Emphasise and promote what makes your sport special

Knowing what makes your association unique can help your promotion and recruitment efforts. All associations should strive to have gender equity as one of their key selling points, as this will help develop a gender-equitable ultimate community.

What makes Ultimate special?

Ultimate has many aspects that distinguish it from many other sports; one such factor is that we have three divisions to play in: open, women's and mixed.

With such a wide variety of divisions, the representation of these divisions across social media must be equitable and productive. The equitable representation of athletes on social media is a fantastic tool we can use to reach beyond our associations and contribute to the conversations on gender equity within the larger sporting community. This reach will only work to benefit your association in terms of public image and recruitment.

Ultimate is also unique in its use of Spirit of the Game (SOTG). SOTG is featured in the first rule in the Official Rule Book of Ultimate. Concepts of Fairplay and respect are standard components of most sports, but Ultimate is unique in its inclusion of these principles within the game's rules. As Ultimate is a self-refereeing sport, these principles are integral to the proper functioning of the sport. Self-refereeing is unconventional within the sporting community, and its execution depends on high socio-emotional intelligence from its players and requires training to develop these skills. The promotion of SOTG will gain the attention of like-minded people who will likely follow your association and learn more about Ultimate.

Other aspects that make Ultimate unique are the social component of the sport and the associated "ultimate lifestyle". The Ultimate community spans nations and communities worldwide, allowing friendships to grow between like-minded people from various demographics. This also means that athletes have the opportunity to travel nationally and internationally to compete and connect with other Ultimate teams. This has contributed to the atmosphere of great competition matched with sportsmanship within the sport and the global ultimate community.

Why should we emphasise gender equity?

Highlight the success of women matching athletes, whether coaching or playing, can hugely benefit your club and the wider community. For example, by promoting the success and recognising the efforts made by women matching athletes on your social media, you support that athlete in their achievements whilst also reaching a large audience for whom this athlete may become a new role model. This can help increase engagement online and attract more players who may identify with the women-matching players you promote. You strengthen your unique selling points by explicitly addressing gender equity values and best practices on social media.

Relevant Links

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