Dodgeball Leagues
The start of dodgeball as a sport has a few different stories. Most of them believe that dodgeball originated in Africa over 200 years ago. Evidence says that it was used with rocks to improve strength and endurance in warriors.
Since then, the sport of dodgeball has obviously evolved in many ways. Dodgeball is a sport known around the world and the official dodgeball organization in the World Dodgeball Association. This association heads dodgeball around the world. Infact, on the World Dodgeball Association’s website, there is a link to each country's dodgeball Facebook page.
National Dodgeball League
In terms of a dodgeball league, the National Dodgeball League (NDL) is the one professional dodgeball league in America.
There is also a National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA) for college athletes.
With the NDL and the many countries that have dodgeball teams around the world, there are multiple dodgeball tournaments each year that dodgeball teams compete in to win.
The NDL has nationwide tournaments that end up culminating in a final championship tournament, the Dodgeball World Championship (DWC). Any team could qualify for any of these NDL tournaments which are also called tour stops, at times.
The most popular league in dodgeball is the National Dodgeball League (NDL), which has two conferences. The NDL’s two conferences are the National Dodgeball Conference (NDC) and the American Dodgeball Conference (ADC).
| NDC | ADC |
|---|---|
| Seattle Blue Dogs | Chicago Vendetta |
| Oregon Avalanche | New York Epic |
| San Diego Crossfire | Texas Shade |
| Arizona Resistance | Georgia Scorchers |
| Dallas Dobermen | Virginia Rampage |
| Houston Bounty Hunters | Pittsburgh Punishers |
| Las Vegas Vipers | Philadelphia Justice |
| Los Angeles Chaos | Missouri Explosion |
| Minnesota Blur | New York Guardians |
| Portland Minotaurs | Memphis Men In Black |
| Toronto Gryphons | Boston Undertakers |
| Washington Buzzsaw | Austin Matadors |
Tournaments
There are many tournaments around the country that give the teams in this League opportunities to play, win, and earn points. As points are earned, teams fall into place in dodgeball divisions.
There are four divisions in the NDL:
- Stinger Division.
- Open 8.5 No-Blocking Division.
- Co-ed 8.5 Division.
- Women’s 8.5 Division.
The stinger division places teams based on games they’ve played with two 5-inch stinger balls and four 8.5-inch balls.
The open 8.5 no-blocking division is played with six 8.5-inch dodgeballs where blocking a dodgeball with another dodgeball is not allowed.
The co-ed 8.5 division is played with six 8.5-inch dodgeballs where blocking is allowed. At least two women and two men must be on a team, as well.
The women’s 8.5 division is played with six 8.5-inch dodgeballs and must consist of teams made up of all women.
Each team in the NDL must have six players with up to four substitutes.
How do you start a dodgeball league?
- Have a starting team to get the ball rolling when your League starts.
- Come up with a name for your League that has not yet been used.
- Register your League with the appropriate legal bodies, in your area.
- Open a bank account under the League’s name to deal with withdrawing and depositing funds for the League.
- Purchase insurance for players and for the League.
- Attain facilities to play League tournaments in.
- Start an easily-accessible website.
- Advertise the League around your town, and eventually nationally.
- Create waivers and have them signed by players, to protect the players and your League.
- Continue to watch your League, adap, and make changes to better your League over time.
One could also start a team, enter the NDL, play in tournaments across the country, and earn points in divisions.
FAQ
How long is a dodgeball league season?
The National Dodgeball League starts their tournaments in August and has tournaments going year round until the beginning of the next August. Then the Dodgeball World Championship and Convention takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Some of these tournaments are annual and some of them aren’t. Teams in the NDL are allowed to compete in as little or as many tournaments throughout the year as they choose to, including the Dodgeball World Championship.
How much does it cost to join a dodgeball league?
Costs to join the National Dodgeball League will vary based on the amount of gear, advertising, and traveling a team does.
That being said, anybody could create a team for the NDL, as long as they fill out a contact form on the NDL’s website and then take the correct steps to try out for the professional league with a legitimate team.
What are some top professional dodgeball leagues?
The top professional dodgeball league is the National Dodgeball League (NDL), which organizes many tournaments across the country, year-round. This league currently has 24 teams in it and is open to many more expansion teams. The NDL has two separate conferences; the American Dodgeball Conference and the National Dodgeball Conference.
The NDL scores each tournament and has four separate divisions for the different types of professional dodgeball played by the league, across the country.