Skyd Magazine is pleased to announce full, on-the-sand coverage of the upcoming European Championships of Beach Ultimate 2013 (ECBU), set for this June 27-30, 2013. Calafell, Spain, nestled on the coast ~60 km (37 mi) south of Barcelona, will be the site of this year’s ECBU2013. Spain was a logical choice for ECBU 2013 as it is the only Mediterranean country never to have held a beach ultimate nations championship (Portugal had the World Championships of Beach Ultimate in 2004, France the inaugural ECBU in 2008, and Italy the WCBU in 2011.)

With 74 teams from 23 different countries, ECBU2013 will be the largest beach ultimate tournament-of-nations ever held, even larger than the most recent World Championships of Beach Ultimate, held in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy in 2011. This growth can be attributed to several factors: the immense growth of beach ultimate’s popularity in Europe during the past decade, the tireless marketing and promotional work on part of the Beach Ultimate Lovers Association and local organizers, and the official WFDF sanctioning of the event.

Due to the large amount of player participation, finding the right space for ECBU2013 was essential to success. Competitors will be able to sink their toes in 11 fields worth of soft, white, sandy beaches along the Spanish coastline. Also included in the field-space is an 800-seat arena for showcase and finals games, adding excitement and showmanship to what will be an already high-quality tournament.

The date also coincides with a special treat for players and fans: each year during the final weekend of June, residents of Calafell celebrate the “Festa Major de Sant Pere”, a beach festival in remembrance of Saint Peter, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. In 2013, they will add an element to the celebration the likes of which none outside the ultimate world have ever seen. And considering the limited amount of coverage from the previous ECBU in France in 2008, Calafellians probably aren’t alone in their ignorance. This year, however, Skyd plans to bring the coverage to a previously unseen level.

We have been working closely with the tournament organizers on a coverage plan to get fans deeper into the action. The official ECBU website will provide fans with live scores, photos, articles, and updates throughout the weekend, while Skyd will have a full team of correspondents, writers, and videographers on the beach to provide the most comprehensive and updated coverage of the weekend’s events. But that’s not all! Stay tuned, because we have a number of surprises up our sleeve that will slowly be revealed as the countdown to ECBU begins.

Unlike the previous ECBU, this year’s competition will include both Women’s and Women’s Masters divisions, and the women of Europe have come out in full force. There are just as many Women’s teams registered as Open teams for the 2013 edition of the ECBU, a rarity for a nations-level event. On top of that, this year’s tournament also includes Mixed Masters and Grand Masters divisions, while ECBU 2008 had only a Master’s division which contained only two teams, Germany (Champions), and France. Speaking of the Germans and French, they, along with Great Britain will have teams competing in all 7 divisions of this year’s tournament; a testament to the strong ultimate tradition in these countries.

The Mixed division is once again the largest, at 18 nations, making the gender ratio nearly 50/50. A message of equality is something the ECBU 2013 organizers are attempting to promote, offering fans an opportunity not often seen: Rather than the Open Final being the ECBU 2013 tournament finale, it will be the Mixed Final that closes the games in what can be described as an appreciation of the exponential growth in women’s ultimate in Europe since the ‘08 tournament. In fact, of the 23 countries participating, eight are coming to Calafell without an Open division representative, as compared to only seven countries failing to have representation on the Women’s side, and five without representation in the Mixed division.

For those beach ultimate addicts itching to keep up with the latest news and information about ECBU2013, here are several sources to check out: The ECBU2013 Facebook page (for fans), the Facebook group (for players), the twitter account, and the official website. This year, the tournament organizers are hoping to use one hashtag to consolidate all information about ECBU in one place. Make sure to use #ECBU2013 in your social network of choice to help aid the effort.

Whether you’re a player, fan, family member, or significant other, mark the date in your calendars: from June 27-30, 2013, join Skyd live from Calafell for the most comprehensive beach ultimate coverage in the history of the sport!