Dodgeball is consistently shown to be one of the top 5 most widely played team sports in the UK, particularly amongst young people. You can see some facts about dodgeball participation data below:

You can find more information about the popularity of dodgeball in our our Sport England Active Lives Participation Data 2025 & Status Report 2019.

The first officially recorded match was played between Leeds Met University and Stafford University in 2005. Since then, dodgeball has developed at a fast pace, with the British Dodgeball community now boasting over 100 clubs. Check out our club finders to see our adult & junior community clubs and university clubs.

Over 20 leagues and 250 individual events were played during the 2025-26 season, ranging from adult Super Leagues to under 11’s junior events and the English Primary Schools Championships. One day open events are also popular. You can check out the highlights from the British Dodgeball Championships 2025 and Schools Championships National Finals 2025 below:

International Dodgeball

British Dodgeball are affiliated to the World Dodgeball Federation, who oversee two different codes of the sport – the cloth and foam games. The cloth game is prevalent in the UK and Europe, with foam being more popular in the US and Asia.

The UK is ranked as one of the top nations in the world in the cloth game. Home Nations teams have won 49 European Championship medals in the last 10 years in men’s, women’s and mixed competitions, and England have won multiple World Championships. See England vs Northern Ireland in the final of the mixed category at the 2025 European Championship semi-finals held in Limerick:

The GB team participated in the WDBF World Foam Dodgeball Championships 2019 in Cancun. Now, the home nations teams participate in European and World Championship events in both cloth and foam disciplines. Watch the England women’s foam team take on Austria in the finals of the European Championships 2025:

About British Dodgeball

The fact that dodgeball is well-known and popular means that we have a strong foundation to build from, but dodgeball as a competitive and regulated sport is very new to the UK. As such, there is still more work to be done in order for club dodgeball to become as popular as traditional sports in the UK. British Dodgeball is the national governing body for sport in the UK, and it is our job to grow the sport at all levels. Our vision is as follows:

Our Strategy

We work to empower all types of people in the UK by providing guidance and advice, club development support, fundraising, competitions, coach education and more. You can read our ten year development strategy (Block By Block) and our People Plan (Beyond the Court) on our Reports & Strategy page. You can always reach us by emailing hello@britishdodgeball.com for support with your dodgeball activities.

Opportunities to Work Within Dodgeball

Dodgeball provides many opportunities for people to work both professionally and voluntarily within the sport sector. Holding a Level 2 dodgeball certificate can help you gain employment as a sports coach in schools and community centres, often at very good rates of pay. There are increasing opportunities to work at, or partner with, local clubs too. We offer a coaching membership for those who develop the sport using the correct rulesets and equipment. This course could be the first step in your dodgeball coaching journey.

There are opportunities to work as a referee for British Dodgeball for those that have completed the Introduction to Officiating online course and apply to our referee manager aden@britishdodgeball.com. We have a mentoring system in place that allows you to develop your officiating skills whilst refereeing an extremely fast-paced and fun sport.

For existing teachers, there is the opportunity to weave dodgeball through both your PE curriculum and the fabric of your school identity; this can be done by using free British Dodgeball lesson plans, running extracurricular clubs, encouraging staff CPD in dodgeball and by entering British Dodgeball competitions and School Games dodgeball competitions.

You can stay up to date with our updates, developments and news by subscribing to our newsletter – you can select areas specific to your interests such as school dodgeball, club dodgeball and coaching dodgeball and you will be sent relevant updates on:

• Competitions and challenges
• Game ideas and practice variations
• Interviews, case studies and articles
• Special offers