Tournament Format

This Dodgeball Tournament features 32 teams. The tournament will be a double-elimination bracket (a switch from previous years). Each team competition will feature a timed, best-of-three matchup between the two scheduled teams. Referees will be on hand to blow whistles and settle minor disputes, but they’re volunteers, so please be reasonable and play with good sportsmanship.

The Teams

Teams can consist of up to ten players, but matchups are six-on-six, so two team members will need to sit out for each matchup. Team uniforms/costumes are not required, but are encouraged.

Dodgeball Rules

We’re using standard dodgeball rules. Despite the image at the top of the page, hitting in the face/head is not allowed. You won’t be disqualified, but the person who was hit is allowed to remain in the game.

Each game will have a referee and a timekeeper. Results of each matchup will be reported to the official scoring table.

Each court will have six dodgeballs color-coded for that court. The balls will be placed in a line at the center of the court, three on the left and three on the right. Teams start at their respective baseline. At the referee’s whistle, teams can scramble to get the three balls to their right side. At the beginning of each game, the dodgeballs must first touch the baseline before they can be thrown at the opposing team.

Balls that go out of play can be retrieved by team members or bystanders. They need to be returned to opposite team (the team that didn’t throw the ball out of play.)

You’re out if:

• You get hit by a live dodgeball anywhere but your head/face,

• An opposing player catches a live ball that you threw,

• You intentionally go out of bounds to avoid being hit, or

• You step on or cross the center line (except during the initial rush for the dodgeballs at the start of each game).

You’re not out if:

• You got hit in the head/face,

• The ball that hit you bounced off someone else (only one person can be eliminated by a single throw),

• The ball that hit you was thrown by someone out of bounds or across the center line.

• You’re hit by a ball that was first deflected by another ball (you can block using a dodgeball, but if you drop your ball while blocking, you’re out), or

• A teammate caught the ball that hit you before it hits the ground.

• An opposing player caught a ball you threw after it was first deflected.

Returning to the game:

• If a team member catches a live dodgeball (resulting in the elimination of an opposing player), one member of their team may return to the court in the order in which they were eliminated.

A LIVE dodgeball is a ball that has been thrown but has not touched anything, including the ground, another ball, another player or anything else. A DEAD dodgeball is a ball that has touched another ball, the floor, walls or any other object (including a person).

We don’t have instant slow-motion replay, so referee decisions are final. Again, be honest and play with sportsmanship (admit it if you got hit) and don’t give the referees a hard time.

Substitutions: No substitutions are allowed within a match except in the case of an injury. Players can switch out between matches.

How to win

Be the first team to eliminate all the players of the opposing team, or have the most players remaining when time expires on your match. There are five minutes allotted per game, and 15 minutes per best-of-three match. If there are an equal number of players remaining on each team after five minutes, the match becomes “sudden death”, with the next elimination determining the winner.