The San Diego Growlers are entering their 11th year in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) with their 2026 Home Opener on Friday, April 24 at Mission Bay HS. Since their inaugural 2015 season, the Growlers have qualified for the playoffs five times (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2025) and advanced to UFA Championship Weekend twice (2019 and 2021). After a successful 2025 campaign that ended with a close loss in the South Division Championship game, the Growlers are poised to make another deep playoff run this year.

In the offseason, the UFA’s South Division realigned again when the Los Angeles Aviators ceased operations after 10 seasons. This move caused the Las Vegas Bighorns to join the South after playing in the West for just one year, and the Growlers will play their newest neighbor three times in 2026. San Diego's other South Division opponents include the Atlanta Hustle, Austin Sol, Carolina Flyers, and Houston Havoc. The Growlers will also play difficult cross-divisional road games against West Division opponents, facing the Oakland Spiders twice, and the Colorado Apex (formerly known as the Summit). Both Oakland and Colorado advanced to the West Division playoffs in 2025 and figure to be postseason contenders yet again.

On April 24, the Growlers will host the Carolina Flyers in the UFA Friday Night Frisbee featured matchup. Last year, San Diego traveled cross-country and defeated Carolina 26-25 in a double overtime, sudden-death thriller, so this should be another exciting game between very talented rosters. Both teams finished 7-5 in 2025, so that double OT victory was ultimately the head-to-head tiebreaker that sent the Growlers to the playoffs and eliminated the Flyers. After a bye, the Growlers will host the Atlanta Hustle on Saturday, May 9 in the UFA Game of the Week. Last season, San Diego battled Atlanta in each of their 3 contests but went 0-3, including their road loss in the South Division Championship. This will be another critical game since these teams only face each other once in the regular season. The Growlers will take on the Spiders in Oakland twice in May, which is historically windy and a tough place to get a win. The Saturday, May 30 bout is another UFA Game of the Week for good reason, as these California rivals have always pushed each other to the brink with fierce competition.

On June 5, the Growlers will enter another key stretch when they host the Austin Sol, a team they lost to at home last season, but then defeated in the first round of the South Division Playoffs. San Diego will travel to Colorado on June 13 with eyes on summiting the Apex in elevation, then will head to Texas the next weekend for a two-step double-header versus the Austin Sol and Houston Havoc. The playoff outlook should be fairly well known after they host the Houston Havoc on June 27, and the regular season will conclude with two final home games against the Las Vegas Bighorns in July. The Growlers full schedule can be seen here.

Under the guidance of Coaches Kevin Stuart, Kaela Helton, and Goose Helton, the Growlers have cultivated a staff renowned for its game planning, strategic acumen, and player development. This continuity in leadership is expected to pay dividends as the team adapts to the challenges of facing formidable opponents in the South Division. Kyle Rubin will remain as Team Captain for this fourth consecutive year and brings a steady resolve to the squad. The synergy between the coaches, captains, and players, plus a continued focus on training, fitness, and conditioning, will be big difference makers this season.

The San Diego Growlers have retained many of their core players from the last several years, but have also bolstered their lineup with several notable additions. Jonathan Lyle joins the pack after an outstanding rookie season in LA, where he tallied 42 assists, 25 goals, a 93.3% throwing percentage, and a UFA 1st Team All Rookie selection. After playing last season in Chicago, Brandon Van Deusen brings along 26 assists and a 96% throwing accuracy, plus a familiarity with several teammates after playing 4 years in LA. Max Combs signed with the pack after a great rookie campaign in LA, registering 12 assists, 18 goals, and 16 blocks primarily on defense. Steven Milardovich, who took 2 years off, will return for his 9th season and is the Growlers all time leader in blocks with 147, which is also tied for 12th most in the UFA. Adding to their roster depth, former LA Aviators Isaac Hsu, Shun Iwata, and Brandon Severson joined the squad and Sam Besse signed after playing for the Vegas Bighorns last season.

Eleven year veteran Travis Dunn, who is the team’s MVP and an All-UFA selection every season since 2018, will once again be an offensive force of nature. In 2025, Travis had 47 assists and 23 goals, which gave him 425 assists and 700 career scores, good for 3rd most in UFA history. Matt Miller ran the offense while producing 37 assists and 23 goals, and finished 2nd in the UFA with 4,816 Throwing Yards and 7,137 Total Yards. Khalif El-Salaam’s energy and effort will continue to be contagious after contributing 30 assists, 28 goals, and countless highlight reel, momentum changing plays. The Growlers return their leading goal scorer (30) and key downfield cutter in Marcel Osborne, who played in all 14 games last year, as well as Oliver Artus, who provided a career high 26 goals. Daniel Brunker and KJ Koo are dynamic handler/cutter hybrids that will have a huge offensive impact once again. With his 6’5” size and speed, Max Gibson led the defense with 17 blocks and should mix in as an offensive deep threat as well. Veterans like Michael Tran, Will Turner, Stefan Samu, Bryce Lozinski, Ben Levinsky, and Reggie Sung will once again anchor the defensive line.

The San Diego Growlers have many reasons to be optimistic and excited about 2026, and their Road to Championship Weekend in Madison, WI officially begins on April 24 at Mission Bay HS. Tickets to San Diego home games are on sale now and fans can catch all the UFA action on WatchUFA.tv (use code GROWLERS2026 for 1 free month). With so many compelling games on the horizon, the 2026 UFA season is shaping up to be the most competitive and thrilling year yet.