The Increase of Qualified Coaches in Northern Ireland.

Community Sports Network (CSN) is a local Charity which works in communities across Northern Ireland. This year CSN Tutors have successfully put 82 young people  through our Level 1 Award in Coaching Dodgeball course, which is an amazing feat! We would like to celebrate the work that CSN is putting in to grow the sport of dodgeball in Northern Ireland, whilst simultaneously enabling young people to gain a new qualification.

CSN have been delivering recreational dodgeball as part of their Multi-Sports programme range for a number of years, due to the “inclusivity that it offers at all ages and the fundamental skills that it can develop”. When asked about why CSN started running the course, they responded:

“When the opportunity came about for our Sport4Development Facilitators to become officially accredited British Dodgeball tutors, we thought is was a brilliant idea as it also allowed us to offer the Level 1 qualification as part of our SheerSKILL programme as well as grow the game at grassroots level in Northern Ireland”.

To be able to deliver the Level 1 Course, CSN facilitators first had to undergo training, which was delivered by British Dodgeball. Firstly, they themselves had to complete our Level 1 Award in Coaching Dodgeball course, and then follow this up with our Tutor Training. This  training was covered over one full day, to be efficient as possible.

Typically, our Level 1 course is spread over 5 hours, but CSN take a different approach. Due to the nature of their work and the programmes they deliver, CSN split their course into 2 x 2.5hr sessions.

This method clearly works well as they have successfully qualified 82 young people this year alone!

What are the benefits of taking the course?

“Dodgeball is a great way of working on the fundamentals that are involved in lots of different sports at an early age. It can be adapted to include all levels. This also means that it’s a great sport to introduce young upcoming coaches to as they can easily develop their coaching and leadership skills when delivering it. This lends itself perfectly to what we do at Community Sports Network, providing children with an opportunity to take part in a range of sports, and helping young people to develop their sporting knowledge and leadership skills.”

– Community Sports Network.

The young people/leaders who have been taking the courses really enjoy the “interactive nature” of the qualification, due to how hands on it is. The Level 1 Course is also the perfect starting point for those looking to #GetIntoCoaching :

“When I get older I want to become a coach to help inspire other young people to be what they want to be so this Dodgeball qualification will definitely help me.”

 

Local University Clubs Support the School Championships!

This year not only did we run the Primary Schools Championships, but also introduced the Secondary Schools Championships! These events require a lot of work and support to run; this is where University Clubs come in.

6 regional events are taking place across England this season and we have received generous help from local colleges, universities & community clubs to host these events. This collaboration goes further as University Dodgeball Clubs have helped to coordinate and referee at our Secondary Schools Championships. This helps us to deliver the best possible events to the schools in attendance. We spoke to Ben from MUDS, to get his thoughts:

“We enjoyed the regional tournament on in Eccles and it was fun to get to help out events like that. I would encourage other universities to support these sorts of events, as it’s good for the sport. My advice would be try to take a relaxed stance and phrase anything to the students in a nice & educational way where possible. The standard of dodgeball was somewhat varied between teams but overall teams were better than I was expecting.”

We are extremely thankful to the Universities who have supported our regional events so far this year, such as MUDS & NTU, and encourage other clubs and teams to get involved with future opportunities. Not only is it beneficial to us and the schools competing, but also to your club and it’s members. If you would like to find out more about how your club can support these events, please email james@britishdodgeball.com.

For university players looking to further expand their leadership ability and qualifications, we encourage you to take advantage of the NEW HEDA Scheme!

 

The Launch of the Latest Funded Club!

Wessex Wolves Dodgeball Club successfully launched their first Junior Club taster session earlier this week! The Wolves utilised our #ComeJoinIn Funding Award to set up their new junior section, using the funding to purchase equipment, qualifications and venue hire.

You too can apply for our CJI Funding Award at any time, to help set up a new dodgeball club or junior section with the support of up to £500!

Learn more here.

 

Do You Know The Rules of Dodgeball?

We have started a new mini-series of posts to explain some of our rules, that our community has said they find ‘unclear’. (as highlighted by The Dodgeball Survey 2023 Report: britishdodgeball.org/survey-23-report).

The most ‘unclear’ rules were the opening rush and false start rules. Fresh and clarify your understanding of these rules by reading the infographics on our FB Page!

 

 

The Dodgeball Zone

WE ARE HIRING! – 2 Regional Development Officers and a Marketing & Media Officer.

Amazing opportunity for University Players: NEW HEDA Scheme!

The NEW Chair Person of British Dodgeball is revealed. Read more here.

Sign-up to our Level 3 Coaching Course in Reading!

The Competitions Guide for the 23/24 Season – for Adult, University & Junior events.

 

 

Got something you want to shout out to the dodgeball community in the next newsletter? Let us know by dropping us an email at hello@britishdodgeball.com.