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New York Empire
Sport	Ultimate
Founded	2013
League	Ultimate Frisbee Association
Division	East
Based in	New York City, 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.watchufa.com/empire

The New York Empire are a professional ultimate team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Empire compete in the Ultimate 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]

History

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 to Major League Ultimate because of a pending AUDL lawsuit against the Connecticut Constitution and Rhode 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 signed Beau Kittredge and Marques 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 the Dallas Roughnecks.^[6] The Empire then went 12–0 in the regular season after close calls with Raleigh and DC, 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]

Stadium

The Empire formerly played its home games at MCU Park in the borough of Brooklyn,^[7] with some contests being played on Randall's Island. Before the 2018 season, the Empire moved to Joseph F. Fosina Field in New 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 will play two home matches at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut.^[9]

Record

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