Colorado Springs, Colo. (January 16, 2020) — USA Ultimate announced today a four-year agreement with Minnesota Ultimate and the National Sports Center (NSC) that keeps the U.S. Open Club Championships in Blaine through 2023.

The event will continue to take place the first weekend of August, with the 2020 edition scheduled for July 31 through August 3.

The U.S. Open Club Championships host more than 120 youth and elite-level ultimate teams in eight different divisions. Subdivided into the International Club Championships (ICC) and the Youth Club Championships (YCC), the event attracts 3,200 athletes from around the world, plus their families and ultimate fans from across the region.

The ICC hosts a field of elite teams in men’s, mixed and women’s divisions, while the YCC features U-20 and U-17 boys and girls divisions and a U-20 mixed division.

Each division will again occur over three days, with the ICC taking place July 31 – August 2 and the YCC scheduled for August 1-3, 2020.

Minnesota Ultimate and the NSC will serve as the event’s local organizing committees.

“The National Sports Center is excited to have a partnership agreement with USA Ultimate and Minnesota Ultimate to be the facility destination for events moving forward with the two organizations,” commented Darin Thompson, Senior Director of Campus Operations. “It is a pleasure to work with USA Ultimate and Minnesota Ultimate to host their events on our campus. They are a vital customer and we are thrilled to have them back for the next four years.”

The U.S. Open was originally introduced by USA Ultimate in 2012 as the only annual, elite-level international tournament in the United States. USA Ultimate’s Youth Club Championships – the nation’s premier youth tournament – began in 2005. In 2017, the two tournaments were combined into one event to form the U.S. Open Club Championships, creating a unique atmosphere for both participants and fans.

For youth athletes, the event presents an opportunity to both compete for a national title alongside many of the sport’s most recognizable names from the elite ranks and watch some of the best ultimate in the world as fans. For elite club players, it creates an environment to interact with and support young athletes from their local communities while establishing and developing relationships as mentors and role models.

To further align with USA Ultimate’s organizational mission to advance the sport of ultimate in the U.S. by enhancing character, community and competition, the event also hosts several social activities that encourage interaction between youth participants and their heroes in the sport, including the Girls’ Ultimate Movement “GUM Ball,” the Discraft athlete dinner and trade night, Learn to Play clinics, showcase games and an equity, diversity and inclusion forum.

Beyond 2020, future editions are scheduled for August 6-9, 2021; August 5-8, 2022; and August 4-7, 2023.