The long-held stereotype of Ultimate Frisbee often involves counter-culture athletes who can barely hold a club team together.

Anything “professional” had little to do with the sport, which was spawned in the late 1960s and gained traction in the ensuing decades on college campuses as a club game. But things have changed dramatically as evidenced by the American Ultimate Disc League, formed three years ago, now becoming a professional force in the game in Jacksonville.

The game of Ultimate Frisbee is played between teams of seven on a 120-yard-long field with a 70-yard proper playing field and 25-yard end zones. Most of the flying discs are manufactured by a company called Discraft, which is headquartered in Michigan. The rules are similar to basketball, football and soccer. Players pass a disc to each other and a 1-point goal is scored when a pass is completed into the end zone. One goal accounts for one point.