Ultimate Frisbee players around Edmonton rejoice! The city will host the national championship of 2016.

“It’s super exciting, definitely a great opportunity to showcase the sport here in Edmonton and for our players to be able to play on home turf,” said Dani Dugan, general manager of the Edmonton Ultimate Players Association.

Better known as Ultimate Frisbee, Ultimate is a non-contact sport played on a soccer field where teams score points each time a player catches the flying disc in one of two end zones located at each end of the field.

“It’s a great source of physical activity. It’s a lot of running, but definitely one of those sports where you enjoy doing it and you don’t actually notice how much activity you are getting,” Dugan said.

A unique aspect of the game is that there are no referees, and the athletes regulate themselves based on the principal of the “spirit of the game” emphasizing sportsmanship and fair play.

“Through that, you end up building a really good sense of community, friendships with other players not just on your team, but other teams,” Dugan said.

The 2016 Canadian Ultimate Championships will be hosted from Aug. 8 to 14 at the Ivor Dent Sports Park on Ellerslie Road and 50 Street, bringing nearly 2,000 Ultimate athletes from across Canada to the city.

Edmonton was selected in part for the large field facilities available, making organizers able to host the entire tournament in all three divisions – junior, adult and masters for those aged 33 and above – in the same place.

As well, Edmonton was chosen due to a surge of support for the sport, which previously had been centred primarily in coastal cities, Dugan said.

“There has been a lot more interest in the sport, a lot more people playing, which is awesome,” Dugan said.

Currently, Edmonton has players competing in the 2015 Canadian National Ultimate Championship in Winnipeg, a qualifier for the World Ultimate Championships.

“It’s a high level of competition this year, but Edmonton definitely has some strong teams coming to play,” said Dugan.

For more information, visit eupa.ca

@ClaireTheobald

claire.theobald@sunmedia.ca