Tuesday, January 22, 2013

MLU is Club Ultimate's Preseason

Is the Major League Ultimate season a preseason for elite Club Ultimate teams?

The east & west coast cities chosen for MLU's inaugural professional season are in "strong markets," and align with perennial elite Club teams.  All 8 teams, except one (Philadelphia Southpaw), have a club team ranked in USAU's Top-16 (Pro & Elite flights). The MLU announced their pro season scheduling so players could "move into the club season" and expressed how the MLU sched "makes that work for them".

The breakdown is MLU's season starts on Saturday, April 20, and ends the 3rd week of June (22-23); playoffs on June 29-30, and then the championship game on the "second weekend of July" (July 13-14). So, the MLU's season seems to sync around the planned USA Ultimate's Triple Crown Tour. Where the U.S. Open Ultimate Championships begins in [the first weekend of] July which serves as the first of several Pro Flight events on the TCT. 

Screengrab from USAU brochure
The AUDL's 2013 season schedule runs longer with regular season games through July 12, plus the yet-to-be-scheduled 2013 Conference Finals and Championship Game.

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