Forget playing catch with friends or fetch with a dog. Some Frisbee diehards are hoping the future of their game will involve grasping Olympic medals.

There are 14,000 Canadians registered in Frisbee leagues – a 1,000-per cent increase in the past 20 years.

They play on fields in teams, with rules that are similar to football – tossing and catching the plastic disc as they move towards an end zone. There are plenty of hard body checks, but virtually no protective pads.

The body that governs the game in Canada is applying to become a member of Sport Canada.

"As soon as that happens, then hopefully it will move us forward," says John Harris, the executive director of the Canadian Ultimate Players' Association.

"I'm looking to have something at the Skydome, with a good number of spectators," he says.

Harris wants Canadian Olympic officials to embrace Frisbee. The federation that represents players in North America has been talking to the International Olympic Committee about getting recognized as a sport.

Another meeting with IOC officials has been scheduled for next month. Frisbee players have been warned that it could take decades of lobbying to get into the Games.

In the meantime, they hope leagues will continue to flourish. In Canada, university teams held a national Frisbee championship in Winnipeg on the weekend.

"I love it," says Alex Davis, a member of the Queen's University team. "I went to great lengths trying to reorganize my mid-term schedule just to be here."

Some of the players are happy that the sport isn't as popular as football or hockey yet.

"It's nice sort of having a bit of an exclusive game to play," says Mike Zurec of the University of Winnipeg's team.