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In this edition of UCD Clubs In Focus, Sports Editor Bill Schmitz speaks to the women’s co-captain of UCD Ultimate Frisbee. An interview with Sarah Treacy gives us insight into the club and what new members could expect as they enter the world of ultimate frisbee.
What is the main function of your club?
Our main goal of the club is to just get people playing ultimate frisbee. A lot of people only take up the sport in college, not even knowing it existed before. Picking up a new sport as an adult can be daunting, but we start from complete basics and make it very fun and social to try to get everyone involved.
What does a typical week of training and activity look like for your club?
We have four training sessions a week, two indoor and two outdoor. You can go to as few or as many as you want! We also have a very active social scene, with pints after Friday training, mixers with other colleges, as well as other team events. We also have lots of tournaments every year. Throughout the term, we take trips down the country for the weekend, to play intervarsity tournaments and also sometimes to compete against some of the top club teams in the country.
How do you welcome beginners into your club?
Every year, our first few weeks, we spend lots of time going through the very basics, learning to throw, catch and the rules of the game. We also have our indoors beginner session on a Wednesday, giving everyone a space to learn from scratch.
We also have two very beginner-friendly tournaments held before any IV [intervarsity] tournaments at the start of year. One of which is in Dublin, in which every college sends a team of beginner players. These tournaments get our newbies involved playing in a tournament setting, and integrating with the rest of the team, before any important tournament.
What were the highlights of last year for your club?
Last year, the club came away with three big trophies: Women’s Intervarsities, Mixed Intervarsities and Colours (in both Women and Open divisions). Another tournament that is a highlight every year is Siege of Limerick! A really fun tournament in which we spend the weekend playing other colleges and club teams from all over the country and abroad. The themed party is always a highlight too!
How has this year started off for your club, and what events do you have coming up in the next month?
We have a massive number of beginners coming into the club this year, with 50–65 people at training currently. We have a very busy upcoming month - we are sending two teams down to Cork, teams with a very mixed experience level. This is our first tournament of the year and we are very excited. Then we have the Trinity Tea Party, which is our beginner tournament. Before finishing the month in Galway with our Women’s team for Women’s Indoor IVs, in which we are hoping to send two teams!
A broader look
Ultimate frisbee in Ireland is steadily growing in popularity. According to UCD Sport, there are around 30 established clubs nationwide, and many universities now have clubs. The sport is regarded as one of the fastest growing team sports in the country.
The Irish Flying Disc Association (IFDA) helps to organise leagues, tournaments and development programmes across Ireland. Each year, the All-Ireland Ultimate Championships involve around 25 teams competing across Open, Women’s and Mixed divisions.
On a more global scale, the WFDF 2026 World Ultimate Club Championships will be held in Limerick from 15th to 20th August. In terms of past achievements, the Irish women’s national team won gold at the European Ultimate Championships in 2019, beating Switzerland 15-8 in the final. At club level, Ranelagh Ultimate claimed a major European club title in 2022, becoming the first Irish side to be crowned champions of Europe.
UCD Ultimate are at the heart of a fast-growing sport. If you’re looking for a club that successfully balances competition with social connection and inclusivity, this is the one for you. There seems like no better time to throw your hand in.
A huge thank you to Sarah Treacy for taking part in the interview. Be sure to follow UCD Ultimate Frisbee on Instagram - @ucd_ultimate.