Frisbees flying across school fields, students calling their own fouls, and lunchtime games popping up across playgrounds. Ultimate Frisbee is quickly becoming a favourite new sport for intermediate students across the Waikato.

The growth follows the introduction of Wheako Frisbee, a programme developed by Waikato Ultimate to introduce tamariki and rangatahi to the fast-growing sport through fun, inclusive sessions delivered in schools. 

Supported through Sport NZ’s Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund, the initiative focuses on Year 7 and 8 students, aiming to grow participation and promote teamwork.

As administrators of the Tū Manawa fund across the greater Waikato region, we worked alongside Waikato Ultimate to support the development of the programme, helping connect the organisation with funding and ensuring the sessions aligned with school needs and curriculum priorities.

For many students, the programme has been their first experience with the sport.

“We learned lots of new throws, like the hammer, backhand and forehand. Playing the game was fun. It’s like playing touch and netball combined into one sport!” said Peyton, a participating student.

Each session introduces students to the fundamentals of Ultimate Frisbee, including throwing techniques, teamwork, and the sport’s unique Spirit of the Game philosophy where players self-referee and focus on fairness and respect.

Teachers say the impact has extended well beyond the sessions themselves.

“Frisbees were being used at breaktimes by many of the kids who got hooked by the session. It was awesome to see.”

The success of the in-school programme quickly led to a new opportunity for students to test their skills.

Following the programme rollout, the Intermediate Schools Ultimate Frisbee Tournament was launched, with strong participation from schools that had already experienced the sessions.

In its first year, 18 teams from seven schools took part. By 2025 the tournament had grown to 28 teams from 13 schools, with 245 players competing across two high-energy events. 

The growth is already helping create a pathway for young players to continue the sport at secondary school level, with increasing interest from Year 9 students and new school teams beginning to form.

With a large number of students now introduced to the sport, Waikato Ultimate is now exploring further opportunities including additional school competitions, holiday programmes and other ways to grow Ultimate Frisbee across the region.

Read the full case study here