Dublin Summer Hat League

It's been quite a while since I posted anything here. I've had a busy summer. I do have quite a few drafts I intend to get back to soon.

One quick post for now about the Dublin Summer Hat League. (AKA Monday night league - it might even be called the co-ed league although I don't believe there are actually any mixed rules in play).

That league is fairly well established by now. It's been going for 9 years, according to the website, but still, it's had exactly 8 teams for as long as I can remember. Ultimate in Ireland grows, but Monday night league doesn't seem to.

Also, I believe it's officially the 'beginner friendly' league. But I think it generally does very little for recruitment nowadays. Have any of our proper ulti-addicts begun their career at Monday night summer league? speak up!

From the 2 times I watched it (I met up with some Irish open team guys to do some fitness in the same park), it looked to be dominated by young players in the "I-just-can't-get-enough-ultimate" stage of their playing careers. Players playing about 1 or 2 years who are there to try to win or to mess around with their mates, seeing who can accumulate the most stats (BTW, recording player stats for a beginner league is a truly terrible idea).

I think once upon a time it was better, when there was less ultimate available in Dublin in general, there would be a greater number of very experienced players there. Showing what a proper game should look like, but understanding that a game pitting the brown team against the green team is not such an important game that the beginners should always get looked off. (and of course, in those days, everyone knew that we needed to recruit every player we could).

I think that both the new players, and the players that started in college 1-3 years ago could be served better. I'm not fully sure how.

In the Cork Summer League, before a proper game, the 2 teams play 3 small simultaneous games of 3 V 3 for 15 minutes (1 in each endzone, 1 more in space across the middle). This ensures everyone touches the disc a good number of times.

Belfast used to always play 5-a-side. Again, it's more difficult for a beginner to be uninvolved.

Perhaps their ideas have some merit.

Or perhaps something should change regarding the 'loose co-ed' system, for the case of beginner girls. Perhaps a mixed tag rugby style rule about girl scores being worth more?

Maybe, as in university beginner tournaments or development inter-varsities, quotas on the number of players on the field with certain years playing experience.

I suspect that adding more rules might not actually fix the issue though. Maybe it's time to quit the hat league in it's current format, and in it's place, have a mixed club league with a pool of 'hat' players to add to teams in need?

Any thoughts?

P.S. if you played, complete this survey for the organisers