Have a question that isn’t answered on this page? Email us: info@pvinvite.org.
Player eligibility info:
1) Players can’t turn 20 during the year of the tournament.
2) Players’ HS year of graduation must be the year of the tournament or later. (We consider players from Québec who are in CEGEP to still be attending High School.)
3) Players cannot have played on a college team.
Generally speaking, teams will not be granted exceptions to the above rules. But, teams can apply/ask for exceptions.
Teams made up of players from multiple schools are generally allowed as long as they receive permission from us before applying.
What are the your Covid protocols?
We will be following USA Ultimate’s policies and procedures surrounding regional events. You can read those full details on this page.
A summary of the notable changes for updates issued March 31, 2022 is as follows:
- Removal of pre-event proof of vaccination or negative PCR test for interstate events.
- Increased emphasis on state and local health regulations, and on personal responsibility around the use of risk-mitigating measures, including vaccination, testing and masking.
- Adjusted contact tracing and reporting protocols for participants and sanctioned event organizers, including:
- Limiting the identification and exclusion of close contacts to events in progress.
- Eliminating post-event tracking for close contacts.
- Eliminating the need to submit a negative test prior to returning to play.
Should we carpool? What will parking be like?
How do I submit my team’s payment? Where can I get a W-9?
Is it true that the tournament fee is $0 if my team flies in?
What paperwork does my team need complete?
How do I submit a bid?
What’s the bid deadline?
What’s the tournament format and schedule?
When is the tournament?
Who is allowed to play in the tournament?
Do players need to be USA Ultimate members?
Who is in charge of this tournament?
How do you decide which bids to accept?
Where is the tournament?
What do we get for our money?
Where will we stay if we receive housing?
Do we need an adult chaperone?
When will accepted teams be notified?
What happens if it rains?
What happens if my team needs to drop from the tournament?
I want to submit a bid but I don’t know how many players I will be bringing to the dinner!
Can my team play without registering with USAU?
Where can my team shower?
What is the Saturday night event schedule? Where is the event?
How are tie breakers done?
Where can I find a field map?
Where can I get a completed W9? [NEW w9 as of 1/10/23!]
What’s the entrance road like to the fields?
Can I bring dogs to the event?
What are the rules for teams at the Oxbow?
What’s in the team boxes?
What food will be available at tourney central during the day for free?
Will food be available for sale?
Why is there now a housing fee?
Should we carpool? What will parking be like?
Yes, you absolutely need to! We have a decent amount of parking, but we need to keep traffic in and out of our various field sites during the tournament to an absolute minimum.
How do I submit my team’s payment? Where can I get a W-9?
The tournament fee is $550 per team. Checks should be made out to “Give Back Ultimate” and sent to: Josh Seamon-Ingalls, PVI2024, 960 Westhampton Rd, Florence, MA 01062. You can download our W-9 right here.
You can send in your bid fee digitally using PayPal (sales@ultimategood.org). If you send in your bid fee using PayPal, please make sure you list your team name and division (be specific) in the memo field AND email josh@pvinvite.org the confirmation of payment from PayPal.
Is it true that the tournament fee is $0 if my team flies in?
Correct! If your team has to fly in for the event, your tournament fee is $0!
What paperwork does my team need to complete?
You can read all about required PVI2024 paperwork right here.
How do I submit a bid?
Fill out the online bid form.
What’s the bid deadline?
Bids are accepted on a rolling basis until April 9th or until we hit our cap of 72 teams. After March 1st the bid fee will become $600. Teams are admitted on a rolling basis! Please note that a bid is not confirmed until the bid fee has arrived in Florence and notice has been sent to the team confirming they have been accepted.
What’s the tournament format and schedule?
When it’s available, usually by late-April, it will go online here.
When is the tournament?
Saturday and Sunday, May 18th and 19th, 2024.
Who is allowed to play in the tournament?
Like at the Amherst Invitational, we will (for the most part) be using the USA Ultimate Juniors Team Guidelines to determine if your team is eligible to attend our tournament. The guidelines state that ALL members of a team must attend the same high school. We may consider an exception to the rule for a team in the Female-Matching Division, a newly created team, or for a team traveling a great distance to the tournament. If you’d like to be granted an exception to the single-high school rule, please ask.
Do players need to be USA Ultimate members?
Yes. The Pioneer Valley Invitational is USA Ultimate sanctioned. This means that all players must be USA Ultimate members, or pay the one time event fee. You can sign up on the USA Ultimate web page. Accepted teams will need to submit a roster for USA Ultimate membership verification by Friday, April 19th. All teams will be REQUIRED to use USA Ultimate’s online rostering system to submit their roster.
Who is in charge of this tournament?
Lee Feldscher and Josh Seamon-Ingalls. They can be reached at josh@pvinvite.org and lee@technologyventuresinc.com.
How do you decide which bids to accept?
Our goal is to create a geographically diverse tournament made up of organized, enthusiastic teams. We are also specifically looking for teams that have contributed to the growth of Ultimate in their school, town, or area. We are also impressed by organized teams that respond to emails promptly and get their bids in early.
Where is the tournament?
The tournament will take place at the Oxbow Marina located in Northampton, MA.
What do we get for our money?
The money we collect goes towards team boxes, trophies, lunches, trainers, field fees, discs, program printing fees, tents, as well as many other miscellaneous costs. Additionally, 20% of what we earn is donated to Ultimate Peace.
Where will we stay if we receive housing?
We are once again able to match teams with local hosts, with priority given to teams making long journeys. Accommodations will be varied and will most likely include floor space for sleeping. Showers will not be at host homes and will instead be at a local school. The cost for housing will be $50 per team. We project that the housing form will be available in mid-January.
Do we need an adult chaperone?
Absolutely. You must have an adult chaperone if you want to play in the tournament, and the chaperone must be with your team for the entire weekend. Failure to have a chaperone may result in expulsion from the tournament. It is HIGHLY recommended that each team have at least two chaperones. (If a player is sent to the hospital, a chaperone MUST travel with that player. A second chaperone MUST be present at the tournament for the team to continue to play while the first chaperone is away at the hospital.) Also, please keep in mind that at least one of your chaperones must be cleared by the USA Ultimate NCSI background check system.
When will accepted teams be notified?
We are aiming to notify teams of the status of their bid within 3-5 days of receiving the online bid submission.
What happens if it rains?
As with all outdoor sporting events, the Pioneer Valley Invitational can be canceled or shortened due to weather. The tournament is held on athletic fields used by many teams during the spring and cannot be permanently damaged. Because of the size of the tournament, it is impossible to arrange a rain-date and many of the items needed to run the tournament must be paid for well before the event. If the tournament has to be shortened or canceled due to inclement weather we will not be able to provide full refunds. We will make every effort to provide as much of a refund as possible but no specific refund amount is guaranteed. It is possible that no refund will be possible. All that being said, it would take an extraordinary amount of rain to impact our event at all. Our fields drain exceptionally well and are very tough.
What happens if my team needs to drop from the tournament?
If you pay via PayPal, there will be a $20 fee for dropping at any time after you pay. (This is due to PayPal not refunding transaction fees.)
Before 3/1/24: Full refund
3/1/24 – 4/9/24: A full refund will only be given if another team can take your place.
After 4/9/24: No refunds
I want to submit a bid but I don’t know how many players I will be bringing to the dinner!
That’s totally okay! Put down your best approximation and you can confirm your number when the social/dinner form goes online in mid-January.
Can my team play without registering with USAU?
Nope. All of your team members must become full members of USAU or pay the (one time) event fee.
Where can my team shower?
TBD. We’re working on figuring this out.
What is the Saturday night event schedule? Where is the event?
We’ll once again be running a dinner at Northampton High School, playing music, and providing lots of space for games and socializing. Dinner will be optional and cost around $16 per person. You must purchase dinner tickets in advance. Right now it’s projected that the event will run from 6-9pm. While the final time might not be 100% set until the first week in May, we are confident that the timing won’t change by more than 30 minutes in either direction.
How are tie breakers done?
We will follow the USAU manual to determine tie breakers.
Where can I find a field map?
Right here.
Where can I get a completed W9?
You can download one right here.
What’s the entrance road like to the fields?
Island road, the only entrance to the fields, is quite narrow and houses are right up against the road. You MUST travel at 15mph or slower on the entire road. Please go slowly. If you are found to be traveling faster than 15mph on Island road, your entire team will be asked to leave immediately.
Are dogs allowed at the event?
Unfortunately, no dogs are allowed anywhere at the Oxbow Marina. Please do not bring your dogs to the fields.
What are the rules for team at the Oxbow?
– Always have an adult supervising
– No loitering before or after practices and games
– Parking on grass on left only, never on asphalt
– No drugs or alcohol
– No dogs
– Do a trash sweep when you leave a field
– Drive 15mph or less on Island Rd.
– Always carpool
– Limit your trips down Island Rd. (leave your car at the end near Rt. 5 and walk in when possible)
– Do not disturb the marina or the boaters (it’s their space, we are guests)
– Do not use the marina facilities, they are for the boaters
– Do not pee in the woods – use the port-a-potties
– Be kind if you interact with Island Rd. residents (even if they aren’t)
What’s in the team boxes?
Each team will receive a box with apples, bananas, cookies, pretzels, bread, peanut butter, and nutella. Teams with nut allergies can be given sunflower butter and fruit spread in lieu of the nutella and peanut butter.
What food will be available at tourney central during the day for free?
The main food tent will have additional peanut butter/nutella/jam sandwiches, bananas, apples, watermelon, pickles, gatorade, and bagels/cream cheese in the mornings {limited quantity}. There will also be nut free foods {sunflower seed butter, etc} kept separate from rest in a dedicated cooler.
Will food be available for sale?
We provide ample free food at tournament central and in team boxes. There will be one small food vendor on site.
Why is there now a housing fee?
It takes a tremendous amount of extra work to house teams. There is almost always a minimal cost to finding housing that we cannot continue to absorb.