THE FOUNDER OF the Irish Dodgeball Association, Bernard Thompson, says he is optimistic about the future of the sport in the country ahead of next week’s Ireland and Britain tournament.
He describes how dodgeball’s popularity is on the rise, even if it’s still a bit behind the UK in terms of development.
“They had a good seven or eight year head start on us, but we’re slowly catching up,” he told TheScore.ie. “Last year, at the European Championships, we finished eighth, whereas in the last few years before, we finished bottom, so we’re getting there bit by bit.”
Yet despite this improvement, the sport is still in its infancy on these shores, and Thompson acknowledges that most people do not know its rules.
“It’s a six-a-side sport,” he explains. “Three balls are placed at the centre of the court. On the referee’s whistle, three players run in to compete for the ball. Once you gain possession, you can knock someone out by hitting them with a live ball. If it bounces it doesn’t count, so it has to be a direct hit.”
“When a player catches the ball, the thrower is out and an eliminated player comes back into play. And you can also use a ball to block a ball being thrown at you. That’s pretty much the rules – it’s easy really.”
Next week’s tournament, which takes place at Swan Leisure on the Lower Rathmines Road on 7 September, is still open for entries, with 11 of a possible 16 teams registered at the time of the interview.
The decision to organise the tournament for a second year running is ostensibly a sign of the sport’s growing popularity, and Thompson acknowledges that it is becoming increasingly prominent.
“It’s quite big in the UK at the moment,” he says. “They got it recognised as a national sport, so it’s really taken off there. It’s kicking off across Europe — there was the European Championship there recently. There were 11 nations taking part in it.“And even back home now, we’re getting there slowly but surely. Last year was the first year we organised this tournament and it was so successful we [decided to] do it again this year.”
Thompson is hopeful that some day, dodgeball in Ireland can emulate its UK status, and enable it to be recognised nationally. He also reveals that specific plans are already in place to develop it.
“That’s what we’re aiming for eventually [for it to be recognised as a national sport]. It’s going to be a bit of a long haul. We’re in it for that anyway, so hopefully in a few years, it’s going to happen.
“We are looking at organising an All-Ireland league to grow more interest and make it a bit bigger throughout the country, so hopefully that’ll help.”
(Image Credit: Bernard Thompson)
One boost to the sport’s popularity has been the success of the 2004 Ben Stiller movie Dodgeball.
“It actually started here a good bit after so it hasn’t had an obvious impact. But there’s talk of a Dodgeball 2 movie, so I’m sure it’d kick off if that comes out.
“And when you say to people ‘I’m playing dodgeball,’ they always say ‘like in the film?’ You say ‘yeah, that’s pretty much it minus the spandex and everything’.”
He also explains that athletes who play other sports tend to enjoy dodgeball as a light alternative in their time away from their primary passions.
“People who play tag rugby need something to play for the winter. We get a lot of people from tag rugby and five-a-sides – a lot of people who play rugby and GAA do it in their off seasons and use it for practice and stuff.
“They all come and think ‘this is such an easy game, I’ll be brilliant at this’. But when they play, it’s a different story. The way the ball is designed – it isn’t as easy to catch as a football.“It’s 50:50 between serious and non-serious people. It is more of a recreational sport, but you always get the few that get into it very competitively.”
Thompson himself is a keen player with the Waterford Dodgeball club, though admits he may have to cut down, as his promotional duties become more intensive.
“I just thought ‘Jesus, dodgeball, that’d be a bit of craic,” he says, recalling how he got into it in the first place. “I was sore after about a week of playing it. Then I got hooked – it’s kind of like a drug, you just get addicted to it.
He continues: “The hardest part is getting people there. Once they come, they go back for more the whole time.
“When I started, I just thought – you hit a few balls, you get out of the way of a few people, it’s going to be simple, but it really isn’t.”
