While the Padres have now welcomed new owners who reportedly paid billions for the club, a less storied San Diego franchise continues its season with far smaller ambitions—trying to build stability and legitimacy—while playing home games on a high school field.
The San Diego Growlers of the Ultimate Frisbee Association began their 11th season in April at Mission Bay High School. They host opponents there and at another campus, Helix Charter High School in La Mesa, on Friday nights.
“Very much this is a passion project,” Growlers co-owner Will Griffin said. “I don’t think any of us is expecting to quit our other jobs just yet, but that’s always sort of the goal. When the
Chargers left, there was this vacuum of sports teams. And San Diego has seen a bunch of other sports teams jump into the fray.”
Co-owners Griffin, Justin Goodman and Ryan Slaughter purchased territorial rights to a San Diego franchise in 2014, when the league was still the American Ultimate Disc League, for
$15,000. The three met in 2009 playing recreational ultimate on a San Diego club team in the USA Ultimate system. The team qualified multiple times for national competition and included Kevin Stuart, the Growlers’ head coach since their inaugural season.
“Ryan was tracking the movement of the pro leagues,” Goodman said. “At the time there were actually two pro leagues, but the Ultimate Frisbee Association was the one expanding to the
West Coast. There was a call for interested ownership groups in LA and San Diego. Ryan raised his hand and sent an email basically saying, ‘Is anyone interested in exploring pro ultimate ownership?’ We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into, but it became learning how to start a small business.”
The Growlers reached the playoffs for the first time in 2018 and broke through in 2021, finishing 10-2 and winning the Western Division championship before falling to the New York
Empire in the league semifinals.
San Diego currently sits in fourth place in the South Division with a 1-1 record. The Growlers edged Atlanta last weekend 16-15 and next face Oakland, which owns the best record in the league, on Sunday. After three games on the road, they are set for another home game on June 5.
Griffin and Goodman said the team continues to operate at a loss, even as signs of growth emerge in a challenging economy. Player stipends, travel costs for road games and stadium rentals remain the biggest expenses. This season, the Growlers will split home games between Mission Bay High and Helix High while Mission Bay undergoes re-turfing. Larger venues such as Snapdragon Stadium remain financially out of reach.
“Every year we have an owners’ meeting,” Goodman said. “We all fly to a city and talk about the business. For the most part, our charts show increases, and one of the biggest metrics is
stadium attendance.”
Goodman and Griffin said the Growlers averaged about 450 fans per game last season, with playoff crowds exceeding 700. Around the league, multiple teams drew more than 1,000.
“Ticket sales, and certainly butts in seats, help everything,” Griffin said. “Concessions and merchandise. From there, you’re looking at partnerships and sponsorships. We also run camps and clinics—summer camps, paid clinics. Those revenue streams are the main levers we’ve been pulling.”
“How do you get more fans in the stands is a key question we’ve struggled with,” Goodman said. “It’s a lot of marketing. Teams are constrained by how much money you can put into it. Some teams are doing billboards, paid ads. We’re not quite there yet. It’s really hard to let people know you exist.”
He said that challenge is amplified in San Diego, where pro sports options and a beach lifestyle compete for attention. One newer niche club, Major League Volleyball’s San Diego Mojo, for instance, has bowed out of the local sports scene, playing its final game.
Some teams are doing billboards, paid ads. We’re not quite there yet. It’s really hard to let people know you exist.
Growlers co-owner Justin Goodman
“San Diego is a beach town—there are a lot of other things to do. For a family of four, getting them to a Friday night game is competing with a lot of other options.”
Goodman said the Growlers will generate roughly $8,000 to $9,000 in sponsorship revenue this season, with partners at the roughly $2,000 level including Liberty Puzzles and Longevity
Physical Therapy. Sponsorships remain one of the clearest areas for growth.
“It’s not for lack of effort,” he said. “But in these financial times it’s tough to get someone to write a check. It’s about finding the right company with some familiarity with ultimate.”
The UFA also runs WatchUFA, a $14-per-month streaming subscription platform, as it tries to expand revenue and reach beyond in-person attendance.
But just what is the product they’re selling? Stuart, the Growlers’ head coach, describes pro frisbee as fast paced, “seven on seven on a football field, nonstop. It blends aspects of soccer, basketball and lacrosse.”
Stuart, a marine biologist by day studying aquaculture and local pelagic species and coach by night, sets aside about two hours each evening for film review and installation of offensive and defensive sets, along with time for Wednesday practices leading into Friday games.
At the helm since since 2015, Stuart can see the evolution in how the organization operates.
“We’re a much more professional organization at this point than we were in year one,” he said. “Year one, we didn’t really know what the heck we were doing. Everyone was just kind of
running around. Now we know what’s needed—practice fields, travel, preseason planning. It’s still stressful, but not everyone running around like their hair’s on fire.”
That shift, he said, has improved both the product and the fan experience.
“The fans know what to expect,” Stuart said. “They know the gates will be open, the experience, the family-friendly vibe. On the field, you see a more professional product—athletes at the top of their sport. And that’s what we’re trying to put out there, especially for people who don’t know what ultimate is.”
Griffin and Goodman said the pitch to San Diegans is simple: affordable tickets, a strong product, and an experience that rewards first-time fans.
“Kids 12 and under are free,” Griffin said. “The rest range from $15 to $22. When people show up, they tend to enjoy it. They buy merch early. I don’t think I’ve heard anybody leave a game
and not have a great time.”
“Our games are definitely more affordable than most experiences,” Goodman added. “I wouldn’t say they’re cheap, but they’re fair. And none of these players are doing this full time.
Everyone has a day job. They come home after work to practice, or they’re in the gym on Wednesdays, then compete Friday and Saturday nights.”
“You’re going to see plays you wouldn’t see in any other sport,” Stuart said. “You’ve got guys 6’2”, 6’3” sprinting full field, making layout bids or blocks. The disc hangs longer than a football
or baseball, so you get these athletic plays you don’t normally see.”
