While the precise origins of the sport are still unclear, legend has it that the whole thing started when a man named Herbert Wagner invented the first spring-loaded box to shoot a tennis ball for his dogs.

Wagner was a professional dog trainer and he originally invented the game of Flyball as a reward for his Obedience students. They used to play Flyball as part of their graduation ceremonies. But the sport was so much fun that word began to get out and the next thing Wagner knew, he was invited to perform on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. When folks around the country saw Flyball on TV they wanted to get involved too. Soon afterwards dog trainers and dog clubs were making and using Flyball Boxes. The sport especially took off in Canada and the Great Lakes states. Folks there started having local tournaments and competitions and the popularity of Flyball grew.

In the early 80's the sport became so popular that the North American Flyball Association (NAFA®) was formed and became the worldwide authority for Flyball. Over the years the popularity of Flyball has continued to grow. NAFA® now has over 900 Flyball clubs with more than 10,000 registered Flyball dogs. The sport is played not only in the U.S. and Canada, but also in Australia, Japan, England, Belgium and other countries around the world.   

United Flyball League International (U-FLI^TM), Inc. was founded in early 2005 as an alternative to NAFA® rules and sanctioning. Under U-FLI^TM, ball boxes are allowed to be larger, jump heights have been lowered to six (6) inches minimum and twelve (12) inches maximum, single and pairs racing are allowed and dogs will be allowed to compete on other teams to earn title points.

U-FLI Titles & Points System