Help Bafazi Bafazi fly

In June 2016, South Africa’s VERY FIRST national women’s ultimate Frisbee team will compete on the world stage – and we need your help to get all of our players to London.

It’s taken a while to get here. South Africa has sent a men’s team to the world championships every year since 1998, but 2016 is the first time our dream of a South African women’s team has come within reach. The number of female players in South Africa has tripled over the last five years, as more and more women have discovered the joy of our incredible sport.

Our 23 team members have to cover all costs ourselves, including overseas flights. It’s a big challenge: our currency, the rand, has almost halved in value over the last few years against the pound or the dollar. Practically, that means it costs a South African twice as much to go to Worlds in 2016 as it would have two years ago. The cost has increased by 50% since our tryouts in October. London is a longer, more expensive flight for us than for many countries competing at Worlds. Ultimate isn’t very well-known yet in South Africa, and it’s tough to find official sponsors.

That’s where YOU come in! Please help our first-ever women’s team pave the way for the next generation of girls in South Africa – and raise the profile of a sport that promotes gender equity, respect and integrity.

If we reach our target, it’ll cover 10% of our campaign – the bulk of our player fees. And if you help us, we’ll be sure to shower you with Bafazi love – check out the rewards we’ll send you for different levels of support.

Read on to learn more about our team, our sport and the tournament. Baie dankie, siyabonga, thank you for your help!

About Bafazi Bafazi

Our team, Bafazi Bafazi (“the women – the women” in isiXhosa), brings together 23 women from across the country. The roster blends experienced players and young talent from Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

Our symbol, the gorgeous Green Woodhoopoe, is known as “Inhleka Bafazi” in isiZulu, which means “laughing women”. These birds are strictly African. They live in groups, travelling from place to place together, laughing all the while. They are cooperative – a rare trait in birds – and work together for a common benefit. And that’s who we are – 23 gorgeous, laughing women, working together to pursue our dream.

About Ultimate

Ultimate is a fast-paced, high-action competitive sport that combines the best aspects of well-known games: the constant movement of soccer meets the aerial passing of basketball and American football. It’s played seven-a-side on a soccer-sized field with two end zones. Points are scored by catching a disc (“Frisbee”) in the opponent’s end zone.

It was recognized last year by the International Olympic Committee, which was drawn to the sport for the spirit of the game, gender equity, youth appeal, entertainment value, and global growth: disc sports are played by ~7.5 million people in more than 90 countries.

Even at the highest level, the game is played without a referee. Ultimate is built around the Spirit of the Game: all players must know and fairly apply the rules.

Check out this super cool video from a Belgian ultimate club to see what our sport is all about!

About WUGC

The World Ultimate and Guts Championship (WUGC), the world’s premier Ultimate tournament, is held every four years. In June 2016, 121 teams from 40 countries will battle it out on the global stage – and for the first time, South Africa’s women are planning to be there.

The 2016 tournament kicks off on Sunday 18 June, and runs for 8 days. During the tournament, each team plays an average of 10 games, matching up against teams from the Americas, Europe and Pacific-Asia. Progress can be followed online and some games will be streamed live. For more information, visit www.wugc2016.com.