State Academy Applications & FAQ
Dodgeball Federation Australia recently unveiled the new high performance structure for the 2019 Victoria and New South Wales State Academies. 
The State Academies Launch article can be viewed HERE.
FAQ:
1. How do you gain initial selection for your 2019 State Academy?
Players who represented the Australian Dodgeroos in 2018 and were part of the old Academy system, will gain automatic selection in the State Academy, pending they wish to be involved and have fulfilled the criteria (Q 8 below).
Other players who participated throughout the 2018 ADPL season, will be selected and invited to be part of their State Academy. These selections will take place by early December, in preparation for the first session on Saturday, December 15.
2. Can you trial for your State Academy if you don’t fulfill the 2018 criteria or miss initial selection?
Yes, players can self-nominate themselves to trial in their State Academy. The application form must be completed (bottom of this article).
Players who self-nominate themselves, will be given two sessions to train with their State Academy on Saturday, December 15 and Saturday, January 19. If unable to attend a session or you have any queries, please advise when completing the form.
Players who successfully gain selection into their State Academy following the two sessions, will then need to fulfill the criteria set to be involved for 2019 (Q 9 below).
3. How often is State Academy training?
Organised training sessions will be conducted on a monthly basis in New South Wales and Victoria. The first two State training sessions in Victoria and NSW will be held Saturday, December 15 and Saturday, January 19.
4. How do the State Academies translate to Australian Dodgeroos selection?
Players from the Victoria and New South Wales State Academies will be invited to attend an Australian Dodgeroos Training Camp in May. Following the Training Camp, the Australian Dodgeroos squad will be selected for the 2019 Asian Dodgeball Championships in Hong Kong, October 26 – 27.
The Dodgeroos will host monthly training sessions (based in Melbourne or Sydney) from May – September, in the lead-up to the Asian Championships. Training sessions will operate on a fortnightly basis, from early October.
The monthly State Academy sessions will still operate following Australian selection, in addition to the Dodgeroos training.
5. Can players be involved in their State Academy if they’re currently not sure or do not wish to be in contention for Australian Dodgeroos selection?
Yes, we encourage players to be involved in their State Academy, either through initial selection or through self-nomination trials. The purpose of the State Academy is to build a high performance training program, not only improve athlete performance and education at training, but to have these skills transferred to their Clubs and teammates for the ADPL season. The 2019 player criteria (Q 8 below) must be followed.
6. What is the U21’s Australian Dodgeroos and how do players get involved?
The U21’s Australian Dodgeroos is a new national representative team that will make its debut at the 2019 Asian Championships in Hong Kong, October 26 – 27. The U21’s Mixed team will play alongside the Dodgeroos’ Men’s, Mixed and Women’s teams at the tournament.
To be eligible for the U21’s, players must be born on or after January 1, 1998 – meaning they cannot turn 22 years of age in 2019.
There will be U21’s Australian Dodgeroos Open Trials with the State Academies on Saturday, January 19, and another session to proceed in February.
A maximum of three players will be eligible to participate in the U21’s, in addition to the senior Australian Dodgeroos’ teams.
Players new to dodgeball or the 5-ball game are eligible to trial for the U21’s team. If they are selected for the final team, they will just need to adhere to the 2019 player criteria (Q 9 below).
7. What is the purpose of the State Academies?
The objective of our State Academies is to enhance our high-performance programs at local and national team level, learning different training regimes, tactics and importantly, the playing philosophy and ethos of the Australian Dodgeroos.
The transition from the Dodgeroos Academy to the Victoria and New South Wales Academies will give further opportunities to dodgeballers locally – training and developing their skills and knowledge in a high performance environment. A larger production pool of talent will not only benefit the sport locally, but importantly give the state and national teams a further growth and a new pathway for development.
Additionally, we will be focusing on increasing the participation and growth of our State Academies, while continuing to promote further Club development in our local areas.
8. INITIAL SELECTION: What is the criteria to be selected in December, 2018 for your State Academy and Australian Dodgeroos?
Initial selections will take place in early December, following the ADPL NSW and Victoria seasons.
To be in contention for selection and actively involved in the 2018/19 State Academies, the DFA will adhere to the following criteria:
– Perform and excel at a high level during ADPL club competition and demonstrate the attitude and commitment required to succeed as a high performance athlete.
– Players based in Victoria / New South Wales must have been actively playing in their local ADPL (minimum 50% attendance of rounds throughout the 2018 season)
– Talent Identification Program: The DFA may elect to select players new in the 2018 ADPL system, who they believe fit into the culture and specifically have the potential and talent to progress as a player in the State Academy. These players may not have played the minimum games (listed above), but possess the traits under the Talent Identification Program.
9. What criteria needs to be followed in 2019 to be actively involved in your State Academy and Australian Dodgeroos?
– Male players must be actively playing ADPL in 2019 (minimum 65% of matches in the Men’s Division or play a minimum of 50% of matches in both the Men’s and Mixed Divisions).
– Female players must be actively playing ADPL in 2019 (minimum 65% of matches in the Women’s Division or play a minimum of 50% of matches in both the Women’s and Mixed Divisions. In NSW, a minimum of 65% of matches in the Mixed Division)
– Players must be consistently playing in their local ADPL and adhere to the criteria, or will face omission from their State Academy and / or Australian Dodgeroos selection at any point during the year, regardless if a player has been selected in the State Academy and /or Dodgeroos squad.
– If a player marginally falls short of the attendance figures due to a noted injury or personal reason (within 10%), this will be taken into consideration. An example of what would not be permitted – a player resting from ADPL on a Friday or Saturday for no apparent reason or due to an injury, then attends State / Dodgeroos training that weekend.
To self-nominate and trial for your State Academy, complete the form below. Please note, players who aren’t initially selected in early December or don’t fulfill the initial criteria for 2018 (Q 8 above), should nominate themselves in the form below.