Fastest on four paws with Alstonville to host new canine flyball competition

DOG lovers will have the chance to witness one of the fastest-growing canine sports with people travelling from across NSW and Queensland for the inaugural Alstonville Flyball Classic.

The event will be held on 22–23 August at the Alstonville Showground, bringing together talented dogs and handlers for a weekend of competition.

Flyball is a fast-paced relay race where teams of dogs race over four hurdles, trigger a box to release a tennis ball, then race back to their handlers before the next dog takes its turn.

Sanctioned by the Australian Flyball Association, the competition will be run by Awesome Pawsome Flyball Racing from Brisbane and the North Coast K9 Academy, with spectators invited to attend for a gold coin donation.

Awesome Pawsome Flyball Racing was one of the first clubs established in Queensland and has been running for about 25 years.

It will bring 25 dogs with about 100 in total competing before national titles at Bendigo in September.

Club president and Alstonville event organiser Emma Podmore hopes the competition will showcase the sport to the Northern Rivers community and encourage greater local participation, potentially leading to the establishment of a regional flyball club.

“We have three members that are from the area who drive up to Brisbane every week to our club to train and learn,” she said.

“So, we decided we’d do a competition down there to try and showcase the sport and get a bit more interest, and maybe one day they could have their own club.”

Podmore, who has been involved in flyball for around 11 years, said there was currently a gap in opportunities for participants between Newcastle and Brisbane.

Flyball is known for being an inclusive sport, welcoming dogs of all breeds, sizes and backgrounds.

The competition environment is open to everyone, including mixed-breed dogs.

Teams can include up to six dogs, although only four compete in each race.

“We’re not breedists, so mutts can participate, which is great because other sports sometimes don’t allow mixed breeds,” she said.

“There are eight dogs in the ring. They run down, go over four small hurdles, hit a box, catch a ball and come back.”

While spectators are welcome to attend, they are encouraged to leave their own dogs at home where possible.

“We love having people come watch, but we do recommend that they leave their dogs at home,” Podmore said.

“Sometimes they get a bit too excited, and the owner can’t really watch because they’re too busy trying to contain their dog.”