Mix & Mingle 2014

Ponds Forge International Sports Centre is a World class sports venue and attracts some of the biggest and best National and International sporting events on offer.  

For Ultimate use, the hall is split down the middle by way of a curtain and rebound boards, leaving two large pitches either side.  Spectators can watch all the action from the viewing balcony or from behind the safety netting near the pitch entrances on the ground level.  Only players and coaches should be standing on the sidelines of the pitches - this is a safety issue, and actually in the UKU Indoor Rules...

The foodetc. cafe offers a range of hot and cold meals, drinks and snacks; and is open from 9am until 8pm.  This is also a fully licensed bar and has two flat screen TVs for watching the days live sporting action.  Water from the taps around Ponds Forge is NOT suitable for drinking so you should get drinking water from the Cafe, though we may have large containers near the pitch area.

The Player Lounge returns once again!  Located on the ground floor opposite the Pitch 1 entrance, here you will find a space in which to relax in comfort. 

A few venue rules:

~ Competitors' shoes MUST have non-marking soles.  Any player spotted wearing the wrong footwear can, and will, be removed from the hall by the TD at any time.

~ There is very little warm-up space!  Discs MUST NOT be thrown in the reception area or near any doors or fire exits.  Any players warming up (e.g. running) or throwing discs may be asked to stop by centre staff or the TD.

~ Fire exits MUST be kept clear at all times.  The doors should ONLY be used in an emergency as they are all ALARMED.

The taps at Ponds Forge do not provide drinking water (though if you don't object to lukewarm untreated water you are welcome to it) so you need to fill up your bottles from the water containers in the cafe. To make it easier on yourself, we would advise bringing at least a couple of litres of water with you, to save having to queue up for more.

We'd recommend only bringing a car to the venue if you have to so if you can leave it at your accommodation, you may wish to consider it.  Car parking at Ponds Forge is £6 for a full day.  *We sometimes get discounted tickets but these are not guaranteed so please be expected to pay full price.*  The car park is only small though so the overflow is the neighbouring Q-Park.  They charge £12 for up to ten hours but you can get a voucher from Ponds Forge reception to limit this cost to £1 per hour.

Full details can be found at:

http://www.ponds-forge.co.uk/Car_Park_Prices

http://www.q-park.co.uk/parking/sheffield/q-park-castlegate

Unfortunately we are not in a position to offer accommodation for this event.  There, however, are a number of hotels close to Ponds Forge, or get in touch with your Sheffield friends for a free or cheaper alternative!  If you get really stuck we may be able to help out but this is not at all guaranteed so please consider your accommodation before entering the event.

The following are all just a short walk from Ponds Forge: 

Hotel Ibis Sheffield City

Travelodge Sheffield Central

Novotel Sheffield Centre

Premier Inn Sheffield City Centre

Holiday Inn Express Sheffield

We have 24 teams once again this year which provides a fairly tight schedule, but there are plenty of matches for all teams.

Round 1: 4 pools with 6 teams in each

Round 2: Cross-overs in the 5-12 and 13-20 brackets

Round 3: Quarter-finals (1-8, 9-16, 17-24)

Round 4: Semi-finals

Round 5: Finals

NB.

Top and bottom placed teams in Round 1 DO NOT get a cross-over (but do get later starts on Sunday).

The seeding draw has proved fairly successful in the last couple of years so it will continue.  What this means is that the 24 teams will be split into six 'pots' of four based on their likely strength.  The draw then takes place starting with the lowest four seeds and one team from each pot will be drawn into each tournament pool.  There are six rounds in the draw and we finish by drawing the highest seeded teams.

We do it this way so seeds can be estimated in groups of four, rather than trying to seed each position accurately.

Schedule, information and maps...

For full results and a brief write-up of the event, please click here.