BATHURST has been selected to host the Australian Mixed Nationals Ultimate Champion-ship from October 22-24.
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Around 400 of Australia’s best Ultimate Frisbee players will descend on Bathurst in late October for the three-day tournament which organisers expect will inject an estimated $120,000 into the local economy.
Members of the tournament’s steering committee were in town last Sunday surveying the fields at Police Paddock and Proctor Park where the games will be held.
Tournament director Simon Farrow said he was delighted to be bring the tournament to a regional setting and was very thankful for all the support he had received so far.
“We decided to hold the tournament in Bathurst this year because, unlike with places such as Sydney, people seem to actually want the tournament here,” he said.
“Council has provided a lot of support and both the soccer and cricket organisations have been great when it comes to using their fields for the event.”
Farrow said this year’s event will have 24 teams from throughout Australia as well as one each from New Zealand and Singapore, ensuring spectators will see the best players in the region.
“Ultimate Frisbee is a cross between netball, soccer and gridiron,” he said.
“Like netball, when you catch the frisbee you come to a halt and there is a end zone to catch the disc in to score points.
“It is a fast-paced game with lots of running and people laying out or diving to catch the disc.”
One of the most fascinating aspects about the sport is there are no referees to control matches. “We are self refereed so we have no umpires on the field,” Farrow said.
“The people are actually adjudicating while they are laying. It works that way from a local league level right through to the World Ultimate Championships. The only difference at the high level is they have observers to help decide if players are in or out, but that is only at the request of the captains.”
Fellow organiser Ben Dougall said last year’s tournament held in Coffs Harbour brought a huge injection to that economy.
“Besides spectators seeing a wonderful sport in action, in terms of what the tournament will bring to the community financially, we anticipate around $120,000 will come in revenue to Bathurst in that three day period,” he said.
