The Philadelphia Surge, the city’s women and gender-expansive pro ultimate frisbee team, is cruising so far in its sophomore season, holding top spot in the league’s north division.
The team’s first season ended in frustration when it missed out on the postseason Championship Weekend after a league committee vote.
This season though, Surge look not only on course to make the playoffs, but the team will also host them.
The Premier Ultimate League announced last week that this year’s 2024 Championship Weekend will be in Philly on June 22 and 23, at Drexel’s Vidas Field.
“Surge is thrilled to bring some of the best women’s and gender-expansive ultimate athletes in the world to Philadelphia,” said Jordan Rhyne, Surge’s managing director. “We look forward to putting on a great show for players and fans in June.”
The Surge moved to Vidas Field after playing its first season at the South Philly Supersite, transferring and building on its league-leading attendance without much issue.
“Philadelphia is also poised to be a great host city, and we can’t wait to see ultimate highlighted in a market hungry for the sport,” said PUL Commissioner Amanda Dallas.
The Surge missed out on last year’s wildcard spot into Championship Weekend to the New York Gridlock, a team Philly beat which also ended the season with a worse win-loss record. So many were left feeling that the committee voting process was a little too arbitrary, leading to the league restructuring from three conferences to two. The top two teams in each conference automatically qualify for the four postseason spots, with clearer tie breakers in place.
“After the divisional reformatting that took place in the off-season, we are eager to see our new Championship Weekend format come to life,” said PUL Commissioner Amanda Dallas.
Surge are undefeated halfway into the regular season, one of three teams out of the league’s 12 to still have a perfect record. The team’s wins have also been emphatic, beating the Milwaukee Monarchs 16-4, the Indianapolis Red 21-12 and the Austin Torch 22-7.
Big games still lie ahead to secure that playoff spot, with an away game at also-undefeated New York, then back home to host the Minnesota Strike and finally closing out the regular season in Maine against Portland Rising.
Sarah Hirannet, one of the Surge’s captains, said the team’s comfortable wins haven’t stopped them from training hard to finish the season out as strongly as they’ve started.
“We’re working on every detail so when it comes to these more intense and tougher challenges we are ready to accept and rise to the challenges,” she said.
Many Surge players have admitted that last season’s bitter outcome left a chip on their shoulders. Hirannet stopped short of saying Championship Weekend was all-but guaranteed this year, but did say that winning the league in front of a Philly crowd would make Surge’s vindication even sweeter.
“It would mean everything to play in front of our home crowd. We just have the best fans within the ultimate community — and beyond the ultimate community — in the city,” Hirannet said.
Tickets for the Championship Weekend went on sale Wednesday. The semifinals will take place on Saturday, June 22 at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the final will be on Sunday, June 23 at 2 p.m.
The Surge’s final regular season home game is on Saturday, June 1 against the Strike at 7 p.m. Before that game, Philly’s men’s pro team, the Phoenix, will face the Toronto Rush at 3 p.m. Double-header tickets are available here, or for just the Surge’s game here.
All of the PUL games can also be streamed online at the league’s YouTube channel.
