October 27, 2026
By Ryan Baker
10 days ago, owners from every team in the UFA met in Washington, D.C., to discuss potential rule changes, divisional alignment, expanded content and media opportunities, and how the league and each team can continue to improve operations. The UFA is preparing to celebrate its 15th anniversary season in 2027.
The biggest news is the confirmed divisional alignment heading into 2027. The San Diego Growlers and Vegas Bighorns will rejoin the West Division. The Growlers played in the South Division the past two seasons, and the Bighorns moved to the South for 2026. The move follows the Oregon Steel’s decision to suspend team operations.
“We were able to bring the Growlers and Bighorns into the West Division, which is a more natural alignment. We appreciate the teams that took on some extra travel the last few seasons to help make the league work,” said UFA CEO & Commissioner Tim DeByl.
For 2027, the South Division will include the Atlanta Hustle, Austin Sol, Carolina Flyers, and Houston Havoc. The West Division will include the Colorado Apex, Oakland Spiders, Salt Lake Shred, San Diego Growlers, Seattle Cascades, and Vegas Bighorns. The East and Central Divisions remain unchanged.
Realignment brings new matchups for each of those teams. The key thing to watch when the 2027 schedule comes out is more interdivisional games between the South, East and Central Divisions, which will put more of the league’s top teams head to head.
“Fans want to see the top teams play more often,” said DeByl. “We are always trying to balance the cost of trips with the value of these top matchups. We’ve done a better job recently of finding ways to make these games happen and we expect this to continue for the 2027 season.”
Those interdivisional matchups are meant to create more parity from the top of the league to the bottom. Closing that gap is crucial to the league’s development and expansion, and the league will keep looking at rule changes that support it.
Owners also discussed expanding the league’s content and media distribution after a season of increased viewership. The UFA’s 17 “Friday Night Frisbee” weekly showcase game reached nearly 7 million viewers in 2026 alone. That growth opens new opportunities for the league, its teams and its partners to reach fans in more places.
“The UFA is reaching more fans on regional sports networks and streaming channels across North America every year,” said DeByl. “We’re also excited to share new features of WatchUFA.tv coming in 2027, where the biggest ultimate fans can watch any game, anywhere.”
The meeting also included a review of the Professional Ultimate Frisbee, the league’s official disc . The goal is to create as much entertainment on the field as possible. Recent tweaks help the frisbee hold its shape better in the wind and fly more consistently. The disc was first changed in 2024, with minor tweaks heading into the 2025 season. No changes are planned for 2027, but the league and its disc partners will keep working to improve the Professional Ultimate Frisbee.
The UFA is always looking for ways to improve its product on and off the field. Watch for changes to each team’s game-day experience and how they market their franchises, along with expanded media distribution and a bolstered schedule across the league.
