The Frisbee is not native to India. It does not engender the obsession of cricket or beckon the roaring fans of soccer. It is not steeped in the culture like kabaddi or popularized in social clubs like squash.

But the ubiquitous disc of childhood is making waves in India in the sport of Ultimate. With at least 30 teams nationwide, India is following in the footsteps of the United States, Europe and Japan in taking the disc past picnics and college to clubs like the American Ultimate Disc League, which hosts sponsored teams of players beyond the college level.

This summer, hundreds of players will travel to the Bangalore Ultimate Open for the largest tournament ever held in India. Teams like Delhi’s Stray Dogs in Sweaters and Auroville’s Spinergy will field men and women players at the Kanteerava Stadium during the first weekend of July.

And the sport’s reach is not limited to the field. Ultimate has taken its first steps into mainstream Indian pop culture, most recently in the Telugu-language film “Love Failure,” where the lead character, played by the actor Siddharth, chooses Ultimate practice over a phone call with his girlfriend.

Manu Karan

“It has finally become sustainable,” said Manu Karan, head of Chennai Ultimate, the biggest club in India, which oversees nine independent teams.

Mr. Karan is widely credited with popularizing Ultimate in India. After living in the United States for five years and playing Ultimate with a University of Colorado team, he started to teach the game to his peers when he returned in 2007.

Mr. Karan heard of two groups in India who had picked up the sport – a few expatriate players in Delhi and members of Indicorps, a development-centered service program in Ahmedabad (full disclosure: I was an Indicorps fellow in 2010). The teams met and had their first official tournament in November 2007.

Five years later, there are at least 500 players across India, not counting the schools and communities that have recently adopted the sport. The Chennai club itself has over 240 people on nine teams that often practice on the beach in the coastal city. And the Kodaikanal International School has become a hub for hosting and participating in tournaments.

“There are a lot more people than there were two years ago, but we still have a long way to go,” said P.N. Raju, a sports management professional who played for Hyderabad’s team, Dishquiya.

While the culture of Ultimate in India has been close-knit and casual, there is friction between the Flying Disc Federation of India, the official governing body of the sport, and many of the established Ultimate teams.

Mr. Raju said the federation had little understanding of the Ultimate game or how to develop the sport. He and several team captains including Mr. Karan have teamed up to create an alternative organization, the Ultimate Players Association of India.

An official from the federation dismissed the criticism. “We are already working with the government. We don’t need another group,” said J.K. Khodadhra, vice president of the Flying Disc Federation of India.

Mr. Khodadhra said there are basic reasons the sport has become increasingly attractive to young people in India. The game requires little equipment and can be played at little cost, and the skills are easy to learn but challenging to master. Ultimate is also played without referees, so players are asked to admit their own fouls or errors.

And despite disagreement between organizing groups, Ultimate is known to be a game that promotes conflict resolution. The core component, called “Spirit of the Game,” guides the central idea of Ultimate: that it should be played with respect, good humor and proper sportsmanship. Teams are rewarded at tournaments for good “spirit” just as they are for goals.

Chandrachud Basavaraj, who has played in Mumbai and Bangalore, said he and his friends approached a team in Mumbai to learn the game after reading about the team on the Brown Paper Bag blog.

“It’s physically demanding, but you also have to be patient, calm and smart with the game,” he said.

Courtesy of Delhi Ultimate

Mr. Karan said competing teams are required to include both women and men, so Ultimate could also play a role in creating a gender balance in sports. The current regulation for tournaments requires at least a 5-to-2 ratio of men to women.

“It’s hard to get women to play, but co-ed is the only way to grow the sport,” Mr. Karan said.

The Ultimate attitude of inclusion in both gender and background is part of why charities and schools are using the sport to address educational issues in local communities.

In Chennai, a nonprofit group called Pudiyador is working to include children from beachside slums in an Ultimate team. Fellows from organizations like Indicorps and the Gandhi Fellowship have introduced Ultimate to their communities as a means of conflict resolution, team building and community involvement.

“You’re training children to play, but also inspiring them to become a team and take leadership roles in their own community,” said Rahul Brahmbatt, a former Indicorps member who worked alongside the organization’s Jaidip Patel to implement a city-wide Ultimate program.

Mr. Karan said shifting the game from the hands of the original instructors to younger players in communities will be the key to the future of Ultimate in India. And with schools adopting the sport, and Indian actors throwing discs on screen, he has no doubt the sport will continue to grow.

“My dream was to be able to find a pickup game in Chennai at any time I wanted, and that has come true,” he said. “I’d like for Ultimate to eventually become like cricket.”