Leeds Roller Derby is a women's flat track
roller derby
Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...
league based in
Leeds
Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
, England. Founded in 2007, the league has two travel teams which play against teams from other leagues across Europe. Leeds Roller Derby is a member of the
United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) and the
Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
History
In December 2016, Leeds Roller Dolls and Hot Wheel Roller Derby merged as one league, continuing under the name Leeds Roller Derby.
History of Original Leagues
Leeds Roller Dolls
Leeds Roller Dolls was founded in October 2007, becoming the first roller derby league in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. They played their first bout, against
Auld Reekie Roller Girls, in November 2008. In 2010 the league moved to play its bouts in the nearby town of
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confl ...
. They returned to Leeds in 2013, hosting their games at the Leeds Futsal Arena.
The league consisted of two teams: the Whip-Its (A), and the Rebel Roses (B).In late 2011 the league joined the
United Kingdom Roller Derby Association and in January 2012, it was accepted into the
WFTDA Apprentice Program. In March 2013, it became a full member of the WFTDA.
[WFTDA Welcomes 5 New Members]
", WFTDA, 7 March 2013
A number of Leeds Roller Dolls, including Feral Fairy, Shere Carnage and Rigor Morris, helped establish and train Aire Force One, Leeds' men's roller derby team.
Hot Wheel Roller Derby
Hot Wheel Roller Derby was founded in 2010, with two teams which competed against teams from other leagues. By mid-2011, Hot Wheel had more than forty skaters. In May 2012, the league travelled to Germany, where it beat the
Stuttgart Valley Roller Girlz B team in front of a crowd of 1,200 fans. In July, they narrowly lost to the
Middlesbrough Milk Rollers in the final of the Great Yorkshire Showdown tournament, where they had been ranked last the previous year.
March 2013 saw Hot Wheels' European Roller Derby ranking at 19th, and by September 2013 they had risen to 16th. In 2014, head coach Jerry Attric served as coach for the men's Team England Roller Derby, where they came second in the world. The Hot Wheel B Team played their first four bouts and were the highest-ranked all-female team at
Sur5al. Hot Wheel Roller Derby joined the
WFTDA Apprentice Program in October 2015, and became a full member league in June 2016.
Teams
Leeds Roller Derby currently has two travel teams, an A and B team, which play against teams from other leagues. The Rotten Rollers, the initial travel team name, was retired at the end of the 2010 Season.
National Team Representation
Feral Fairy of Leeds Roller Dolls was selected for
Team England at the
2011 Roller Derby World Cup
The 2011 Roller Derby World Cup was an international women's roller derby tournament organized by ''Blood & Thunder'' magazine. Teams of amateur skaters from around the world were fielded to compete for their respective nations.
The inaugural 20 ...
.
WFTDA rankings
''Hot Wheel Roller Derby never received an official WFTDA ranking during its brief time as a member league; rankings before 2017 are for Leeds Roller Dolls''
*Please note that rankings were suspended in March 2020 in light of the pandemic.
External links
Game results for Leeds Roller Dolls and Leeds Roller Derby on Flat Track StatsGame results for Hot Wheel Roller Derby on Flat Track Stats
References
{{WFTDA Division 3
Roller derby in England
Sport in Leeds
Roller derby leagues in the United Kingdom
Roller derby leagues established in 2007
Roller derby leagues established in 2010
Women's Flat Track Derby Association Division 3
Women's sports clubs and teams in England
2007 establishments in England