MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont is now the first state in the United States to recognize “ultimate” — the game that started as Ultimate Frisbee — as a high school varsity sport.

A committee that oversees high school sports in the state unanimously approved ultimate last week as a varsity sport starting in the spring of 2019.

Ultimate is played on a field slightly smaller than a football field by teams of seven. Players pass a disc down the field until a teammate catches it in the end zone. If the disc is dropped, it is turned over to the other team. The game is widely known as Frisbee but the trademarked toy name is not officially used for the sport.

Ultimate was played for three years as an exhibition sport.