Why dodgeball uses different balls for juniors, adults and inclusions

British Dodgeball’s junior events use the official Size 1 foam dodgeball, a ball 15 cm in diameter. British Dodgeball and the World Dodgeball Federation treat foam and cloth as different games within the same code, and that choice changes how juniors learn, how adults compete, and how inclusion sessions are run.

Junior play starts with Size 1 foam

British Dodgeball designates its Official Size 1 Foam Dodgeball for juniors, with the junior format tied to primary school players. The same ball is sold in bags of 20, sets of 6 or singles, which makes it practical for school programs, club sessions and tournaments that need a lot of identical equipment. British Dodgeball’s junior events are played with the official Size 1 foam dodgeball.

A smaller foam ball is easier for younger hands to control, easier to bring into a catch-and-release rhythm, and less intimidating when the game is still teaching timing and positioning. Junior dodgeball becomes less about raw velocity and more about learning the sequence of dodge, block, catch and throw without the game overwhelming the player.

Adult foam is a different lane, not just a bigger junior ball

British Dodgeball also separates the Official Adult Foam Dodgeball from the junior foam ball. Its adult foam ball is recommended for inclusion and disability dodgeball sessions, placing accessibility at the center of equipment choice rather than as an afterthought. Foam is the familiar format for many schools and recreational leagues because it is softer, more approachable for new players and easier to manage in mixed-ability settings.

In a foam game, throws can come faster and more often because the ball is designed to be catchable and playable without making every exchange feel punishing. For organizers, that opens up roster flexibility: players with different mobility, confidence levels or hand strength can still share the same session without the equipment forcing a narrow style of play.

Cloth is the older age-group game

British Dodgeball’s cloth Size 3 ball is listed for adults and juniors aged 14+, which ties cloth to a more advanced stage of participation. The product is 7 inches in diameter. Cloth dodgeball is not simply a prettier version of foam; it belongs to a different competitive lane with different expectations for speed, control and reading the flight of the ball.

The World Dodgeball Federation’s 2022 rules underline that split by giving Rule 2 separate sections for cloth balls and foam balls. The sport’s international framework does not treat equipment as interchangeable. The 2022 WDBF video aimed at foam players and explicitly contrasting cloth with foam shows how the two formats are experienced as distinct worlds by players and organizers, not just by manufacturers.

The rulebook makes the differences structural

The World Dodgeball Federation’s 2024 rules go further by laying down a specific foam-ball standard: all balls must be polyurethane, or PU, coated foam, 17.8 cm, or 7 inches, in diameter, and 134-146 g, or 4.7-5.1 oz, in weight. It keeps competition consistent across venues and helps define how hard the ball travels, how reliably it can be caught, and how much sting or rebound players should expect.

Foam usually means a softer touch and a more forgiving entry point, while cloth signals a more mature game environment where older athletes are expected to handle a different tempo and a different feel off the hand. Those distinctions shape how teams train, how defenders set their feet, and how quickly attacks can be reset after a catch or block.

What the ball changes on the floor

Ball type affects the sport in four concrete ways: speed, catching difficulty, safety and tactics. Foam, especially in the junior and adult recreational formats British Dodgeball promotes, supports faster learning because players can focus on movement and decision-making without a hard throw punishing every mistake. Cloth raises the technical demands because older players and 14+ juniors are working with a format that is treated as its own category by the federation.

Foam games tend to look busy and accessible, with more visible recovery after mistakes and a friendlier feel for newcomers in the stands. Cloth games usually read as a step closer to high-control competition, where throws, catches and dodges are judged against a more demanding standard.

A sport built around progression and inclusion

The ball choices also map the sport’s social structure. Junior players get a smaller foam entry point, adults get a separate foam option, and players aged 14 and up can move into the cloth Size 3 format. That progression gives clubs a ladder they can actually use, from primary school sessions to adult leagues and higher-level play, without forcing one equipment model onto every group.

The World Dodgeball Federation’s global rankings track men’s, women’s and mixed divisions. The first edition of those rankings represented 47 nations.