New Year, News Letter (General Newsletter 04/01/22)
What’s happening in 2022? In short, a whole lot. We’ve got over 100 events on the calendar for the rest of the season, varying from school events to super leagues, from Euros to Uni champs. There are still plenty of spaces left in opens across 2022, so make sure to check out the British Dodgeball website and register your teams in our Adult, University, Junior, and Schools competitions throughout the year.
School Championships will be kicking off again this month, heralding in the start of a year with over 40 Primary Schools events across the country. After that, National Leagues across England and Northern Ireland return for their second half this week, as we rapidly approach the midway point in the league calendar. Mixed league will return later this month, and while university students have a break from BUCS for now, we’ll see them soon enough on the 30th of Jan for the University West Midlands Open.
We also recently released our four-year plan, which offers a guide for what British Dodgeball’s plans are in the near future of the sport, including a renewed focus on youth development. It’s a beautiful document that deserves a read, and I can say that without being conceited because I wasn’t personally involved in writing it.
Finally, a reminder for 2022. Please make sure to protect your fellow players by continuing to follow guidance related to limiting the spread of COVID. If you are displaying any symptoms, including those for the new variant, please isolate and do not attend events. Stay safe and stay healthy.
Regional League Roundup
The Autumnal Regional Leagues came to an end right before Christmas, seeing four teams crowned victors in their respective leagues: London Storm (South East); Coventry Silverbacks (Midlands); Manchester Bees (North West); and Leeds Owls (North East). Regional leagues have been a great testing ground for new teams and players. Last season saw the debut of 9 new clubs, bringing the total up to 25 new clubs introduced through regional leagues.
Congratulations to all for their fantastic seasons, and we hope to see more of you in 2022! Sign-downs for the next set of regional leagues are currently open.
Mixed League kicked off
Despite the new variant forcing a couple last minute timetabling changes, Mixed Leagues started off right before the break in Stafford. This format, which is now in its third year, sees teams of at least three men and three women battle it out, and features a mixture of talents from across the UK. The Neutral Zone did a roundup of what you might expect this season in their latest podcast, which also covered some key results from across the National Leagues.
Manchester Killer Queens and Derby Phantoms are in a complete draw at the top of the Mixed Super League table, with two wins each and a point difference of +20. Though this deadlock is sure to be broken very shortly: the two teams will meet at the next event on the 22nd of January. As for Mixed League 1, Chippenham Chargers and Norwich Nighthawks head their table, with the Chargers taking the lead by a point difference of +26. Check out the tables so far.
Hello World! – New Newsletter
You’ll have noticed (since you’re reading this) that British Dodgeball have relaunched our general newsletter. This will be initially released every other Tuesday. Hopefully, as well as bringing you updates about events and official BD business, this can bring you information about the fantastic projects that players have been getting up to while they wait for their kneepads to dry.
If you have anything that you want to shout to the community – maybe your team has launched a charity event, or you’re looking to create a new club, or you’ve just started a new dodgeball blog and want to get the word out – email me at zoe@britishdodgeball.com to let me know. Or you can come talk to me in person at English National League and Mixed League events (though nowadays you’ll find me dressed as a Bee).
Need more of a dodgeball fix? Check out content from across the dodgeball world:
Alex Nelson stepped down as Head Referee at the end of 2021 – hear her thoughts on all things dodgeball and refereeing in her interview with Dodgeball Podcast’s Sergio Leon
Bath dropped a Bomb video (sorry, it had to be done) to commemorate their spectacular 2021: a must-watch for anyone who wants to get hyped up for a weekend of dodgeball
Catch up on the BUCS leagues and find out how your old squad (or maybe your soon-to-be club) are doing with this report from House of Dodge.