It’s time for our 2024 AGM and we’d love to see you there! During the AGM, the MZU Board of Directors will present key details and outcomes of this past year’s events. This is a great opportunity to learn more about how MZU supports the sport of Ultimate in St. John’s, the state of the leagues that we provide, and a chance to engage with us in discussion and feedback on what you feel went well or could go better in the future. (more…)
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We’re excited to release our plan for the MZU Olympics Event on June 1st! Join us from 2-5pm at the Team Gushue Sports Complex (Mount Pearl) for an afternoon of mini-games and challenges! Any player that is 18+ and that holds a valid UNL membership is welcome to participate. Friends and family are welcome to attend as spectators.
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2023 Fall Hat League registration is NOW OPEN!
Come play under the lights @ King George V field!
Games will be Sunday nights at either 6, 7, or 8 pm. League starts Sept 10th and goes to Oct 29th.
Sign up solo or with a friend! Registration deadline is September 5th.
Register here
Recently the Board asked me for some input on playing surface and risk for injuries as this past indoor season there seemed to be a spike in reported injuries while playing. This blog will discuss the different playing surfaces and their inherent risks, how your footwear choice can mitigate that risk, and some general tips for transitioning from the different surfaces.
Firstly, the playing surface. MZU runs leagues on a variety of grass fields of differing quality, as well as outdoor and indoor turf fields, and some of you may also play indoor on a multipurpose floor as well. All playing surfaces have their respective rate of injury, typically they are compared to grass as that is the most accessible and has been used the longest. One of the perceived risks with artificial turf is a higher prevalence of knee injuries, and while that was true with the 1st and 2nd generation turfs primarily installed in the 1960-1990s, more recent turf installations have negated that risk. While the knee injury prevalence has decreased, there remains a risk any time you change surfaces. This is seen from the transition from indoor winter league to outdoor summer, summer to the outdoor fall league, and then back into the winter league playing surface. Each surface has it’s own distinct stressors that it puts on your body, and if you go from playing 2-3 hours per week on one surface and then switch to another, those stresses can cause overload or overuse injuries.
Secondly, your shoes. For the many recreational players in MZU, your cleat choice may have been directed on price point, look of the shoe, or how comfortable they were. There are a variety of cleat choices that offer benefits depending on the sport, the playing surface, even what position you play, so it can be daunting for a rec player to make an informed choice. The reality is that while certain cleats offer advantages in certain situations, for most players those small advantages are negligible, and so perhaps the most beneficial decision is to make one based on injury reduction. The only type of cleat you want to be cautious about wearing on multiple surfaces is a “bladed” cleat. Most cleat tips are circular or conical in design, where bladed cleats are longer and designed to give enough grip to turn and generate force on a hard dry field. This same design on a softer wet field, or artificial turf has been shown to increase rates of knee injuries as the blades sink into the surface and stick. Wearing turf or general cleats on all MZU surfaces are safe bets from an injury prevention approach.
Finally, as you start gearing up for the glorious summer league, there are a few tips that you and your team can take to try to minimize the risk of injuries. Building capacity in your tissue before taking on an increased load or intensity such as in games. Convince your team to run a few practices, or get out and go for a toss, or play some mini games. This concept also applies if you are changing your cleats, either from turf shoes to grass cleats, or maybe you just got a new pair. To limit injury wear them for the first 25% of practice, or your toss around, and then increase that percentage over a couple weeks. One of the big gaps I see with many teams is the warm-up is lacking. Having a good warm up that increases your heart rate, increases blood flow to the extremities and gets muscles ready to work will improve performance and most importantly decrease injury rates in the game!
So to bring us back full circle, any time you transition playing surfaces you have a higher risk of injury, however none of the surfaces you play on in MZU have an inherent increase in risk. Your cleat choice can play a part, but mostly bladed cleats on wet grass or turf. Having a proper transition with surface or footwear change can help mitigate risk as can getting in a 5-10 minute warm up before the game. Hopefully this information helps you have a full year of fun with MZU regardless of the playing surface!
Matthew Moore is a Certified Athletic Therapist and co-owns Premier Athletic Therapy & Sports Medicine. He is an avid MZU player and is currently an Assistant Athletic Therapist with the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club that competes in Major League Soccer.
We are super excited to announce that Summer League registration is NOW OPEN!!!
For all the details on both our traditional Summer League as well our new Wednesday Summer Hat League and where to register, please click here
MZU is pleased to announce its Spring 2023 Build-It-Yourself League!
League format is 6-on-6 speedpoint. Games are at the Techniplex on Monday nights, March 6th to May 15th, and will be 55 minutes long starting at 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm. 11pm may be a possibility depending on the number of teams interested.
Teams will get 11 weeks of play: 8 weeks of regular season + 3 weeks of playoffs.
Captains are invited to express interest by midnight, February 15th using this form.
MZU is pleased to announce its Fall 2022 Build-It-Yourself League!
League format is 6-on-6 speedpoint. Games are at the Techniplex on Monday nights, September 26th to December 12th, and will be 55 minutes long starting at 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm. Trying no 11pm’s.
The league has room for 24 teams. If more teams express interest a lottery will be held.
EOI will be open from September 8th to the 18th followed by registration being open from September 19th to the 23rd.
By weeks, playoff formats and cost will all be determined based on number of teams.
Captains can fill out the EOI form here.
MZU is pleased to announce its Winter 2022 Build-It-Yourself League!
League format is 6-on-6 speedpoint. Games are at the Techniplex on Monday nights, February 28th to May 16th, and will be 55 minutes long starting at 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, and 11pm.
Teams will get 9 weeks of regular play + 3 weeks of playoffs. The league has room for 24 teams. If more teams express interest a lottery will be held.
Cost is ~ $1075 + the applicable individual UNL fees.
Captains are invited to express interest by midnight, February 20th using this form.
All of the league details can be found here.
MZU is excited to announce details of its 2022 Winter Toque League! Please read through all of the details to determine which division you would like to register for!
League Dates: Monday nights, from January 10 2022 to February 28, 2022 at the Techniplex
Registration Dates: Opens Thursday December 16th at 5pm and closes Wednesday January 5th at 11:59pm.
Players are allowed to register for 2 divisions (if they wish). Players cannot register for both 4v4 divisions, as those play at the same time.
6v6 Recreational Division (ages 18+, must be 18 by December 31, 2022)
4v4 Competitive Division (ages 18+, must be 18 by December 31, 2022)
4v4 Masters Division (Male Matching 33+, Female Matching 30+, must be by December 31, 2022)
If you have not played in a MZU, SWURL, MAUL, SOUL, or Ultimate NL league since May 2021, please purchase your Ultimate NL membership here.
Feel free to reach out to hi@milezeroultimate.com with any questions or concerns!
