May 21, 2021

After more than 600 days without playing a game, the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) will return to the field this summer. The 2021 AUDL schedule has officially been announced; the Thunderbirds will play a 12-game regular season from June to August, with the potential for playoff games in September. Thunderbirds home opener will be played Saturday, June 5 at 6:00 PM/ET at JC Stone Field. They’ll take on the Boston Glory in Boston’s AUDL debut.

The Thunderbirds enter the 2021 season playing in the new Atlantic Division. Due to Canadian border restrictions, New York and Boston have moved from the East Division into the now eight-team Atlantic Division, bringing new competition to Pittsburgh. In addition to their east coast counterparts, the Thunderbirds will take on Atlanta, DC, Philadelphia, Raleigh, and Tampa Bay this season.

The Thunderbirds are coming off a strong 2019 season where they rode a nine-game win streak to finish second in the Central Division. Returning to the team this year is 2019 All-Star Game MVP Max Sheppard. Sheppard finished second in the league in MVP voting for the 2019 season, and was named to the All-AUDL First Team following his most impressive statistical season to date. Sheppard joined an exclusive “50/50 club,” becoming one of just five players in league history to finish a season with 50 assists and 50 goals. 

Season and single-game tickets are now available for purchase in the team's official online store.