Spring Tour is around the corner
Spring Tour offers us the inaugural events of the European Ultimate Club Season in 2024. Brno (CZE), Grenoble (FRA), London (GBR), Malmö (SWE), and Padova (ITA) play host to these first tournaments on the weekend of April 20th – 21st, each location adding its unique flavour to the competition. This is the start of a journey towards qualification for the European Ultimate Championship Finals (EUCF) at the end of September.
This year’s Spring Tour is characterised by a mix of anticipation and unpredictability. Besides lots of well-known clubs and, of course, the expected favourites per division, several teams are making their first appearance, while others return after a hiatus. The competition is ripe for the emergence of new winners and the rekindling of old rivalries. The mixed division especially features a lot of new faces in the European scene. It will be exciting to see who will fill up several spots that seem to have opened up, as traditionally strong mixed teams Grut (NED), SMOG (GBR), KFUM Örebro (SWE), Monkey (FRA) and Catchup (AUT) this season transition to women’s and/or open.
Brno has an open division (10 teams) with a strong selection of former East region clubs such as 3SB (CZE), FWD>> (AUT), Outsiterz (SVK), thebigEZ (AUT) and Panthers Wroclaw (POL), but also KFK (DEN) and KFUM Örebro (SWE).
In Grenoble, we’ll see a women’s division(10 teams) and an open division (18 teams). Grut (NED) is making their women’s division debut in Grenoble next to ‘23 champs BFD Shout (ITA)[1], FABulous (SUI), Tequila Boom Boom (ITA) and JetSet LUV (BEL). The very big open division will further show us Tchac (FRA), Heidees (GER), Iznogood (FRA), XVI (IRL), Flying Angels Bern (SUI), Freespeed (SUI), Smash’D (GBR) and Solebang (SUI), amongst others.
London features a strong lineup in the women’s division (10 teams) with Gravity (IRL), Mooncup (BEL), Seagulls (GER) and the top of the GBR clubs such as Iceni, Bristol, SYC, Spice and for the first time SMOG.
Malmö has a mixed division (8 teams) with home team Malmö Ultimate, as well as the German squad NullAcht! (GER), Pelt (IRL), Glasgow Ultimate (GBR), DTU (DEN) and Savage Ultimate (POL).
Finally, Padova has some very strong participants in the open division (10 teams), including Mooncatchers (BEL), La Fotta (ITA)[2], Ranelagh (IRL), Bad Skid (GER), Cotarica Grandes (ITA), and Panthers Bern (SUI). Its mixed division (15 teams) will give us a first glimpse of ‘23 champions Deep Space (GBR)[3]. Frubb (GER), PUC (FRA) and a large contingent of Austrian clubs Mosquitos, Zombees and Wunderteam and the ‘return’ of former top team Colorado (GER)[4].
Check out the full list of teams per tournament: https://eucs.ultimatefederation.eu/spring-tour
For enthusiasts keen on following the action without missing a single assist, live scores will be easily accessible at https://eucs-schedule.ultimatefederation.eu, a hub for real-time updates and match outcomes. Fans can immerse themselves in the games through live streams at https://live.ultimatefederation.eu. With the support of our partners Solidsport and the collaboration with Ulti.tv, selected matches will benefit from expert commentary, enriching the viewing experience for fans.
Furthermore, on Monday, April 22nd, the show "In or Out" will dive into the results of these first tournaments, providing team rosters, analysis of rankings and the impact of these early games on the season's landscape.
Follow our social media channels to keep up with the action, engage with the community, and support your favourite teams as they embark on this thrilling journey to the EUCF in Ostend, Belgium.
1) Their dominant performance in the championships match vs Jinx (GER): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8_ixuMpSFo
2) check out their highlight-packed game against the Mooncatchers from 2023 EUCF Semifinals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6ogHpIyOJA&list=PLzREfPIXZzdZG5OD6ExKZt7V6-ANFcWFt&index=31
3) revisit their championships game vs GRUT (NED): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBUYZ8dY-k&t=1178s
4) Colorado played EUCF finals 2017 vs a very young Grut squad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJhuzcgLkxI
