Who We Are
Four Counties Flyballers was founded in January 2008 by Douglas Nethercleft who wanted to bring flyball to
Flyball is a relay race over hurdles where two teams of four dogs compete against each other to each collect a ball and return over a start/finish line. The winner is the team who can complete the race in the fastest time with no faults.
Our small but expanding club is registered with the British Flyball Association - BFA reg. no. 179. It is based in Oxhill close to the Warwickshire / Oxfordshire border - just off the A422, midway between
Our four team names are as follows:
Four Counties Fireballs (179a) - this is our first team and likely to consist of the fastest / most reliable dogs that work well together.
Four Counties Firebirds (179b) - this is our second team.
Four Counties Fireflies (179c) - this will be our third team.
Four Counties Firedrakes (179d) - this is the team name we will use when we have a mix of dogs that would normally run in other Four Counties teams. This prevents ‘seed’ times for the ‘established’ teams being altered too much - as would be the case were ‘strange’ dogs brought into a team to make up numbers for a particular competition.
The team welcomes anyone who may like to have a go at playing flyball and especially those who may like to travel and compete with us. To take part in British Flyball Association (BFA) regulated competitions, dogs must be 18 months old. However, even if you have a young puppy, you are welcome to come along to socialise it with our friendly dogs and meet their handlers.
Although Border Collies and / or Working Sheep Dogs tend to dominate this sport, we encourage other breeds to take part in this ‘fast and furious’ hobby. The only requirements we have for dogs wishing to join us for flyball training are that they are over 12 months old, are physically fit, have basic obedience and enjoy playing with a tennis ball. All dogs that attend training classes or practice sessions must hold a current vaccination certificate.
Currently we run a racing team and also welcome new members to take part in our weekly training sessions and / or to join our starter classes to try out the sport. If your dog likes to play and fetch a ball, is active and sociable then it has the makings of flyball dog.
Almost any size dog can compete, from small Jack Russells to German Shepherds. Most dogs will take to flyball and become reasonably proficient at it in just a few weeks.
If you like the sound of this exciting, fast paced sport and want to give it a go, then please contact Douglas Nethercleft on 07850 352905 for further details. We look forward to meeting you and your dog very soon.