May 23, 2019

[editor’s note: updated in 2022 to reflect NBU’s name change to BUD]

Bristol Ultimate Development is a beginner-focused club managed under the Bristol Ultimate umbrella.

For most ultimate players in the UK, university provides their first taste of the sport. And the committed among them can easily get to the point of training and playing 4 or 5 times a week to sharpen their skills. For a lucky few, it’s instead school where they learn to play, and the head start will often propel them in junior GB sides to further their development even before they reach higher education.

We laud ultimate for its accessibility, but what chance does someone have of making a name for themselves if they start playing later in life? Without the luxury of a student schedule to throw themselves into hours of weekly training, can latecomers to the game still make it to the top?

Bristol Ultimate Development, or BUD, exists to meet the needs of these time-poor inhabitants of the “real world” after university. From beginning life as several scattered graduate sports clubs set up at large companies across Bristol, it has gradually broadened in scope to become the port of call for anyone in the city wanting to try the sport. Beginners learn how to throw and play here alongside more experienced players who enjoy the recreational and social nature of the sessions.

In 2019, BUD (then called North Bristol Ultimate) became more of a part of Bristol Ultimate with the aim of directing improving players towards more competitive opportunities and using the presence of the parent club to attract more newcomers to ultimate.

We’ve seen more Bristol Ultimate players help out at BUD sessions and several players coming “through the ranks” to represent Bristol through its Mixed and Open teams. And just maybe, those players who started a little later in life will become the stars of the first team in years to come.

Bristol Ultimate Development is open to players of any (and no!) ability, with total beginners welcome and attending on a regular basis. Sessions are held at least twice a week, outdoors through the spring and summer months, and indoors from September ‘til April. To find out more about when, where, and how to play, just search for and join “Bristol Ultimate Development” on Facebook or email bristolultimatedevelopment@gmail.com.