It’s hard to believe Q1 for 2023 has come and gone! The Wild has been busy as we’ve ramped up for the season – catch up with all the action!
Practice Weekends
The Wild kicked off the year with three practice weekends. 2 weekends were held in Salt Lake City, UT, while 1 was hosted in Boise, ID! As the team came together for the first time since tryouts in 2022, they learned a ton from Coaches Tania, Aguilar, and Nat. These weekend-long affairs featured 2-a-day practices, lots of team bonding, and an evening of Family Feud! During the practice weekend in Boise, The Wild also hosted a successful free skills clinic for Boise youth – with a strong turn out of 45 athletes! A huge thanks to Idaho-based Utah Wild athletes for planning and running that clinic!
Thanks to JJ Max for covering the Boise clinic and getting some great photos!
Thanks to Joel Dehlin for these shots from one of our team practice weekends!
WUL Megafan Fundraiser
As many of you likely saw, the WUL “Megafan” fundraiser returned for another year at the beginning of February! The goal of this fundraiser was to support for WUL athletes and help fund teams’ seasons via limited edition jerseys! We are excited to announce that Utah Wild sold the most jerseys in the league – and raised 17K towards our 2023 season! We consider this a huge success - we cannot thank our fans enough for your continued support and enthusiasm for our athletes!
Utah Wild Home Opener
Utah Wild hosted Colorado Alpenglow on 3/18 at Judge Memorial Stadium for the first game of the WUL season! Before the game, the Wild hosted a 5v5 hat tournament that was open to all ages and genders. We had a great turn-out of 60 players! Winners of the tournament led the home team with the newly debuted Wild flag as they ran on to the field for the coin toss.
This was a highly anticipated game – not only because it was the Wild’s home opener, but because this was the first time Alpenglow took the field as a franchise! It was an exciting game between the 2 teams with your Utah Wild taking the win 19-16. There was a well-attended after party at Bewilder Brewing in downtown Salt Lake City – athletes and fans from both teams were in attendance!
Thanks again to all the volunteers who helped with game-day set-up and tear down; we could not host these events without your help! If you missed the game, you can still watch the recording for FREE on the Western Ultimate League YouTube page.
Thanks to Robin Pendergrast and David Kocherhans for the photos above!
A Stadium for Women’s Sports in SLC
If you have yet to hear the exciting news, Utah Wild is proud to be part of a proposal for the future of the Ballpark in Salt Lake City, formerly the home of the Salt Lake Bees minor league baseball team. We were approached in early March by a group of community members, women's sports organizations, and local business owners, asking us to join them in supporting a vision for this space that centers around supporting women's sports, women-owned business, and 365 activation for this community space. This is colloquially being called "Her Stadium SLC" and "She Plays Here Stadium." For more information on the proposal and how to take action, please see our featured blog post.
Spring Goaltimate League
Spring goalty league is back and registration is LIVE! Our spring league will take place on Wednesday evenings at Harmony Park in Salt Lake City from April 26-May 24. We are planning on two divisions – one for women-matching players and one for man-matching players. More information on pricing, games, and prizes can be found on our website’s event page! Register now to reserve your spot before they fill up!
Looking Ahead
As we look ahead towards the rest of the season, there are several events to put on your calendar! First, join us at Bewilder Brewing in Salt Lake City on 4/8 at 2PM to cheer on the Wild as they rematch Colorado Alpenglow in Denver, CO. Come down for some food, drinks, and hangs – we will have the game on the big screen!
Additionally, start getting excited for Wild Wild Weekend, April 22-23, at Judge Memorial Stadium. There will be four games over the course of the weekend: your Utah Wild will play two games, one Saturday evening at 7PM versus the San Francisco Falcons, and one Sunday afternoon at 2PM versus Los Angeles Astra. For more information about the games, vendors, and the after party, please visit our website’s event page!
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