Professional Ultimate Frisbee Soaring to Greater Heights with Addition of Women’s Team

With ambitious new ownership group, Oregon Soar join Oregon Steel to make up Oregon Ultimate Alliance and strengthen sport in the region.

Safe to say it’s been a busy year for Darci Fredricks and Bill Freeman.

With a shared love for ultimate frisbee, their community and sports in general, the wife-and-husband duo leaped into the world of professional sports ownership in April 2024 by acquiring the Oregon Nitro, a professional men’s ultimate frisbee team that plays in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA).

Bolstered by their passion for the sport and an established background in running businesses, they set high standards for how they wanted professional ultimate frisbee to look in Oregon. This ambitious vision included bringing women’s professional ultimate back to the state.

That dream quickly became a reality in September when it was announced that the women’s Western Ultimate League (WUL) would be adding a new team in Oregon under the direction of Fredricks and Freeman, to begin play during the 2025 season. The newly named Oregon Soar became the seventh member of the league and not only served as a significant additive to the sport in the state and Portland metro area, it strengthened the growing landscape of professional women’s ultimate frisbee across the West.

At the same time, the new team owners rebranded the Nitro to the Oregon Steel and announced the formation of the Oregon Ultimate Alliance (OUA), which now serves as the umbrella organization for the Steel and Soar in addition to the teams’ youth development programs, fan engagement and community relations.

“We very strongly believe in the sport and wanted to make sure there was an avenue for people in the area to play it at the pro level,” Fredricks said.

The launch of the Soar has been no small task, and it has come with a flurry of exciting developments in recent weeks. The team unveiled its brand identity last week and held the tryouts over the weekend, attracting upwards of 100 players with eyes set on making the Soar’s 30-player roster for the inaugural 2025 season. The accomplished Soar coaching staff will conduct final tryouts in Corvallis on Dec. 7, and yet another tangible piece will be in place when the basic structure of the on-field product comes into focus.

One of the great appeals of ultimate frisbee is how approachable it is. In practice, anybody can do it; it’s as easy as grabbing a disc and some friends, and you’re off and running. One of the many goals of the Oregon Ultimate Alliance is to serve as a community catalyst for the sport, encouraging people not only to experience games at the professional level but also to spark people’s interest in participating themselves.

“It’s just so easy to go out and move your body, you don’t have to be a pro,” Fredricks said. “The sport is for everyone.”

For Fredricks and Freeman, their new endeavor means much more than simply putting an entertaining product on the field and in the stands. In a relatively short period of time, they already are investing in youth leagues and many other philanthropic endeavors to help grow the sport and support the community at large. 

On the business side, Fredricks is excited by the launch of a new online store for the teams this week, with team-specific sites at soarultimate.com and steelultimate.com also coming in short order.

Of course there’s still a lot of work to be done. Fredricks says they are working to finalize a contract with a Portland stadium venue that will host both Soar and Steel home games during the upcoming seasons. Already bullish on the sport and the affordable entertainment value it provides, she’s excited by the many family-friendly features being planned for the upcoming season, including a fun zone for kids, music, food and other attractions.

“We really encourage people who have never seen the sport to come out and see it in action,” Fredricks said. “It’s a great activity to get your kids involved in, too.”

For those unfamiliar with the sport, professional ultimate frisbee games include seven-on-seven competition between two teams. It’s a fast-moving, non-contact sport similar to other “invasion” sports, with teams looking to advance to the opposing team’s endzone in the pursuit of points.

During their inaugural season, the Soar will play a six-game schedule in the seven-team WUL, including three home games in Portland and three road games. Entering their fourth UFA season, the rebranded Steel play a 12-game regular season in the 24-team league. Plans are also in the works to hold a mixed game in Eugene at Kidsports Civic Park. The game, dubbed the Northwest Cup, will be held Saturday, Feb. 22, and features players from both teams against a mixed team from Seattle’s Tempest and Cascades teams.

While their inaugural-season schedule won’t be announced until January, the Soar’s regular season will run from late March through May. The Steel regular season runs from the end of April through July.

Tickets for the 2025 Soar and Steel seasons will be $15 for adults and $10 for students, with kids 10 and under getting free admission.

Be sure to stay up to date on all the exciting developments at www.oregonultimatealliance.com, on Instagram @oregon_soar and @oregon_steel and on Facebook at Oregon Soar WUL and Oregon Steel UFA.