Why the WUGC Kickstarter needs to succeed

Dan Godbold presents his views on why the WFDF Kickstarter needs to succeed, not just for WUGC but for the sports wider goals. 

I’ll put this bluntly to start off with: If the Kickstarter for the WUGC stream fails to raise all it needs, and even raise above that, you can kiss the Olympics goodbye.
Other people have espoused all the good that could come from this fundraiser. I will not be joining them (entirely), as this article will make clear. I believe that this Kickstarter is a risk, that it comes with a chance of failure, and that failure will have an effect.

Ultimate is at a crossroads in its development. We are in the middle and on the verge of some Damn Exciting Things (DETs).  WFDF was recognised by the IOC last year, which is definitely a DET. We have two semi-pro leagues in the USA and, even though there are disagreements about how they’re operating, no one can deny that they’re a DET. WFDF has more governing bodies as members, those members are sending more teams in more divisions, and those teams are full of players at a higher level of competitiveness, than there has ever been before, another DET. While the USA still dominates the international scene, other countries are closing the gap, and in response USAU gave us another DET – their national teams are now a super team of the best players from all over instead of the club that happened to win the previous years National Championships. If you’ve bought your spectator tickets for WUGC already you’ll know my current favourite DET – finals day is at Allianz Park, a 10,000 seater stadium that usually hosts the Premiership Rugby club Saracens.

But the biggest DET will always be the Olympics.

We’ve all had the discussion. Someone we know learns that we play Frisbee, and once you get them past the jokes about dogs and the stupid name and the idea that it’s just stoners throwing in a circle, it’s the inevitable next question. “When is it going to be in the Olympics?” Until a few years ago, the answer was always “not for a very long time”. Now, with Agenda 2020, there’s a decent chance the answer could be “2024”. Damn. Exciting. Thing.

Here’s the problem: there is only room for one or two new sports, and there are something like 16 sports fighting for those spots. If we want Ultimate to be in that exclusive group, and get all the potential exposure and glory that comes with it, we have a lot of work ahead.

We have some advantages. Our demographics are great, according to basically everyone who’s been asked. We’re young, we’re overwhelmingly well educated, and with quite a lot of spare cash around. If a company can use Ultimate to hook us in it’s a dream come true. We’re mixed gender, so you can appeal to both men and women without needing two different products or ad campaigns, and Agenda 2020 places a much higher emphasis on gender equality than previously.

As with any amateur athletes, our best players are often desperate for the opportunity to play without having to pay for it themselves; a golden opportunity for sponsors. The IOC is delighted with Spirit of the Game, to the point where it’s not unthinkable that if they could include us in the Olympics in a completely cost and revenue neutral way, they’d do it just for that.