By Avery Martin

Before their July 18th game against Montreal, Boston Glory were visited by Azerbaijan Diplomats. These were high-level administrators of sports in their country. This is part of the international learning program sponsored by the U.S State Department. 

The goal of their visit to the United States was to learn the ins and outs of privately owned and national sports organizations. On this trip, they met with organizations ranging from the Red Sox to the Boston Athletic Association. 

“It took us coming to the U.S. to find out that Azerbaijan has eight Ultimate Frisbee teams,” said Anar Bagirov. He is the International Relations Director for the Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. “To be honest, I think this sport has all the potential to be popular in Azerbaijan as well.”    

The diplomats even went so far as to play a game of Ultimate before watching the pros do it. They want to bring the sport back home after the experience, wanting to connect with the already existing teams in Azerbaijan

The visitors had high praise for the passion that was put on display at Hormel Stadium. 

“They play this because of true love for sports, and they like what they do,” said Anar Bagirov. “It’s interesting, it’s wonderful, it’s very motivating. The fact that people are doing sports for the love of sports.” 

The group was led by Shane Barrow, International Visitor Liaison of the U.S. State Department. The goal of this trip was to show how America promotes youth sports and develops their athletes in non-mainstream sports. 

Ultimate Frisbee is the perfect sport to show the success in promoting a sport that is “mainstream,” especially to youth athletes. 

Barrow has also spent time in the Ultimate Frisbee Association as the General Manager of the former Salt Lake Lions. 

“From the feedback I’ve gotten, the Ultimate Frisbee game has been their favorite activity,” said Barrow. 

Barrow mentioned how Ultimate Frisbee keeps growing, with so much enthusiasm around the sport. The ability for the sport to be learned quickly with very few material items makes it a prime candidate for a sport to see extraordinary growth in the coming years. 

The group got to experience an unforgettable night of Frisbee complete with a 25-11 win over the Montreal Royal.