Three-Year Plan Sets the Course for the Future of Ultimate in the U.S.
San Diego, Calif. (Oct. 17, 2018) – After nearly two years of gathering input from the ultimate community, USA Ultimate revealed today its 2019-21 Strategic Plan – a three-year blueprint for the future of ultimate in the United States.
Anchored by a vision that binds the ultimate community together – To grow our national ultimate community inclusively and in a way that exemplifies the Spirit of the Game – the plan features three guiding principles that permeate throughout USA Ultimate’s four major strategic goals and the corresponding operational tactics.
The process of creating this plan began in November 2016 with an initial stakeholder opinion survey distributed to more than 54,000 USA Ultimate members, plus recreational athletes, coaches, observers, volunteers, parents, educators, local affiliates, state organizations, league and event organizers, sponsors, licensees and media partners. It continued in the spring of 2017 with the Vision Tour – an 11-city trek across the country by USA Ultimate leadership to engage in a series of “community conversations,” as well as an in-person census at the College Championships. Those outreach efforts informed a more extensive survey in February 2018 that focused on strategic priorities and long-term visions for ultimate.
Twenty-three months later, and after thorough analysis by USA Ultimate’s strategic planning task force, senior staff, and independent consultants David Barkan Consulting and Rader Consulting, the final plan was approved by the USA Ultimate Board of Directors earlier this month.
“This plan is a distillation of the learnings of the largest outreach we’ve ever made,” explained USA Ultimate Board of Directors Vice President and Strategic Planning Task Force Chair Henry Thorne. “It was a huge amount of work for us, but worth it because the players came out in droves and opened their hearts and minds on a massive scale. Everyone should hear themselves in this plan. They should hear their dreams and our mutual love of ultimate, and everything we want ultimate to be.”
Officially announced Wednesday as ultimate celebrates its golden anniversary against the backdrop of the 2018 USA Ultimate National Championships, the plan sets the stage for the sport’s next 50 years.
“We’re so grateful to the ultimate community for engaging in this process honestly and passionately,” said USA Ultimate Board of Directors President DeAnna Ball, “and we’re excited to reveal a plan that the entire community – including our members and the broader ultimate family – can own, rally around and be proud of. Truly a community-wide effort that reflects a shared vision and common values, this plan is a great example of what we can achieve when we Pull Together.”
