Goaltimate was invented by Wellesley College ultimate players as an alternative to ultimate when a snowy playing field and a surfeit of players made ultimate difficult. It was originally played between the lower spars of a set H-shaped football uprights. A Boston player brought the game to San Diego, where they developed it into an independent game and replaced the uprights with a large hoop made with PVC pipes. In 1999, Rick Conner, a San Diego entrepreneur with interest in the sport, subsidised a Goaltimate tournament with a $30,000 purse for the winners, inviting top players from competitive ultimate teams. The San Diego team took the prize, defeating a team from Boston in the finals. Through this introduction the sport rapidly spread across the US as a pickup alternative to ultimate.