British Dodgeball Awards 2024 – Shortlist

We are delighted to announce our shortlist for the British Dodgeball Awards 2024.

Voting for Play of the Year & Referee of the Year deadline: Monday 1st July!

Growing the Game Award

• Awarded to a club which has made significant contributions to developing dodgeball in their locality or beyond. This may be for having a positive impact on their local community, delivering a successful or innovative project, or recruiting new players through the year.
• Winner decided by panel after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • PB Dodgeball: PB has developed from a social club to having a dedicated competitive training session a week. The club has grown with new members playing socially as well as those who play competitively. This year the club has won medals in almost every league it has entered – bronze in a mens regional, bronze in a womens regional, bronze in mixed and gold in mens nationals. A huge achievement for the club. As a club founded in just over 2 years ago I believe PB has contributed a lot to British Dodgeball as well as its local community with over 40 members playing in competitive leagues/tournaments for the 23/24 season and around 55 attendees at their weekly sessions.
  • Cardiff University: The year started slowly, with only 4 people coming to the first session, but we gradually increased the membership to attend our first BUCS meet. After a heavy loss, the men claimed a famous 12-10 victory over Southampton, whilst our women won both games against Southampton and Imperial. With no funding for court bookings in the summer term, the players have started training with Rhondda Dragons, the nearest adult team (which is still a 40-minute drive away). This award is not for any individual within our club, as it is the community spirit that has helped us grow. The club wants to showcase the interest in the sport in South Wales and put the region on the map.
  • Rhondda Dragons: Rhondda Dragons Dodgeball Club have set up 4 regular and weekly junior sessions, 3 specifically in the last year. This has given access to dodgeball to the whole county of RCT. Due to nature and needs of the locality in which the club sits, Rhondda Dragons Dodgeball Club committed to ensuring cheap sessions to ensure opportunity for sport and social activity for low income and special needs children. Sessions are regularly adapted to include children of all ages (3-14 years), all abilities and for all additional needs. These sessions now have over 80 regular weekly attendees. Rhondda Dragons Dodgeball Club coaches have also given free dodgeball taster sessions to over 50 schools and 5000 children in the local area.

Emerging Club of the Year

• Awarded to an emerging club which has made significant contributions to the dodgeball community or their local community.
• Winner decided by panel after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • PB Dodgeball: PB Dodgeball Club has taken off over the last year. Bromley, Bexley and Chislehurst all host the club’s meets each week, creating an incredible sense of community amongst all members attending different or multiple sessions. The online presence that PB Dodgeball has created has also ensured the community feel remains at the heart of the club allowing all new members to integrate in smoothly with long standing members having open arms to all new players. The club is inclusive of all people and provides opportunities to develop all within mixed, men’s and ladies leagues. PB mixed team has won their very first bronze medal this year which shows the dedication of all members involved and the clubs transition into competitive sports.
  • Canterbury Crocodiles: Canterbury is a brilliant club which provides lots of opportunities to play to members. Founded from scratch, it has been brilliant to see their unwavering development at all ages & genders, including growing the dodgeball workforce in South East England.
  • Altrincham Dodgers: Altrincham harness the massive passion their adult coaches & parents have for the sport, developed as their young players are moving through the community dodgeball junior & adult pathway. The club offers dodgeball to over 50 young people per week and has started to bridge the gap between juniors and adults by entering regional leagues this season.

Dodgeball Code Award – Adult, Junior & University

• Awarded to a club whose respective adult, junior or university members consistently embody the Dodgeball Code, displaying honesty, fair play, integrity and respect in all that they do.
• Winner decided by panel after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • Nottingham Sheriffs: I’ve played Nottingham countless times over the many seasons I’ve played this sport, they have a strong morale code, and I’ve never once encountered an issue with this club. They always take their hits, they play within the law and are an absolute credit to their city and this sport. It’s always a pleasure to play Nottingham Sheriffs. They always treat all players and referees with the respect and honesty that we wish everyone in the sport would demonstrate – and that is essentially the core essence of the Dodgeball Code!
  • Southampton University: A brilliant university club whose members embody the spirit of competition and fair play.
  • Enderby Dodgeball Club: Inclusivity to children of all ages and ability reliable dodgeball coaches and team who never let the club or children down, my son looks forward to this every week!

Individual Awards

Referee of the Year

• Awarded to a referee who constantly officiates to an extremely high standard in line with the Referee’s Standards and Referee’s Manual.
• Winner decided by vote after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • James Wagstaff: So reliable as a referee in the North. Passionate about the game and cares about managing player expectations and relationship with the game at all levels. He is conscious of doing the right thing and an academic of the Sport.
  • Sam Wharvell: Sam has officiated at the most events this season out of all referees in the country. Due to this dedication, he has developed his practice as a referee this year, demonstrating a professional and friendly attitude when officiating which is appreciated by teams on both sides of the court.
  • Emily Busby: Consistently outstanding level of reffing – strong but fair, and you know that when you step onto a court reffed by her that it will be a good and fair game. Emily has also refereed multiple junior & BUCS events this season in addition to officiating adult matches.
  • Sam Mason: Always the calmest and observant referee, will listen to his line refs and change a call if he’s made the wrong decision. Will talk to players and captains with respect and is always consistent with his calls. Probably also the most dedicated to learning and fully understanding the rules of the game to better himself as a referee.

Contribution to Competitions Award

• Awarded to a referee or co-ordinator who displays tremendous commitment to ensuring that players can enjoy the sport by working at a range of events, adding value to British Dodgeball’s various competitive offers.
• Winner decided by panel after shortlisting.
• Shortlist:
  • James Owen: James is not only an excellent referee, he is a great coordinator and ensures events run smoothly. He is approachable while off court not being an official and happy to explain any rule or confusion that might have happened. He has been a key part of British Dodgeball’s competitive offer in South East England this season.
  • James Wagstaff: Has been coordinator of the North League and refereed at numerous Open, League and university events. He has contributed to so many people’s enjoyment of dodgeball this season.
  • Danny Carroll: Danny has taken the lead in coordinating all Scottish dodgeball competitions this season (including the new Regional League in addition to the National League and Open). Danny is extremely driven to grow the sport in Scotland, and his passion shows when working with newcomers and experienced players alike.
  • Sean Douglas: Sean is the primary organiser of the NI competitive dodgeball scene, liaising with the British Dodgeball competitions manager to ensure events run smoothly and benefit all involved.

Coach of the Year

• Awarded to a coach who has shown the utmost of dedication in addition to effective approaches when improving their team or club. This could be through intensive work with one team to improve performance or by running successful and inclusive sessions in which the local community loves to take part.
• Winner decided by panel after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • Shaun Crowe – Chippenham Chargers: Shaun has put in relentless hours coming up with coaching routines and drills for juniors and adults. He commits at least 5 hours a week researching, communicating and coaching just so the adults and juniors can enjoy their structured sessions. He’s incredibly enthusiastic with fun and progress at the forefront of each session. With knowledge of the game of 3+ years and dad-like figure, he’s an extremely caring and wide coach who literally expects no reward for his hard work. He has volunteered numerous times for juniors for tournaments and has always been on time for every session, even feeling guilty when he has to miss one for his own daughter’s Christmas plays. He is committed like no other and every player in our club owes Shaun a round of applause for his hard work and great morale and positive advice. I owe it to Shaun on a personal level for his coaching style and teaching me how to also be a better coach.
  • Alex Taylor – Coventry Silverbacks: One of Alex’s most remarkable qualities is his selfless commitment to our team. Despite receiving no financial compensation, he consistently invests countless hours into meticulously researching opposing teams and analysing game footage to identify areas for improvement. His thorough preparation ensures that we enter every match fully equipped to succeed. What sets Alex apart as a coach is his unique ability to deliver constructive criticism in a manner that is both effective and uplifting. He possesses the rare talent of offering feedback in a way that motivates us to strive for excellence without ever feeling discouraged. Under his guidance, our team has grown not only in skill but also in camaraderie. A testament to Alex’s coaching prowess is the transformation he has facilitated within our women’s 2nd team. When he first took us under his wing, we were a group of strangers at the bottom of the league, prone to disagreements and discord. Through Alex’s leadership, encouragement, and unwavering support, we have not only bonded as a team but have also achieved remarkable success on the court. We have gone from struggling to win matches to challenging even the league leaders, a feat we never thought possible. Beyond his coaching abilities, Alex exemplifies the qualities of a true mentor and friend. He consistently goes above and beyond to support and uplift each member of our team, fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and empowered.
  • Tara Jones – London Storm: As head coach of London Storm this season, Tara has led the club to our most successful season results to date and implemented positive and impactful changes to our training sessions and training environment. Tara is a full time PE teacher and part time netball coach, and dedicates the time to run our weekly squad training sessions and coach at competitions on top of her own playing commitments with Storm and England Lions. This season, she has worked to improve the structure and content of our training sessions, focusing on both team and individual development – no easy feat when trying to balance the needs of over 90 members and 9 teams across national, mixed and regional leagues. There has been a big emphasis on improving match fitness, attitude and accountability with Tara leading the way in setting expectations for the club. She’s led a team of 9 coaches, chairing regular meetings and communicating tasks to help manage the club’s teams and players. She’s led the conversations in our most difficult and competitive selections, ensuring the coaches make the best possible decisions for the club and the goals of each individual team. On top of this, she has been the match day coach for both the men’s and mixed first team and been the main women’s coach at training sessions. Tara is an extremely driven, talented and passionate coach and the club’s successes wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and huge amount of time she has volunteered this year.
  • Megan McGowan – Leeds Dodge: Megan has stepped up into a role she wouldn’t have expected to this season, and excelled in every way. She started the year as a very inexperienced coach, low on confidence but willing to help. After a knee injury requiring surgery, she made the decision to take on a bigger coaching responsibility and has had a huge impact on the whole squad and the women’s team in particular. Her dedication to the team and coaching is even more notable given the 1 hour drive to reach training sessions each week. She’s motivated and brought confidence back into a group of players through inclusive and well structured sessions for the women’s team. The improvements across the team are easy to see in a group of players with limited league experience at the start of season, even if not apparent in the results. Megan’s dedication and quality of sessions had also meant our women’s sessions have been more and more successful with players making the extra effort to attend on these nights. Megan has shined, delivering coaching at training and on match days at a level expected of top level coaches.

Club Contributor Award – Adult, Junior, University

• Awarded to a club volunteer, committee member or staff member who has dedicated their time and themselves to ensuring their community dodgeball club’s respective adult or junior section or university club is the best it can possibly be. This could be for fulfilling a key role, leading in an innovative manner or for taking the lead on a successful club development project.
• Winner decided by panel after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • Shannen Hill – Ballyhackamore: Shannen has been an exemplary club member for a number of years. This year she has headed the development of our clubs and the other clubs female players to a significant level, affecting their performance significantly and giving her tram selflessly. She is an inspiration to our club members and beyond in NI and the players she has put her time into have contributed to our own successes and also the wider development of the sport in NI. She is an excellent player, but her use of her coaching skills and as a club contributor mark her out even more so.
  • Scott Esnouf – Rhondda Dragons: Scott spends over 20 hours a week delivering dodgeball sessions to over 80 young people in his local community, resulting in the formation of numerous junior sessions in Rhondda. His tireless efforts should be recognised as the incredible generous act they are, as he is working as hard as possible to put dodgeball on the map in Rhondda. Schott has forged a great working relationship with Rhondda Cynon Taf as he helps them on their aligned mission aiming to get more people, more active, more often.
  • Iain Barrett – London Storm: This season Iain has acted as our Club Manager, responsible for overseeing our 9 competitive teams. Iain has spent several hours per week over the season helping to coach and run our weekly open and squad training sessions, managing team selections and match day logistics in an entirely voluntary role. Alongside our head coach, Iain has led our team selections ensuring decisions are made fairly and objectively with the best interests of the club and each team and player in mind. As a highly competitive club, this has often come with disappointment to players not selected for their preferred team. But Iain has taken the time to ensure every player received clear communication regarding selections, the reasons for each decision and useful feedback to work on in future sessions. He was then able to prioritise newer and development players in our regional teams, to maximise the opportunities for all members to play competitive dodgeball this season. Iain has also managed conflicting priorities between our league teams, sudden changes to availability and ensuring the club has followed all rules and regulations. He has spent league meets playing, coaching and ball retrieving, as well as managing club kit and equipment. Iain’s hard work and dedication to the club has often come at the expense of his own time to train and play in a largely thankless role. His dedication has allowed other members to participate, develop and enjoy throughout the season and the success the club has seen this season wouldn’t have been possible without him.
  • Maddie Evans – Nottingham University: Maddie has given everything to Trent dodgeball this year, Trent began the year with only 10 returning members but through her dedication and promotion of the club, this has has quadrupled that number so that Trent now have 40 members. Trent don’t always have a coach and Maddie will step up and run the sessions focusing on everyone’s enjoyment whilst teaching members how to become better dodgeballers. This is evident by our first team coming 4th their first time in university super league and our men’s third team getting their first ever win. Maddie has always ensured balls are pumped, competitions are entered to give everyone an opportunity and has promoted local clubs like Nottingham Sheriffs for members who want to further increase their dodgeball ability. Therefore I strongly believe Maddie should win this award due to her continuing dedication throughout the year of dodgeball being a priority, significantly growing the club and making dodgeball an enjoyable environment for everyone to look forward to being a part of.
  • Mark Hopkins – Leamington Spartans: Mark has grown the Leamington Spartans from no members to regular attendance, successful squads include u15 and u17 teams including players with less than 12 months experience. He has actively encouraged an all adult club to embrace the idea of a junior section and now the two successfully integrate. Including many juniors playing regularly in adult squads.

Play of the Season

• Awarded to a player who has made an outstanding play during a British Dodgeball event. A double catch? Triple hit? Nominate your favourite plays now.
• Winner decided by public vote after shortlisting nominations.
• Shortlist:
  • Jonty Bird: Sliding catch
  • Leah Bassett: Quad hit
  • Elisa Storch: Triple play
  • Eloise Cheung: Three catches
  • Casper Reeds: Two catches
  • Jac Tucker: Catch + sliding catch
  • Javin Sydamah: Double catch