Early Spring 2026 Dodgeball Melville

Additional Info

2026 SEMI PRO DATES

• Mar-14 (Season Opener Mix & Match) Cancelled
• Apr-11
• May-16
• Jun-20 (Girls Only Tournament to Follow)
• Jul-18
• Aug-15
• Sept-19
• Oct-17

HOW TO JOIN SEMI PRO:

Players can join as a 'franchise group' or as a 'draft pool' player.

• To join as a 'franchise group', you’ll need to join in a group with exactly 2m and 2f.
• 'Draft pool players' will get drafted onto a franchise.

After the initial draft is held on March 20th, players can ONLY join as a draft pool player. You cannot join Semi Pro and be placed on a franchise of your choosing, nor is a placement guaranteed.

2026 Semi Pro Constitution

The Semi Pro Constitution provides a framework to govern Semi Pro. It is the contract between LI-Kick, Franchises and Players. It will create a level playing field, while balancing stability of franchises and mobility to players. It can only be amended with the approval of 66% of franchises.

ESTABLISHING FRANCHISES

• 2026 starts a new year of Semi Pro with new franchises.
• The number of 2025 Franchises is expected to be =9, but is ultimately dependent on the size of the draft pool.
• A vote will be held to determine the franchise groups if the number of franchise groups exceeds the number of spots.

INITIAL DRAFT (March 24th)

• The franchise groups will hold a draft to distribute draft pool players.
• Each franchise must draft 3m and 1f to end up with a roster 8 players. At the conclusion of the 8th round, franchises will have the option to select a 9th and 10th.

TOURNAMENTS

Each Semi Pro event will have 2 tournaments- the main Semi Pro Tournament and a D-League tournament which will take place immediately prior.

SEMI PRO TOURNAMENT DETAILS

Each tournament will have multiple pool play rounds into a single elimination bracket. There will be a winner of each tournament. Winners will receive medals and will take home the ‘Semi Pro Belt’. Franchises will accrue 'Season Points' which will be used to determine draft order and seed subsequent tournaments. Rules will follow USA Dodgeball rules where possible. Pool play games are 10 minutes of running clock with up to 3 minutes of no-blocking. The top 6 franchises will make playoffs. Playoff games are 15 minutes. Championship game is 20 minutes. Playoff games that are tied, or have a chance to be tied will finish out with no-blocking game.

SEMI PRO ROSTERS

4m and 2f play at a time. Any player on the franchise is eligible to play and franchises are under no obligation to give even playing time. Any roster cap can be exceeded for a celebrity player.

D-LEAGUE TOURNAMENT DETAILS

D-League tournaments take place in the 2 hours preceding the Semi Pro tournament. D-League tournaments are 4v4 and gender blind. There are several goals to the D-League including (1) Allowing franchises to carry large rosters where the top players can get max playing time in Semi Pro and the other players can get meaningful playing time in D-League games (2) Allow players in the draft pool the opportunity to play in D-League tournaments (3) Give playing time to developing players (4) Give the option for outside players/teams to participate in tournaments in the Semi Pro ecosystem. D-League tournaments will have round round games into single elimination. D-League Winners will receive medals.

D-LEAUGE ROSTERS

D-League teams may come from a variety of areas including (1) Representing their Semi Pro franchise, (2) Draft pool players forming teams, (3) Teams outside of Semi Pro. (4) Semi Pro players forming their own team for a D-League tournament. D-League teams that have a roster of 50%+ of a Semi Pro franchise can declare as an 'affiliate' and a half-sized sticker will go on the Semi Pro Belt should an affiliate win a D-League tournament. D-League teams will not have an ELO and no there is no continuity considered between tournaments.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

These player movement rules ensure the Semi Pro structure is flexible to accommodate our ‘real’ lives while maintaining a competitive balance. Each tournament will have a supplemental draft to accommodate new players and account for absent players. Ideally franchises know what players are in/out on Monday, and the supplemental draft is held on Wednesday before the tournament. Draft orders will be in the reverse order of standings. 

·        Incoming Players: These are players joining Semi Pro after the initial draft wishing to be permanently drafted onto a franchise.

·        Withdrawn Players: Sometimes a player finds themselves on a franchise they don’t vibe with. After attending two consecutive tournaments, a player may withdraw themselves from their franchise and enter the supplemental draft, in hopes of getting picked by a new franchise. 

·        Dropped Players: A captain may not want an unreliable player taking up a roster spot. If a player no-shows two consecutive tournaments, the captain may issue a drop, and that player will enter the supplemental draft. Captains must designate their drops within 7 days of the previous tournament.

·   Cuts - Franchises can make 1 cut without cause after the 2nd, 4th and 5th tournament. A franchise may not cut a player if it will bring them under the 5m/3f minimum for the next tournament.

·        Guest Player: In the case a franchise does not have enough players to enter a tournament, the players on that franchise may enter the supplemental draft and be picked up as guest players for the other franchises.

·        Celebrity Player: Once per season, a franchise may exceed any cap to bring in any player (excluding the season opener and championship). The Celebrity Player may only participate in one Semi Pro tournament per season.

-Franchises are allowed to trade with an approval of two-thirds of franchises.

PRICING

• There is a an $80 joining fee.
• Players will receive a credit if they are dropped/withdrawn and do not get picked up by another franchise in the supplemental draft.
• The cost to enter a tournament is $310 per franchise.
• The cost to enter a D-League team is $150 per franchise. D-League is an optional add-on
• A player that plays in all 7 tournaments on a franchise of 9 will pay $321 for the complete first year of semi-pro.

FAQ:

Q: Is this like a Professional Dodgeball League?

A: We're getting there.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Dec-08: Registration for 2025 Open
• Mar-20: Deadline to join
• Mar-20: Franchise group declaration deadline. Voting beings (if necessary)
• Mar-23: Voting Ends, Results announced
• Mar-24: Initial Draft held
• Mar-25: Franchise identities revealed and jersey order
• Apr-18: First Tournament

Season Points Amendment (passed May '25) Can Revisit for 2026

'Season Points' will replace ELO as the primary series ranking. Franchises will accrue season points based on their finish at each tournament. The first place team will earn 8 points, 2nd place will earn 7 points.... and 8th place team will earn 1 point. Season Points will rank teams in the overall standings, which is how subsequent drafts and tournaments are seeded.

CHANGES FROM 2025

1. Official Pre and Post Semi Pro Show - We are partnering with Bromance this season to highlight Semi Pro with pre tournament hype show and a post tournament recap show
2. Potential to Expand- If we get 9 teams or more we will be moving to the deck hockey rink which will help reduce wall ball. LI-Kick will provide nets to help separate the courts.

CHANGES FROM 2024

D-League

There creation of the D-League is the biggest change from last year. This addresses the very blatant fact that franchises need to carry large rosters over a 7 month series, but it is not preferable to have a full roster show up for a tournament. Now franchises will be able to send players into D-League tournaments where they can gain valuable experience while representing their franchise. With players participating in D-League, it alleviates the pressure for franchises to evenly distribute playing time and they can focus giving more playing time to their top players. The D-League will also give playing opportunities to draft pool players and to outside teams that want to play a dodgeball tournament, without participating in the Semi Pro series.

2024 Semi Pro Results

2024 Semi Pro Hype Video

Link to Ref Test 1

Link to Ref Test 2