On this day in 2016 the finals of the first ever World Cup were played in Manchester, England.
The event the first of its kind for the cloth format brought together national teams from Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. This combined with the introduction of a new rule set saw an exciting style of play emerge and frantic on court exchanges unfold.
In the final matches the Australian ladies held off Austria to a 7-6 win to be crowned the first ever World Cup champions.
Dodgeball World Cup 2016 – Australia
Whilst in the men’s category the relatively unknown Malaysian team faced the competition favourites England. In what was an incredible match to watch, Malaysia gave it their all but couldn’t best England who came away14-3 victors and the men’s champions.
I think the boys have been amazing. We’ve had a game plan from day one, and they’ve delivered exactly what we’ve asked. I couldn’t be prouder right now.
Taking advantage of the excellent weather, we could play again after 4 long months. Although we were quite rusty and in limited numbers, we could finally do a good test run on this outdoors court!
Dodgeball was originally played in Africa over two hundred years ago, but instead of the fun, jocular game that it is today, it was in fact a deadly game. Instead of using soft, rubber balls, the game was actually played with large rocks or putrefied matter, and it was used as an intense work out for the tribes, where each competitor would attempt to hit their opponent with the rock to injury or incapacitate them. Once a player was hit, they would attempt to be pelted by further rocks to finish them off.
It would be the responsibility of the team mates of the fallen competitor to try and defend him and force the attackers off with their own rocks. This would said to be a great way to encourage the tribesman to work together during skirmishes against other tribes, working to take out the weak and protect their own.
A missionary, by the name of Dr James H. Carlisle saw what was happening and was intrigued by the agility and ruthlessness of the tribal men , as well as by the solidarity and heart they were showing. He spent many hours watching the men, and became besotted with the ritual that he saw on a daily basis. When he made his way back to England, via Europe, he showed some of his pupils what he had seen. The European men that tried what Carlisle was telling them found they didn’t have the natural agility or accuracy to dodge or throw, and with Dr Carlisle continuously moving on, he was not able to encourage the people he spoke to about the sport to carry it on. It was only when he returned to his teachings at St. Mary’s College in Norfolk, that he was able to transform the vicious training in to an all-inclusive game.
He changed the rock and petrified matter for a leather ball, which was still hard but not dangerously so. The sport was played on an open field with no restrictions as to where players were able to go, and was played as if a game of chess or war, with players moving strategically to try and trap an opponent. A player was only out from the game when they were knocked to the floor by the continuous blows of the ball. Players would look to bat the ball away with their hands, in an effort to deflect the power away from them. This was played for the next century in much the same way, with only minor variations.
St. Mary’s College played host to a number of their colleagues from Yale University. Included within that party was Phillip Ferguson. Philip Ferguson is generally regarded as the person most responsible for taking dodgeball over to America and popularising it. He saw the boys of St. Mary’s College playing and he hit upon an idea for the game that would make it quicker and faster. He brought in the idea of playing within a set area, with teams on either side of the pitch. Once the sport made it back across the pond to America, it was there that the details of the sport we know today were fleshed out.
1905 saw the first official rules drawn up, which included the rules regarding players coming in after a catch and being hit once and you were out. With the colleges across America playing each other, it enabled the sport to spread like wildfire.
News of this emerging sport made its way back to England, and the American popularised rules became the norm for which all dodgeball matches were played. Schools up and down the country would play for fun, but it was the film of the sport in 2004 that brought the whole world’s attention to the sport. The only place that the original sport is played is St. Marys College, when they host their Yale brethren for a match, every 4 years, to honour the founding fathers of the sport, and the African innovators.
In this installment of our internation interview series, we asked an iconic athlete of dodgeball, Anthony Aldred, about his beginnings, tournaments and favourite moments.
* Can you give us a bit of a background of your Dodgeball playing career? When did you start playing dodgeball? – I started playing dodgeball in 2013 after I graduated from university. My flat mate at the time invited me along and I’ve been playing ever since. Since then I’ve gone on to play as part of the Granite City Guerrillas men’s team winning quite a few competitions and league titles in Scotland and also getting the opportunity to play in England at open events and the British Championships. In 2017 I made the Scotland Highlanders Men’s team and took part in the Six Nations where the team came away with a gold medal. I’ve also represented Scotland at the European Championships in 2017,2018 and 2019 along with the Northern European Championships in 2018.
* What inspired you to start playing dodgeball? – I was less inspired and more intrigued about it. My flat mate had been trying to get me to go for a while but I was too busy finishing off my degree to get involved. Once I graduated I went along with him and a few others. I hated my first session, but everyone seemed to enjoy it so I went back. I’m glad I did as I absolutely love it.
Anthony Aldred
* Do you remember your first time on the court? – Not in great detail, but I remember being targeted early on in most games because I was the new guy. It probably didn’t help I was wearing blue and everyone else was wearing a black Granite City Guerrillas vest so I stood out ALOT.
* Your most beautiful moment in your career? – Winning the bronze medal at the Euros in Italy 2018. The atmosphere of that event was amazing along with the setup and I truly felt like I had contributed in a positive way to achieving that medal.
* Best event you played at? – I’d have to say the 2018 Euros in Italy. I think having all the teams in such close proximity really made the social side and after party amazing! I got to speak to people I hadn’t before each night which has set it aside from other events. I won’t miss queuing for breakfast, lunch and dinner though
* What are you most important achievements so far on a national and club level? – At club level our highest achievement is either the Scottish Championship or Scottish league. They are pretty similar with only a few clubs for the league but a few extra teams for the championship. Unfortunately Scotland doesn’t have a huge amount of clubs but we are hoping these events become more competitive in the future as other cities and towns get teams and the sport grows in our country. Nationally my highest achievement is a gold medal as part of the Scotland men’s team at the UKDBA Six Nations event in Liverpool 2016. But I’m more proud of the Bronze medal from the 2018 European Championships.
Scotland Highlanders – Anthony Aldred
* How do you prepare before tournaments? – In the lead up to a tournament it’s all about team practice for me. You need to become a tight unit and look after each other on court. So I’d want as much game time with my team.In the moments before a game I’m probably getting a quick snack or going for multiple nervous toilet stops though
* How many times do you play a week? – Normally it’s between 2-3 times a week depending on what training or events are happening. It’s a mixture of open sessions, team sessions and international training along with competitions.
* Any tips you can lend to aspiring dodgeball players? – Find your strength and focus on that to start with. If you try and learn or focus on too many things you won’t see much progress and get a bit disheartened. Plus if you have one great skill It will give you something to fall back on in a game and you can kind of direct play towards your strength. Focusing on one thing also allows you to break things down into tiny parts.
Tom Brady or Lebron James
Lebron. I played basketball when I was younger and although I don’t keep up to date with it now, I’m definitely more interested in what’s going on there than American football.
Coldplay or Ed Sheeran
Neither! They are both terrible.
Gran Tourismo 5 or Carcassone
Gran Tourismo 5. Only because I grew up playing the Gran Tourismo games, Need for Speed Underground is where it’s at though.
The Mandalorian or The Queen’s Gambit
The Mandalorian… but only because of the memes! I haven’t watched either.
Dog or Cat
Dogs! I love dogs. Plus I’ve got a dog and do t think I’d ever own a cat.
Chicago Pizza or Big Mac
Pizza! Lots of options and great hot or cold.
Tomato or Chilli
Tomato, I’m not good with spicy foods.
Bora Bora or Kathmandu
Bora Bora, I’d just love to relax next to those crystal clear waters.
Rangers or Celtics
Boston Celtics… because basketball. Neither if you mean the football teams here in Scotland. I have to support my local team of Aberdeen for that…. MON IH DONS!
Cloth or foam ball
Cloth. It’s what I know and have played the most, but I’m keen to try foam. I just wish the rules were consistent across all the ball types for ease.
*Which team or nation is your favorite opponent? – Sweden. They are such a fun team to be around and the last time we played them at the Euros in 2019 it was such a close game. So close and action packed but also super friendly and fair. It ended in a draw and I don’t think anyone was disappointed by that. They have improved hugely since I first saw them but still bring a fun aspect to the game.
* Who is your best dodgeball player? – I don’t think there is one player that stands out above everyone else as ‘the best player’ for me. That’s not to say I don’t think players are great , there are a lot of players I admire. I just think I’d be doing players a disservice if I named just one person. There are definitely a lot of quieter players that are going a bit unnoticed because of bigger personalities too.
* You have built up an amazing collection of sports jerseys! Just how many do you own? – I’m not 100% sure but I think it’s in the region of 200 dodgeball shirts now. But that’s continuing to grow and it’s definitely something that’s snowballed as the Instagram account has grown. But I’m still enjoying speaking with everyone along the way and swapping my way to new and exciting shirts/teams.
* Do you remember which one was the first you got? – The first shirt outside of the club I play for was the Malaysian WDA 2016 Home shirt made by Ozz Vampo. It’s yellow and black tiger stripe and mandarin collar had me hooked, so I just had to get one. It took a while to get here so I might have received a different jersey before it, but it was definitely worth the wait. It was great to learn about all the other teams playing at the time too and Malaysia definitely set themselves apart as looking super professional in their photos and social media.
Granite City Guerrillas
* We had a year which foiled many things. We barely had any Dodgeball tournaments, for example. What would be your most important takeaway of 2020? – To have fun and enjoy dodgeball when we get back to playing. Let’s enjoy the game, enjoy the sport and enjoy being surrounded by our friends. It’s why we play.
* Finally, what advice do you have for those who are just being introduced to this wonderful game? Why play dodgeball? – Play dodgeball because it’s fun and you can meet some amazing people from different places in the world. It’s also a very inclusive and supportive sport too and one you can play at all levels depending on what’s important to you and continue to play into old age.
The currently valid regulations will continue to be in effect until 1st March as per the latest deicisions made by the Hungarian government. Because of this, the earliest possible date for our Dodgeball sessions and tournaments to be resumed is in spring.
More and more schools provide opportunities for the youth to try Dodgeball. The special cloth balls have a large role in this, but of course the 150 PE instructors who have joined our program have an even larger role!
This photo gives the answer to a frequently-asked question. They’re this big! On the far left you can see our dodgeball with a volleyball next to it.
This year’s is going to be different, but hopefully, once we’re through all this, it’s going to get better and easier next year for all of us. With this photo – albeit with an incomplete roster – we would like to wish you a peaceful & happy Christmas! Take care of yourselves!
Schools are continuously reaching out to us for help in acquiring dodgeballs and naturally we are happy to help – after all, this is one of the reasons why we launched our national youth prgoramme in August.
55 balls have been made and posted so far, with 40 balls coming next time. As a result, another 12 schools can offer our great sport, and with authentic equipment, no less! ❤️🖤💚
We’re up to speed even without masks, though some folk are still in a lower gear. We won’t able to get together for a while now, but as soon as we may and it’s safe, we’ll be back.
One of the unique traits of the sport is that there are not only female and male, but mixed teams too, therefore, our training sessions are also for all genders. The Dodgeball battles take place on a court split in half, with a neutral zone & without jailings, with 6-6 players.
You need to prepare for a true adrenaline bomb, you can be a predator and prey at the same time, all while having to pay attention to five flying, bouncing special cloth balls, having to aim properly and having to keep tactics in mind!
Some say handball and football goalkeepers are crazy. Well, here, everyone is a little crazy, as all the people on the court can be hit by the balls – which, incidentally, only weigh 250 grams.
As it’s not a contact sport, there are no serious injuries from uncontrolled collisions. Therefore, everyone can play the game in their own pace, regardless of their age.
Budapest Pirates Dodgeball Club – Training
Our HQ is in Újpest, where you can find the second-ever painted Dodgeball court of the continent, and where we train on Monday and Thursday evenings. Due to the recent COVID measures, we also had to move temporarily and then the compulsory break has started, but as soon as it’s safe, we will go return and continue our sessions.
During the first training I was quite nervous, but I soon realised that I don’t have to worry. The trainings are not dead serious, the community is supportive, and they don’t judge you if you fumble a bit, can’t throw the ball that well or just don’t know the rules enough yet.
Budapest Pirates Dodgeball Club – Training
If you are ‘good friends’ with balls, but you don’t mind if you’re also going to be a target during the game and you’d like to try out Dodgeball, we can’t wait to see you at the Budapest Pirates Dodgeball Club training!
Whether you’re coming because you like trying out new things, you want some change, or because you miss sports, the ball, the atmosphere of changing rooms or you want to do some exercises with good company, it doesn’t matter! After we re-open, come and join one of our trainings and try out this brand-new team sport!
You can find more information about the Club at our Intro page about the beginnings and how we’ve come this far.
