Data analyst aiming for dodgeball global glory

Kez Tranter plays for Derby Phantoms Dodgeball Club

Kez Tranter spends most of her day as a data analyst in Derby, but this summer she will be targeting success in her other area of expertise - dodgeball.

The 25-year-old, who works at Fishbone Solutions in Pride Park, is part of the England Lions Dodgeball team heading to Austria for the World Dodgeball Championships in August.

Tranter, who also plays for Derby Phantoms Dodgeball Club, and her team-mates have high hopes for the tournament in Graz after the women triumphed at the European Championships last year.

She missed the tournament in Croatia due to a knee injury, but Tranter is due to compete, and added: "We're in it to win it."

More than 30 countries will be competing in men's, women's and mixed events in both cloth and foam ball versions of the sport - England alone are sending 56 athletes to compete.

Tranter, a cloth ball player, told the BBC: "The women's team are European reigning champs, the mixed team came second and the men's team came third - so we're in it to win it."

The 2004 Hollywood take on the sport - featuring White Goodman, played by Ben Stiller - has increased awareness, but Tranter says it may have misled people on how it is played

Despite the size of the event and global reach of the sport, Tranter says most people have only ever heard of it because of the 2004 film, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

But the tournament will be a far cry from the riotous comedy of White Goodman, played by Ben Stiller, and Peter La Fleur, played by Vince Vaughn, as Average Joe's seeks to save its gym.

Tranter said: "It's a bit of a niche sport, I think everyone only knows about it from the film, but it's going to be a massive event.

"People have no idea about dodgeball, I think the film does as much damage as it does help.

"It's not a chaotic sport, you have to be tactical and play as a team.

“It's very physically demanding but it's all sorts of body shapes, it’s very inclusive.

“But you're steaming at the end of the game. You're throwing yourself all over the place, sometimes they have to pause to get a mop out to stop people slipping."

Tranter works as a data analyst in Derby, as well as representing her country

The other big association of dodgeball for people is through school physical education (PE) lessons.

For Tranter, her route into the sport was extracurricular.

She said: "I've been playing about six years now - I started at university and progressed to club level and then international.

"I'm a data analyst and I feel you do get quite a lot of techies in dodgeball. Maybe it's a coincidence, maybe we've got something in common."

England's women's team are reigning European champions after success in 2023

Dodgeball world championships have been organised since 2016, and the Global Association of International Sports Federations - the umbrella organisation for all Olympic and non-Olympic sports - officially recognised dodgeball as a sport in 2017.

The World Dodgeball Association is campaigning for the International Olympic Committee to introduce the sport to the games.

President Tom Hickson said more than 67.5 million people played dodgeball globally.

He told the BBC in May: "It's extremely low cost to play.

"As children, everybody practises throwing and catching, and dodging to an extent. You can play the sport anywhere, whether it’s in the park, in the street, or in a leisure centre."

But currently dodgeball is a self-funded sport, and the England squad give up their time and money to represent their country.

Dave Bayley, Tranter's manager at Fishbone Solutions, which is sponsoring her, said: "We're really proud she's managed to stay fit and is on the team. We'll try and tune in when we can and watch some of the games."

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