Dodgeball championship aims to promote mental wellbeing through sport

Teams from across the Island set to compete in Isle Listen's tournament

A new community sporting event is being launched by Isle Listen as part of Mental Health Awareness Week in May.

The inaugural Isle of Man Dodgeball Championship will take place on 16 May in the National Sports Centre’s main hall, open to teams of six to nine players.

The charity hopes the event will promote mental wellbeing through physical activity and social engagement.

Organisers say team spaces are filling up quickly, with groups from a wide range of sectors - including law firms, banks, IT companies, and sports clubs - already signed up.

The competition will follow a round-robin format, concluding with quarterfinals, semi-finals, and a final match.

Fundraising Lead Steven Downward said: "The theme for the awareness week this year is ‘Community’, and we feel the Dodgeball Championship epitomises a real community event.

“Having seen the success of the UCM Dodgeball Championship a couple of weeks ago, the excitement is definitely building for our event, and we get the feeling there’s some grudge matches to settle!”

Proceeds from the championship will support Isle Listen’s work in mental health education for young people across the Island.

The charity, which also runs the Tough Mucka event, says it hopes to grow the dodgeball tournament into an annual fixture.

Lewis Foster has been speaking with Isle Listen's Steven Downward and Juan Christian, alongside Mikey Haslett from Active Souls:

The event is set to take place from 5.30pm to 9pm.

More information and team registration can be found here.

You can listen to the full interview with Juan, Steven and Mikey via the Manx Radio Newscast below: