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| Sport | Ultimate |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| League | Ultimate Frisbee Association |
| Division | East |
| Based in | New Rochelle,New York |
| Stadium | Joseph F. Fosina Field |
| Owners | NY Empire AUDL, LLC, Paul Stevens, Cullen Shaw, Jesse Stein, Tom Gibbons, & Nathan Shurtleff |
| Head coach | Anthony Nuñez |
| Overall record | 116–42 |
| Championships | 3 (2019, 2022, 2023) |
| Playoff berths | 9 |
| Website | www |
TheNew York Empire are a professionalultimate team based in theNew York metropolitan area. The Empire compete in theUltimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the East Division. The team played its first season in 2013. The Empire won their first title in 2019, followed by titles in 2022 and 2023.[1]
At the beginning of the Empire's history in late 2012, the team almost did not come to fruition, as part-owner Cullen Shaw almost took his Ultimate ownership interest toMajor League Ultimate because of a pending AUDL lawsuit against theConnecticut Constitution andRhode Island Rampage. However, Shaw kept with the AUDL and the Empire because of lower ownership costs and more abilities as a team owner.[2] The Empire's first tryout, in January 2013, attracted 60 players, more than other teams holding initial tryouts.[3] The MLU did eventually create a New York franchise, the New York Rumble, and the Empire became the first AUDL team to have a player play for an AUDL and MLU team in the same year when Isaac Saul joined the Empire in 2014 after the conclusion of the Rumble season that same year.[4]
After the 2017 season, Barbara Stevens, mother of then-Empire player Matthew Stevens, became majority owner of the team.[5] Before the 2018 season, the Empire signedBeau Kittredge andMarques Brownlee, and before 2019, the Empire signed Jack Williams and Grant Lindsley. These signings, combined with existing talent like Jeff Babbitt and Ben Jagt, created a team that some called the strongest in the league since the 2016 iteration of theDallas Roughnecks.[6] The Empire then went 12–0 in the regular season after close calls withRaleigh andDC, and went 3–0 in the playoffs to win the 2019 championship and become only the third team in league history to finish a season undefeated.[1]
The Empire formerly played its home games atMCU Park in the borough ofBrooklyn,[7] with some contests being played onRandall's Island. Before the 2018 season, the Empire moved to Joseph F. Fosina Field inNew Rochelle, citing a lack of locker rooms and concessions at Randall's Island as well as better proximity to major thoroughways.[8]
In the 2024 season, the team played two home matches atTrinity Health Stadium inHartford, Connecticut.[9]
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 11–5 (2nd in East) | 1–1 | Lost in Semifinals |
| 2014 | 10–4 (2nd in East) | 1–1 | Lost in Semifinals |
| 2015 | 11–3 (2nd in East) | 1–1 | Lost in divisional final |
| 2016 | 7–7 (3rd in East) | 0–1 | Lost in divisional semifinals |
| 2017 | 6–8 (4th in East) | Did not make playoffs | |
| 2018 | 8–6 (3rd in East) | 2–1 | Lost in semifinals |
| 2019 | 12–0 (1st in East) | 3–0 | Won championship |
| 2021 | 10–2 | 2–1 | Lost in Championship |
| 2022 | 12–0 (1st in East) | 3–0 | Won Championship |
| 2023 | 12–0 (1st in East) | 3–0 | Won Championship |
| Total | 87–35 | 13–6 |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | American Ultimate Disc League champion 2019 | Succeeded by Current |
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