Ultimate Frisbee tourney coming to Naperville

The Neuqua Valley Ultimate Frisbee Club has been gaining in popularity since it was created in 2007.

With more that 200 players throughout the Naperville area, the nonprofit organization is gaining national attention by hosting the largest youth Ultimate Frisbee tournament in the nation this spring.

The Neuqua Valley Knockout Tournament will be Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23, at Fox Valley Park District's Stuart Sports Complex, Route 30 and Griffin Drive, Montgomery.

"We have 96 total teams from all over the United States and Canada," said Arnoush Javaherian, head coach and executive director. "We have teams from 14 states, including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin."

The Neuqua Knockout Tournament was the brainchild of Javaherian three years ago after realizing a need for a Chicago area youth Ultimate Frisbee tournament.

"Being that we were one of the premiere and biggest programs in the country, I knew it was just a matter of time until we had our own tournament," he said "Once I found fields in the area, I knew it was time."

The first Neuqua Knockout tournament was held in April 2015 in Joliet with 64 teams. The following year, 72 teams participated maxing out the fields' capacity.

This year's Neuqua Knockout Tournament, with 96 registered teams, has gained national attention as the largest Ultimate Frisbee tournament in the nation, attracting college recruiters to watch some of the top athletes of the ultimate community, including players that represented the U.S. in The World Junior Ultimate Championships this past summer in Poland.

Ultimate Frisbee is an extremely physical sport requiring a great deal of running, jumping and agility. The game is a combination of soccer, football, and basketball in that players have a field the length of a football field and the object is to score enough "points" in order to win the game.

It is an up-and-coming sport that has grown in popularity the past few years. More than 5 million people play the game in the U.S., including professional teams in major cities.

At the high school level there are no referees - the players on the field serve to regulate the match. The coaches cannot rule on a call during a game; the 14 players on the field at that time have to work it out. Much like golf, it calls on a player's integrity and sense of fair play.

In addition to supporting and respecting each other on the field, the Neuqua Valley Ultimate Club also contributes to various charitable organizations throughout the year.

"One of our core values is to create an environment in which players can grow not only as Ultimate players, but also as people. What better way to help our players grow as people than to perform at off-field charitable events," Javaherian said.

For more information on the Neuqua Valley Ultimate Frisbee Club at Neuqua Valley High School, visit www.nvultimate.com.