Pittsburgh is highlighting its local athletic talent this weekend by hosting its first-ever professional women’s ultimate frisbee game.
The inaugural Premier Cup, presented by Two Frays Brewery in Garfield, will take place at noon Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The event will feature players from the top amateur women’s and nonbinary ultimate club teams as they take on Indianapolis’ professional ultimate team, the Indianapolis Red.
Vivian Shen, 28, who will be competing in the event, said the goal is to “showcase the depth and talent in the Pittsburgh region.”
For more than a decade, the city has had a professional men’s ultimate frisbee team in the Ultimate Frisbee Association’s Central Division. The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds compete against the Indianapolis AlleyCats, Minnesota Wind Chill, Chicago Union and Madison Radicals.
Tickets for the Premier Cup are on sale online, and all Pittsburgh Thunderbirds season-ticket members will receive complimentary access. Children 12 and younger will receive free admission.
People who attend in person will have access to music, prizes, giveaways and in-game entertainment. Beer and concessions also will be available for purchase.
Shen, a Point Breeze native, said she has been playing for Pittsburgh Port Authority, a competitive club ultimate team that competes in the USA Ultimate Mixed Division. Some of the other players, she said, have been competing professionally in surrounding areas because of the lack of opportunity in Pittsburgh.
“It’s hard because you have to travel 5-6 hours for practice,” Shen said, about the difficulty of playing for another area’s professional team.
The long-term goal of the initiative is to demonstrate the viability of and support for women’s professional ultimate in the region, with the hope of attracting investment to establish a Pittsburgh-based Premier Ultimate League franchise.
“This is a major step forward for growing the women’s game in Pittsburgh,” said Andrew Gardner, general manager of the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, in a social media post. “We’re creating a platform for elite local talent to compete against professionals, while showing fans just how exciting and high-level this sport truly is.”