Vancouver Dodgeball League facts for kids

The Vancouver Dodgeball League (VDL) is a group that helps people play dodgeball and build a great community. It started on February 11, 2005. VDL is a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't try to make money for owners. Instead, all the money it earns goes back into supporting the league and its goals.

VDL is the first and largest non-profit dodgeball group in Vancouver. Its main goal is to make dodgeball popular in Vancouver. It also wants to create a community where people can have fun, stay fit, help others, and show good sportsmanship. A group of directors manages VDL, making sure it stays true to its mission.

The VDL has different levels of play for teams. Some teams play just for fun, while others are more competitive. There are three levels within each division. At the end of a season, teams are sorted into six playoff levels based on how well they played all season.

Besides regular games, each season has special events. These include exhibition nights, skill-building clinics, and fun competitions. They also host social events and tournaments that raise money for different charities.

History of VDL

The Vancouver Dodgeball League was started in 2004 by Kevin Bao. At first, VDL held casual drop-in nights and small tournaments. Only 12 players came to the very first drop-in night. But in just a few months, this number grew to 120 players joining tournaments!

With a team of friends like Keith Bao, Truong Cao, Amy Chin, Jason Chow, and Eddie Lee, VDL began offering regular league games in Spring 2006. This gave dodgeball players a steady place to play. Today, VDL is the biggest dodgeball league in the Metro Vancouver area. Games are played four nights a week, and there's even a sister league in Coquitlam (CDL). More than 200 teams and 1,500 players are now part of the VDL community.

Key Moments in VDL History

• October 2004: Kevin Bao played dodgeball at Simon Fraser University and loved it. He saw how much fun it was and decided to start a dodgeball community in Vancouver. He even used some of his student loan money to get it going!
• November 24, 2004: The very first dodgeball night was held at Simon Fraser University. Twelve people showed up, and they worked together to figure out the game rules.
• January 2005: VDL held its first charity event, the Tsunami Relief Tournament. It raised $800 for the Canadian Red Cross.
• February 2005: VDL officially became a non-profit organization.
• October 2005: The official VDL logo was created by a graphic designer named Graeme Jack.
• April 2006: Season 1 of VDL league play successfully launched with 16 teams and 150 players. The team "Hatesauce" became VDL's first league champions.
• September 2006: Season 2 began with 32 teams and 300 players. The "Spirit Rating" was introduced to encourage good sportsmanship and fair play.
• September 2007: Season 4 launched with 80 teams playing on three different nights. The Coquitlam Dodgeball League (CDL), a part of VDL, also started its first season.
• February 2008: Season 5 began with over 100 teams playing on four nights a week.
• September 2008: A new system for grouping teams by skill level (tiering) was put in place for Season 6.

Awards

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  VDL Championship Belt.
  Picture by Lincoln Heller, Belt created by fiveleft.ca

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  VDL Champion Medal.
  Picture by Michelle Patterson.

Community

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  VDL Spring Season 3 Tuesday Playoff Picture

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  VDL Spring Season 3 Thursday Playoff Picture

VDL Logo

The first VDL logo was designed in October 2005 by a well-known graphic designer from Vancouver, Graeme Jack. After creating the VDL logo, Graeme Jack was also asked to design logos for the International Dodgeball Association (IDA) and the Coquitlam Dodgeball League (CDL). Later, the Richmond Dodgeball League (RDL) was formed and took inspiration from the original VDL logo for their own design.