Students at the University of Alberta won the Guinness World Record for the most players in a dodgeball game. They had 4,979 people partcipate. (University of Alberta/HO)

That's a lot of balls.

The University of Alberta's gym was the scene of a new Guinness dodgeball record when more than 1,250 spongy red balls flew between 4,979 players for about an hour Friday.

“What can I say,” Guinness World Record adjudicator Philip Robertson, who flew in from New York for the game, is quoted as saying on the university's site. “I’ve never seen so many people throw dodge balls against each other before. It was tremendous to watch, really good fun. The guidelines were all followed.

"And with that, I’m happy to announce that University of Alberta, Canada, has a new Guinness World Record.”

Dean of students, Frank Robinson, said the first record was set in 2010 with 1,198 players, and the next year with 2012.

He feels each game has brought the students closer together.

“This is a major lift for students, seeing more than a few thousand people cheering. I think it’s just one of those times when we can say, university is more than just a bunch of people going to classes. It’s definitely more than that,” Robinson says. “It does not matter if it’s a dodgeball game or spelling bee, the point is if when you have that many people gaining a sense of community, you can’t help but feel good about it.”

Robinson said students need events like Friday's because they spend so much of their time studying.

“This event is about taking time out to play hard and to provide students an opportunity to feel like they’re part of a larger community. The whole thing is not necessarily about breaking a record, it’s about getting people out there, to blow off steam and have some fun.”