The crowd was buzzing at Fosina Field on Friday night, as fans and families piled into the bleachers to take in the action as the hometown New York Empire hosted the Montreal Royal in an American Ultimate Disc League regular season game. But while the Empire (or the AUDL) may not have the geographic reach or name recognition of other professional area sports teams, their popularity is growing in Westchester, as they continue to reaffirm their spot as one of the top teams in North America.
On July 1, the Empire clinched home field advantage for the playoffs, extending their perfect record to 10-0 with a 29-14 victory.
The team, which began operations in 2013, had previously played in Coney Island and Randall’s Island before finding a home in New Rochelle prior to the start of the 2018 season shortly after Barbara Stevens— whose son Matt plays for the Empire—became the majority owner.
“Basically we felt that things could be run better from an ownership point of view,” said Stevens. “So we created these silos of what we could do, we enacted a plan and this really became a labor of love for us.”
On the field, the results have been evident. Over the last three seasons, the Empire have gone a combined 32-2, winning the franchise’s first AUDL title in 2019. This season, the high-octane, unbeaten club has outscored its opponents 245-164—the highest such mark in the league by a wide margin.
But as well as the team has played this year, it has also been a success from a growth standpoint. Friday’s game against Montreal saw a solid turnout, as fans were able to catch thrilling disk action and enjoy refreshments from local vendors including the Beechmont Tavern and Mikey Dubb’s Frozen Custard.”
Halftimes at Empire games routinely feature performances from the Mount Vernon-based marching band, the Ice Cold Experience.
“We were familiar with the New Rochelle, my husband has a business here, but we didn’t know that this field was even here,” she said. “But the Chamber [of Commerce] has been super helpful and we’re just trying to make it a family atmosphere, keeping ticket prices down.”
Even those from neighboring communities are hearing the message. Olivia Mondrone, a recent graduate of Tuckahoe High School, spent the spring working as a student intern in the team’s sports marketing department, and continued on with the team after the internship program ended.
Mondrone said she was largely unfamiliar with the sport prior to this past spring, but sees why the team is creating so much buzz.
“I had no idea about this until the internship, but it’s really exciting,” she said. “And to see the community come out for it, it’s really a great atmosphere.”
The Empire will play their final home game of the regular season on July 9 at 7 p.m. against the Boston Glory, before turning its sights towards the AUDL Playoffs.
