Oakland Spiders

Oakland Spiders

Sport	Ultimate Frisbee
Founded	2014
League	Ultimate Frisbee Association
Division	West
Based in	Oakland, California
Stadium	Fremont High School
Head Coach	Dan Silverstein and Nancy Freitas
Championships	2 (2014, 2015)
Division titles	2 (2014, 2015)
Playoff berths	4 (2014, 2015, 2017, 2024)
Website	oaklandspiders.com

The Oakland Spiders are a professional ultimate team based in Oakland, California. The Spiders compete in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) as a member of the West Division. The team was founded as the San Jose Spiders in 2014 when the league expanded to the West Coast,^[1] and played under that name until moving to Oakland in 2022.^[2] The Spiders won the National Championship in their first season and became the first team in the league's history to win consecutive titles when they defeated the Madison Radicals in the 2015 championship game.^[3]

History

On October 25, 2013, San Jose was announced as one of six expansion cities for the 2014 AUDL season. Under the leadership of owner and general manager Andrew Zill, the Spiders' signed several notable players, most notably Beau Kittredge from the San Francisco Dogfish of Major League Ultimate.^[4] The team was very successful in its early years, winning the AUDL championship in its first two seasons.

The team was brought back to playoff contention in the rebranded UFA under Head Coaches Dan Silverstein and Nancy Freitas in 2024. The Spiders have focused considerable resources to create a winning culture on and off the field. The team also performs various volunteering and community service in and around their home town of Oakland as a core culture activity for players and staff. The team has gone through two General Managers since their move to Oakland.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. "AUDL Moves West, Luring Some Stars". Ultiworld. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
2. "After 6 Years, 2 Championships, and Many Memories, the Spiders Are Moving to Oakland". Oakland Spiders. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
3. "2015 AUDL Champions". theAUDL.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-13. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
4. "AUDL Moves West, Luring Some Stars: 2014 AUDL Western Conference Preview". 9 April 2014.