Rules & Regulations Update

The British Dodgeball Technical Committee is pleased to announce the British Dodgeball rules and regulations for the upcoming season. Covering the scope of British Dodgeball events alongside how the sport of dodgeball should be played at all levels throughout the UK, the British Dodgeball ruleset is suitable for all age categories and experience levels.

The ruleset has been developed as a result of careful consideration of WDBF and EDF updates, actioning feedback given by players from a variety of backgrounds using methods such as surveys, and using our technical committee’s expertise in this field.

You can see the new Rules & Regulations below along with a brief summary of changes. Please direct any relevant questions you may have about these rules or regulations to the Technical Committee by emailing disciplinary@britishdodgeball.com:

Summary of Changes:*

Rules:

• Change to court sizes (18m x 9m where venue allows this to be safely laid with 1m+ space behind each back line / 14 x 9m for u11’s)
• Courts are now measured to maintain a 7.75m (6.25m at u11) throwing distance (the distance between a back line and the nearest neutral zone line) where possible.
• False start penalty is a turnover
• 4 players are required for the first match of the day – after this point, less players may be used and a game still go ahead
• Maximum of 2 coaches may stand in the player return area (out box) – one person must be clearly nominated as the team representative
• Teams may field 3 retrievers each if both agree in advance
• Added definitions and processes for abandoned matches
• U13/U15 to play 8-minute halves rather than 7-minute halves
• Removed ‘approximately’ from the 5-second play ball counts – these counts should now be more accurate to aid standardisation
• Headshots and face shots clearer defined and resulting rulings/sanctions outlined
• Further information added on how suspected concussion should be dealt with
• Official’s section extended, including how official who interfere with play should be managed
• Sanctioning Guidelines now incorporated into rules & Sanctionable Offences Table updated
• Added Inclusive Rules Adaptations which may be added to aid new player inclusion (e.g. at School Games events)
• General defining of terms (e.g. possession, activated/live/dead balls, live/hit/exiting/returning players) & added clarity in writing existing rules and regulations

Regulations:

• Juniors who compete in adult events must hold adult playing membership
• Junior players to register on Just Go
• Championship event qualification updated
• Kit guidance incorporated into Regulations
• Team sheets for all events to be submitted via the same team sheet submission form.
• Process for registering an additional club better outlined with lists of what is and is not likely to be approved
• Teams in U13 & U15 age categories will be required to provide 1 x centre referee and 2 x back line referees when allocated to referee
• All junior teams must have one names allocated coach to ensure matches are not delayed due to one coach spread amongst multiple teams playing at the same time
• Updated score for forfeit matches, and additional penalties for non-attendance of fixtures including fines
• Outlining of commercial assets which must be abided by at all events

*This is only intended to be a brief summary of larger changes, and does not include all changes made. We encourage all players to read through in full to ensure a full understanding of the changes made.