Rules of Ultimate

2. Playing Field

Playing Field100 m18 mEnd ZoneEnd ZoneCentral ZoneBrick mark18 m64 m18 m37 m
  1. 2.1. The playing field is a rectangular area with dimensions and zones as shown on Figure 1 (see above) and should be essentially flat, free of obstructions and afford reasonable player safety.
    Annotation: Playing Field size

    The playing field is one hundred (100) metres long by thirty-seven (37) metres wide. The playing field is broken up into a central zone that is sixty-four (64) metres long, and two end zones that are eighteen (18) metres deep at each end of the central zone.

    All lines are between seventy-five (75) and one hundred and twenty (120) millimetres wide, and are marked with a non-caustic material.

    If space is not available to fit a full sized field, the end zones should be made shorter before the central zone is reduced. Refer to the Appendix for more detail.

    If there are no field markings, and the cones used to mark a sideline are not in a straight line, the sideline line is deemed to be the line between the two cones of the relevant zone the player is currently within. For example, if a player is close to the sideline in the central zone, it is the cones on each goal line along that sideline that are relevant. If a player is close to the sideline within an endzone, it is the cones the front and rear of that end zone along that sideline that are relevant.

  2. 2.2. The perimeter lines surround the playing field and consist of two (2) sidelines along the length and two (2) endlines along the width.
  3. 2.3. The perimeter lines are not part of the playing field.
  4. 2.4. The goal lines are the lines that separate the central zone from the end zones and are part of the central zone.
  5. 2.5. The brick marks are the intersection of two (2) crossed one (1) metre lines in the central zone, located a distance equal to the length of the end zone away from each goal line, midway between the sidelines.
    Steinar's comment (unofficial!): Why “brick”?

    The brick mark is named after tournament organizer Louis “Brick” Burke, who invented the rule of taking an out-of-bounds pull to a specified location instead of a re-pull. He supposedly earned his nickname not only because of the similarity to his surname, but also because he was a poor shooter in basketball; a “brick shot” in basketball is a specific form of miss. It is fitting that bricking a pull in ultimate parallels shooting a brick in basketball.

  6. 2.6. Eight brightly-coloured, flexible objects (such as plastic cones) mark the corners of the central zone and the end zones.
  7. 2.7. The immediate surroundings of the playing field shall be kept clear of movable objects. If play is obstructed by non-players or objects within three (3) metres of the perimeter line, any obstructed player or thrower in possession may call “Violation”.