MISSION STATEMENT

Our Mission

The mission of Oakland Ultimate is to support the development of youth ultimate players in the Bay Area by providing opportunities to learn and play at a high level under a player-centered and team-focused approach.

Through all of its programs, Oakland Ultimate emphasizes: 

  • Spirit of the game and teamwork

  • Strong fundamentals and well-rounded skill sets

  • Helping players develop a growth mindset, leadership, and social and emotional intelligence. 

  • Year-round programming and long-term team development.

  • Supporting the wider ultimate community in growing and diversifying the sport 

  • Joy, and love of the game!

Outcomes

While we measure our program’s success more in intangibles – nurturing youth players into fine young adults with a lifelong love of ultimate – we do expect a natural by-product of our approach to be successful, competitive teams. We love developing players who have versatile skill sets who can play in any system. We love offering the opportunity to have the cores of our tournament teams stay together and develop trust, camaraderie, and chemistry over many years (while allowing the freedom for players also to explore any of the many other teams and programs in the Bay Area).

And while we know we may be just one facet of our players’ development as Uultimate players, we have been pleased with the start we have had with our program. In 2018, we sent our first OAK team to nationals -- the Youth Club Championships (YCCs). Over a multi-year cycle, that original team kept much of its core together and progressed at YCCs as follows: 2018 - 22nd (U17); 2019 - 10th (U17); 2020 - (COVID interruption, no tournament); 2021 - 5th (U20); 2022 - 2nd (U20). This team featured many players who graduated high school in 2022, and we are pleased to see that many have continued their love of ultimate and are now playing for the ‘A’ teams of their colleges and universities.

As Ultiworld wrote about one of our tournament teams in 2022, “The Sparks team gives an opportunity for its entire roster to contribute to the game, flexing the depth and well-roundedness of this club on the rise.”

We are equally proud of the friendships that have developed among parents, guardians, families, and our broader community.