is a six-team, 12-week tournament with weekly games that is open to anyone willing to join. For more serious players, they have a competitive team and they organize local and international tournaments that bring in players from across Asia.

Background

SUPA has been around since 1997. The organization started as a competitive team that traveled to tournaments around Asia. Since then it has grown into the umbrella organization of the frisbee community in Shanghai. That isn't to say that they are the frisbee community. There are many subsets including high school and college players, multiple competitive teams, and casual players that aren't directly a part of the association. However, SUPA is the major connecting factor in Shanghai's ultimate frisbee community. Everyone playing ultimate in Shanghai has some relation to SUPA's players, fields, and events.

Who's Playing

SUPA's WeChat group has over 200 members. About 120 people play in league games. Ages range from teens to veterans in their forties. Players in SUPA's League games are split about 60-40 between expats and locals. The expats come from all over the world, creating a unique combination of play styles. SUPA players are largely male, although there has been a recent increase in female players, and they are on the constant look out for more women to join their ranks. SUPA's ultimate games are co-ed and require teams to have a near even number of women.

The Vibe

The atmosphere at League games is friendly and supportive. Friends and players that aren't competing that night stand along the sidelines drinking beer and heckling their peers. There is a bit of a range in the talent of the league games. Some are brand new to the game, while others have several years of experience, but people don't seem to play favorites, and everyone gets a good share of the frisbee. When one of the newer players makes a catch or even accidentally drops the frisbee, the reactions are always supportive. It's an easy-going place, where you can make friends with just about anyone attending, even across language barriers. "I arrived in January and now I know so many people, it's nuts... And it's the best way I've been able to meet locals", says Joe Wilson, who plays in League and also is part of The Pirates, a competitive team that travels around Asia for international competitions. Part of the easy-going camaraderie might be due to the chillness of the game itself and the type of people it attracts. There are no referees in ultimate. All fouls are called using the honor system or worked out amongst the players themselves. The games don't feel like they are about competition as much as just having fun. As Dax Haas, the Vice President of SUPA puts it, "If you ever tried to pick up a frisbee and be sad while throwing it around, it just isn't possible."

When/Where They Play

During the League seasons, two games happen simultaneously every Monday from 8-10pm at the Jing'an Worker's Stadium. These Monday night League games are replaced with casual pick-up games during the off season. On Thursdays, SUPA has practice for their competitive Huwa team, where they also invite potential inductees to play with them. This happens on the Century Park fields in Pudong. On Saturdays, SUPA has fields at the Shanghai Community Sports Club (also in Pudong) for casual games that also run during the league season. There are casual pick-up games on Sundays too; these fields/games aren't directly organized by SUPA itself and happen at Tongji and Fudan University, but anyone is welcome to join and SUPA players often do.

Cost

To play ultiamte frisbee with SUPA, just show up at any of their casual pick-up days. Sundays at Tongji and Fudan are free, and Monday (during off season) and Saturday pick–up games are 50rmb. If you want to join League, you'll need to register at the beginning of the season. The cost was 600rmb for this fall season, and 400rmb for students. If you can't afford that, the league will give you a further discount or find ways to help sponsor you. Anyone can join League.

Contact Info

SUPA has a website but it isn't regularly updated. The best thing to do is to email them at shanghaiultimate@gmail.com or sign up for their official WeChat account. The WeChat account name is in Chinese: 上海极限飞盘社团, but the messages and info are in English, and you can also email them to have them add you on WeChat. The WeChat account provides the latest info on where the ultimate events are located as well as access to their community WeChat group where changes in times and locations are announced. It's a friendly group. They don't spam GIFs or have long conversations involving one or two people. There are occasional jokes though.

What's Next

SUPA is focusing on bringing ultimate to the local community. Many of their players have started high school and college teams, and SUPA has begun organizing youth tournaments and other programs. Some of their players travel to other cities in China to teach the sport. "We want to build a solid local base for the community... expats like me come and go, so there is a lot of turnover," says Dax. The goal makes sense. SUPA wants the ultimate community to exist even after their veteran players have gone home. With the way things are progressing, that seems like a realistic goal. The ultimate community in Shanghai already feels strongly rooted. Photos by Jeffrey Sobolow