Stonewall Sports sets 2026 Dodgeball Classic for Virginia Beach tournament
Stonewall Sports has set its 2026 Dodgeball Classic inside the organization’s 12th annual National Tournament, and the format leaves little doubt that this is built as a serious travel event, not a casual local run. The broader tournament is scheduled for Virginia Beach, Virginia, from October 22-25, 2026, in partnership with Stonewall Sports Norfolk, with Stonewall projecting more than 3,000 LGBTQIA+ people and allies from across the U.S. to attend.
The dodgeball piece of the weekend runs on a tight national-tournament model. Day 1 is set for Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with round-robin play spread across evenly divided pools. Day 2 is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, October 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., when the event shifts into double-elimination brackets based on the first day’s results. Each team is guaranteed at least six round-robin games, a meaningful floor for any roster weighing airfare, hotel nights and entry fees against court time.
Stonewall’s roster rules tell the bigger story about what kind of event this has become. Teams must have eight registered and paid players, with a maximum roster of 12, and at least two players must be women, trans or non-binary athletes. The official rulebook says that requirement is meant to promote inclusivity, equity and diverse participation, and it reinforces the tournament’s identity as a mixed-format competition rather than a single-bracket open draw. Everyone 21 and older is eligible, and all two-day sport tournaments include access to all tournament events.
Registration opens July 13 for captains and July 15 for players, with team status due by Friday, August 7. Full registration closes Friday, August 14, while events-pass registration remains open until Wednesday, October 21. The fee includes a tournament-branded T-shirt and access to social events, another sign that Stonewall is selling a weekend package, not just court access.
The structure is also more standardized than the old rec-league version of dodgeball most players know. Teams are split by round-robin results into upper and lower brackets, match length is set at 20 minutes, and standings tiebreakers can run through head-to-head results, points scored, points against, score differential and finally a leadership coin toss. That level of detail matters because it gives teams a reason to plan travel around a predictable competitive format.
Stonewall Sports itself has been building toward this setup for years. Founded in 2010 in Washington, D.C., the nonprofit formed its first expansion chapter in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2013, the same year its National Tournament began. Dodgeball was added to the organization’s sports lineup in 2014, and Stonewall says the 2021 national tournament drew a record 1,500 participants, while the organization has raised more than $500,000 for charities. The growth arc is clear: a local league culture has turned into a standardized national circuit, and Virginia Beach is the next stop.