Roller derby in Australia

Roller derby in Australia
Teams competing in Hobart, Australia, in November 2010
Governing body	Skate Australia

There are over eighty-nine roller derby leagues in Australia.[1] in women's, men's, co-ed and junior categories.

Governance

Chart showing governance of roller derby inside Skate Australia. Derived from information found on page 10 of Skate Australia's strategic plan.

Skate Australia provides a minimal level of insurance for some roller derby leagues in Australia. According to Skate Australia's 2009–2013 strategic plan, the governance of roller derby is different from other sports affiliated with the organisation. Roller derby lacks state committees, with leagues going straight to the Development Officer and Sport Services Administrator.[3] In 2006, there were no roller derby memberships in Skate Australia. By 2008, three percent of all members were from the roller derby community.[3]

World cup team

Name	League	Position	Ref
Amykazee	Canberra Roller Derby League		[4]
Bambi von Smash'er	Canberra Roller Derby League	Jammer, blocker & pivot	[4][5]
Blockidile Dundee	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
Cookie Cutter	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
Fang Fiend	Brisbane City Rollers		[4]
Dodge & Bolt	Coastal Assassins Roller Derby		[4]
Haterade	Sydney Roller Derby League		[4]
Juke Nukem	Brisbane City Rollers		[4]
King Cam	Canberra Roller Derby League	Blocker	[4][5]
Ladykiller	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
Muzzarati	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
Rose Ruin	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
Ruby Ribcrusher	Victorian Roller Derby League		[4]
Sculley	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
Short Stop	Canberra Roller Derby League	Jammer & blocker	[4][5]
Slawta Dawta	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]
U Sooz U Lose	Victorian Roller Derby League		[4]
Susy Pow	Newcastle Roller Derby League		[4]
Tricksey Beltem	Adelaide Roller Derby		[4]
XL	Sun State Roller Girls		[4]

Interstate Bouting

Between the Adelaide Roller Derby's 2007 formation[6] and the start of their first season,[7] the club hosted the first interstate roller derby competition in Australia, Skate of Origin, against the Victorian Roller Derby League.[8][9]

2010 saw Adelaide Roller Derby hosting the Great Southern Slam – the largest roller derby competition to be held outside of the United States, with 650 competitors from Australia and New Zealand.

Adelaide Roller Derby again hosted The Great Southern Slam in the June long weekend of 2012 and this time boasted over 1000 participants in the main tournament, match play for less experience leagues, and a series of challenge bouts. The main tournament consisted of 18 leagues including two from New Zealand with Victorian Roller Derby League taking out top honours in a repeat performance from 2010 over Sun State Roller Girls.[10]

By state

New South Wales

As of March 2013, there are 31 Roller Derby Leagues in NSW. There are several Sydney, New South Wales based teams including South Side Derby Dolls (S2D2),[11] Sydney Roller Derby League,[12] Western Sydney Rollers (WSR),[13] South West Sydney Rockets Roller Derby League,[14] Hawkesbury/Hills Area Roller Derby, Inner West Roller Derby League, Northern Beaches Roller Girls, and a University league, University of Sydney Roller Derby League. Roller derby is played outside the capital with leagues based in Coffs Harbour (Coffs Coast Derby Dolls),[15] Illawarra (Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby),[16] Blue Mountains (Blue Mountains Roller Derby and Blue Mountains Junior Roller Derby),[17] and Newcastle (Newcastle Roller Derby League).[18]

In March 2012, fifteen women, led by Michael Frawley, started working on creating a league in Wagga Wagga.[19]

Victoria

There are several Melbourne based roller derby leagues, including Diamond Valley Roller Derby Club,[20] East Vic Roller Derby,[21] Kingston City Rollers,[22] Melbourne Northside Rollers,[23] South Sea Roller Derby,[24] Victorian Roller Derby League[25] and WestSide Derby Dollz.[26] Roller derby is also played in regional areas including Ballarat (Ballarat Roller Derby League),[27] Bendigo (Dragon City Derby Dolls),[28] Geelong (Geelong Roller Derby League),[29] and Sale (Sale City Rollers).[30]

Queensland

There are at least three Brisbane, Queensland-based roller derby leagues including the Northern Brisbane Rollers,[31] the Sun State Roller Girls[32] and the Brisbane City Rollers.[33] Roller derby leagues also exist in regional parts of Queensland including in Blackwater (Blackwater Roll-Her Derby),[34]^[non-primary source needed] Bundaberg (Rum City Derby Dolls) Archived 8 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine,[35] Mackay (Mackay City Roller Maidens), Townsville (Towns Villains Roller Derby), Cairns (Reef City Rollergirls),[36] Gladstone (Gladstone Roller Derby),[37] Gold Coast (Gold Coast Roller Derby),[38] Rockhampton (Rocky Roller Derby),[39]^[non-primary source needed] Toowoomba (Toowoomba City Rollers),[40] and Hervey Bay Rollerz

Western Australia

There are various leagues in Western Australia. Western Australia Roller Derby (WARD),[41] North West Roller Derby (NWRD),[42] the Bunbury Roller Derby,[43] Margaret River Roller Derby,[44]^[non-primary source needed] Perth Roller Derby,[45] Dread Pirate Rollers (DPR),[46] and Perth Mens Derby (PMD),[47] Swan City Derby (SCD),[48] Perth Junior Roller Derby (PJRD),[49]^[non-primary source needed] Albany Roller Derby League (ARDC),[50] and Geraldton Roller Derby.

South Australia

There are five roller derby leagues located in South Australia. Adelaide Roller Derby (ADRD)[51] and Murder City Roller Derby (MCRD) (formerly known as Murder City Roller Girls) are Women's+ leagues playing under the WTFDA rule set.[52] Light City Derby (LCD) and Rockabellas Roller Derby League (RRDL) are both mixed gender leagues, with the latter also having dedicated junior teams for skaters under 18.[53] [54] Lil' Adelaide Rollers (LAR) is a mixed gender junior league.[55]

Tasmania

Roller derby is played in Tasmania, with two leagues based in Hobart, the Convict City Roller Derby League.[56] and South Island Sirens. and Two leagues in Launceston; Devil State Derby League and Van Diemen Rollers.

Australian Capital Territory

Canberra Roller Derby bout Brindabelters vs Black and Blue Belles at Southern Cross Stadium on 24 September 2011

There are two roller derby leagues in the Australian Capital Territory: The Canberra Roller Derby League[57] and the Varsity Derby League.[58] The sport was introduced to Canberra in 2008.[59] by Bullseye Betty, Dr Hell, Roulette Rough and Peachy Keen.[60] The league had its first bouting season in 2009, and tickets were quickly bought out.[61] By June 2010, the Canberra Roller Derby League was competing in interstate bouts.[62]

In the early years of roller derby in the ACT, the presence of the Canberra Roller Derby League helped change the perception of the sport in the capital from an entertaining sideshow to a mainstream women's participation sport.[60] In 2011, to accommodate the growing interest in the sport, a student organisation expanded roller derby into the Australian National University.[63] In late 2011, this organisation unaffiliated from the University and became Varsity Derby League. Varsity has a strong focus on inclusiveness and in 2014 established Canberra's first (and currently only) men's roller derby team.

Northern Territory

Roller derby is played in the Northern Territory. Darwin Rollergirls,[64] based in Darwin were the first league established in the NT. There is a league based in Alice Springs called the Malice Springs Roller Derby League[65] The first modern roller derby bout between these two leagues in October 2011 was entitled Highway to Roll and drew a sell-out crowd.[66]

See also

• Roller derby

References

1. "Roller Derby AU". Roller Derby AU. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
2. "Skate Australia Organisational Flowchart" (PDF). Skate Australia Strategic Plan (2009-2013 ed.). Skate Australia: 10. 10 July 2010.
3. "Achievements of Previous Plan" (PDF). Skate Australia Strategic Plan (2009-2013 ed.). Skate Australia: 13. 10 July 2010.^[permanent dead link‍]
4. Reynolds, Hurt (14 September 2011). "Team Australia Announces World Cup Roster". Roller Derby News Network. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
5. Canberra Roller Derby League (12 March 2011). "Vice City Rollers, Special Operations Unit". Roller Derby. 12 March 2011 (CRDL vs VRDL). Canberra, Australia: Canberra Roller Derby League: 6–7.
6. "Derby ready to roll". Sunday Mail. Adelaide, South Australia. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
7. "History of ADRD". Adelaide Roller Derby. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
8. "Roller derby fires rivalry". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
9. Crabbe, Ashlee (18 August 2011). "The Good, The Bad and The Derby". WAToday. Perth, Western Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
10. "Adelaide hosts massive roller derby". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
11. "South Side Derby Dolls (league-run site)".
12. "Sydney Roller Derby League (league-run site)".
13. "Western Sydney Rollers (league-run site)".
14. "South West Sydney Rockets (league-run site)".
15. "Coffs Coast Derby Dolls (league-run site)".
16. "Wollongong Illawarra Roller Derby (league-run site)".
17. "Blue Mountains Roller Derby (league-run site)".
18. "Newcastle Roller Derby League (league-run site)".
19. Les Muir. "Roller derby skates into Wagga". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
20. "Diamond Valley Roller Derby Club - Home". diamondvalleyrollerderbyclub.wildapricot.org. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
21. "East Vic Roller Derby". East Vic Roller Derby. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
22. "Kingston City Rollers". Kingston City Rollers. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
23. "Northside Rollers (league-run site)".
24. "South Sea Roller Derby". South Sea Roller Derby.
25. "Victorian Roller Derby League". Victorian Roller Derby League.
26. "WestSide Derby Dollz". WestSide Derby Dollz.
27. "Ballarat Roller Derby League". Ballarat Roller Derby League. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
28. App, Team. "Dragon City Derby Dolls (Bendigo's only Roller Derby League) Home page - Roller Derby team/club based in Bendigo, VIC, Australia. | Team App". Team App. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
29. "Geelong Roller Derby League". Geelong Roller Derby League. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
30. "Sale City Rollers". ARDC. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
31. "Northern Brisbane Rollers". Northern Brisbane Rollers. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
32. "Sun State Roller Girls". Sun State Roller Girls. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
33. "Brisbane City Rollers". Brisbane City Rollers. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
34. "Blackwater Roll-Her Derby(facebook page)". Facebook.
35. "Rum City Derby Dolls". Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
36. "Reef City Rollergirls (league-run site)".
37. "Gladstone Roller Derby (league-run site)".
38. "Gold Coast Roller Derby (league-run site)".
39. "Rocky Roller Derby (facebook page)". Facebook.
40. "Toowoomba City Rollers (league-run site)".
41. "W.A Roller Derby (WARD)". W.A Roller Derby (WARD).
42. "North West Roller Derby (NWRD)". W.A Roller Derby (NWRD).
43. "Bunbury Roller Derby". Bunbury Roller Derby.
44. "Margaret River Roller Derby". Margaret River Roller Derby.
45. "Perth Roller Derby". Perth Roller Derby.
46. "Home". dreadpiraterollers.com.au.
47. "Perth Men's Derby - Perth Men's Roller Derby". Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
48. "Swan City Derby". Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
49. https://www.facebook.com/PerthJuniorRollerDerby ^[user-generated source]
50. "ARDC | Australian Research Data Commons".
51. "Adelaide Roller Derby (league-run site)". Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
52. "The ARC Campbelltown - Roller Derby". Retrieved 30 November 2023.
53. "Light City Derby (league-run site)". Retrieved 30 November 2023.
54. "Home - Rockabellas Roller Derby League - revolutioniseSPORT". www.revolutionise.com.au. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
55. "Lil' Adelaide Rollers (league-run site)".
56. "Convict City Roller Derby League". Convict City Roller Derby League.
57. "Canberra Roller Derby League". Canberra Roller Derby League. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
58. "Varsity Derby League". Varsity Roller Derby League. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
59. Canberra Roller Derby League (2 April 2011). "What is the Canberra Roller Derby League?". Canberra Roller Derby League 2011 Bout Guide. 12 March 2011 (Surly Griffins vs Black N Blue Belles). Canberra, Australia: Canberra Roller Derby League: 11.
60. Methorsts, Laura (Spring 2011). "Rockin' Rollers". See Canberra: 24–25.
61. "Other Leagues". This is Roller Derby. Archived from the original on 30 October 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
62. Canberra Roller Derby League (11 December 2010). "A Letter from the CRDL President". Roller Derby. 11 December 2010 (CRDL vs SRDL). Canberra, Australia: Canberra Roller Derby League: 12.
63. Harris, Eleri (2 June 2011). "In a league of their own". Canberra, Australia: CityNews. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
64. "Darwin Rollergirls".
65. "Malice Springs".
66. "Highway to Roll". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 30 October 2011.

External links

• Flat Track Stats (Australia)