Recognizing the top performer of the 2025 season.
November 11, 2025 by Alex Rubin in Awards
Ultiworld is pleased to announce our annual Club Awards, continuing with the Club Player of the Year in each division. While we consider both regular season and postseason performance, because of the nature of the Club division, we weight success in the Series and at Nationals above all else. The Club Awards are voted on by Ultiworld reporters, contributors, and editors.
Player of the Year is our most prestigious award. Our Player of the Year winner is the best performer of the 2025 club season, and the highest vote-getter for All-Club honors. The winner is not eligible for consideration in any of our other individual awards.
Player of the Year Award
All-Club First Team
All-Club Second Team
Offensive Player of the Year Award
Defensive Player of the Year Award
Breakout Player of the Year Award
Coach(es) of the Year Award
Club Awards Voting Breakdown
Snubs and Superlatives
2025 Men’s Division Club Player Of The Year
Daan De Marrée (Chicago Machine)
I honestly don’t remember which game it was that I sidled up to the Machine sideline midway through the first half while the game I was covering was in a timeout. Chicago’s D-line had just gotten the disc, and Daan De Marrée was probably pissed that he wasn’t on the field. As Machine’s handlers swung the disc horizontally, keeping possession without finding any purchase upfield, De Marrée implored them, “Go forward, look forward!”
At that moment all he could do was yell, but when he was on the field, De Marrée did everything he could to keep moving towards the goal. He sped past defenders, made difficult catches appear routine, and never appeared fatigued — all to the tune of a 20-goal, 24-assist, four-block, zero-turnover performance across the seven games Machine played at Nationals. To add context to those numbers: De Marrée finished first in assists and second in goals in the entire division. And it bears repeating that he did it without a single credited turnover to his name.
Captains and coaches will often throw out phrases like “never let up” or “keep your foot on the gas” as a way to motivate their teams and keep efforts high. De Marrée needed no such external motivation. As someone from his generation might say, De Marrée was “locked in” for the whole weekend, without a single misstep moving him away from the ultimate goal of a championship. With passion, energy, and drive on full display, De Marrée has no equal in the men’s division right now.
Adding a stateside trophy to his collection, the three-time defending European Men’s Player of the Year is making his case as the best player in the world. De Marrée is the first European player to win an Ultiworld Club Player of the Year award, and just the second non-US born player following Valeria Cárdenas’s win in 2022 in the women’s division. De Marrée exudes a, well, machine-like quality to make routine plays automatic, and expends his energy magically resurrecting broken plays into highlights.
For some, individual accolades can come at the expense of teamwide success, but De Marrée’s accomplishments elevate those around him. Against US-based teams, Chicago Machine were 0-5 without De Marrée, but finished with a 14-2 while he suited up. His skill set fits with multiple schemes, and his high-volume play never feels particularly ball-hoggy or detrimental to team success.
Finishing just his second season in US play, De Marrée’s potential is undefinable right now. It’s silly to guess how bright his star will shine, but in this age of ultimate media where streams are relatively accessible and players from around the world can showcase their skills, it is already clear that we are watching the rise of a historic figure in the sport.
Player of the Year Runners-Up:
- Mac Hecht
- John Randolph
