London Rollergirls
Encyclopedia
The London Rollergirls is an all-women flat track roller derby
league and not-for-profit organisation based in London
, England
. Founded in April 2006, the London Rollergirls is the oldest all-female roller derby league in the United Kingdom
. The skater-owned and run league includes goals of promoting athleticism, charity, teamwork and confidence in women and aims to represent the diverse London area in regard to body shape, occupations, sexual orientation, race and nationality. The London Rollergirls play by the rules of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
(WFTDA).
The name "London Rollergirls" and the associated logo are registered trademark
s in the United Kingdom and Europe.
, Oil City Derby Girls (Edmonton
), Terminal City Roller Girls (Vancouver
), Calgary Roller Derby Association, and Saskatoon Roller Derby.
In July 2009 the London Rollergirls hosted Europe's first roller derby tournament, Roll Britannia, featuring 12 teams from the UK and Germany. The tournament was held at the historic Earls Court
Exhibition Centre in London, England. London Rollergirls won the tournament and became the first champions of European roller derby.
On 4 November 2009 London Rollergirls joined the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
under their Apprentice Program, and graduated to full membership status in June of 2010. London Rollergirls was the first league outside North America to become a member of the WFTDA.
The London Rollergirls won the British Airways
Great Britons competition in Winter 2009 - providing them free tickets on BA to fly to the East coast of the US in April 2010 to train with and play some of the top leagues in the US.
London Rollergirls became the first non-USA team to break the Derby News Network
top 20 power rankings in May 2010, after a successful North American tour where they beat Providence Roller Derby
, the CT RollerGirls
, and lost by one point to the home team Philthy Britches from Philly Rollergirls
.
In April 2011 London Rollergirls hosted the first WFTDA tournament outside of North America and played host to Charm City Rollergirls (Baltimore), Montreal Roller Derby and Steel City Derby Demons at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London.
Ten members of the London Rollergirls have been selected to represent England at the inaugural Roller Derby World Cup
, to be held in Toronto in December 2011.
by U.K. punk rock
band The Clash
. Official travel team/league colours are pink and black. The London Rollergirls' B team, or reserves team, is called the London Brawl Saints and debuted in June 2009.
In summer of 2008, three permanent league teams were formed: The Steam Rollers, The Suffra Jets, and the Ultraviolent Femmes. A fourth team, Harbour Grudges, had their debut in 2010.
2009 Season Champions - Suffra Jets (2nd Steam Rollers, 3rd Ultraviolent Femmes)
2010 Season Champions - Suffra Jets (2nd Ultraviolent Femmes, 3rd Steam Rollers)
2011 Season Champions - Steam Rollers (2nd Harbour Grudges, 3rd Suffra Jets)
75 - Metallikat (Captain)
17 - Sky Rockit (Vice-Captain)
1815 - Ada Loveless
54 - Little Knell
51 - Liv or Die
5x5 - Bad Faith
404 - Crucial Taunt
100 - Ecchi Killer
45 - Grrim Rita
77 - Hula Gunn
44 - Knickerblocker Glory
19 - Lola Vulkano
32 - Magic Johnson
13 - Stefanie Mainey
3 - Vigour Mortis
08 - Slice Andice (Captain)
U-96 - Nuke-Leah (Vice-Captain)
907 - Auntie Terror
B-52s - Axis of Evon
ICU2 - Ena Flash
00 - Erin No Bragh
04 - Fox Sake
500 - Indie Hanna
8734 - May B. Twisted
22 - R. Meg Eddon
.357 - Raw Heidi
14 - Slick E. Toffee
31 - Spooky Von Strange
1984 - Grievous Bodily Charm (Captain)
11 - Helen Nash (Vice-captain)
931 - Bexorcist
26 - Daisy Dioxin
108 - Dalai Harmer
999 - Flamin' Aggro
KT0 - Hell Vetica Black
84 - Lottie2Hottie
594 - Mama Mash Bash
85 - Poison Arrow
888 - Shaolynn Scarlett
37 - Silky Briefs
614 - Sugar Bump
27 - Sinister Mary Clarence (Captain)
20 - The Bowmanator (Vice-Captain)
69 - C-Bomb
s6 - Hyps
9 - Kamikaze Kitten
1349 - Katy Peril
410 - Missyle Elliott
212FU - Mouchete
900 - Ninjette
24 - Poddington Peaved
80 - Rebelle de Jour
10 - Snoop Dodge
68 - Vagablonde
616 - Venus Diablo
001 - Vital Sadistic (Bench Manager)
Kamikaze Kitten (Captain)
Grievous Bodily Charm (Vice-Captain)
Axis of Evon
Ena Flash
Flamin' Aggro
Fox Sake
Frightning Bolt
Hula Gunn
Knickerblocker Glory
Liv or Die
Lola Vulkano
Missyle Elliott
Ninjette
Raw Heidi
Shaolynn Scarlett
Sky Rockit
Stefanie Mainey
The Bowmanator
The Dalai Harmer
Vagablonde
Sinister Mary Clarence (co-captain)
Vigour Mortis (co-captain)
Bad Faith
C-Bomb
Flamin' Aggro
Frightning Bolt
Helen Nash
Hell Vetica Black
Hula Gunn
Katy Peril
Lola Vulkano
Lottie2Hottie
Metallikat
Misskaten Identity
Poddington Peaved
Rebelle De Jour
Slice Andice
Snoop Dodge
The Bowmanator
The Dalai Harmer
29 March 2008, "Riots of Spring": First LRG inter-league bout, London Brawling 163 v Irn Bruisers 31 (Glasgow Rollergirls’ Travel Team)
7 June 2008, "Mutiny on the Mountie": International inter-league bout, London Brawling 128 v Team Canada 45
28 April 2009, "Grand Slam": Inter-league bout, Ultraviolent Femmes 171 v Barockcity Roller Derby 15; First UK Intra-league championship bout, Suffra Jets 97 v Steam Rollers 73
6 June 2009, "Double Trouble": Inter-league bout, London Brawl Saints (B team, debut bout) 156 v Leeds Roller Dolls 47; Inter-league bout, London Brawling 249 v Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames 20
18 June - 19 June 2009, "Roll Britannia": European Tournament, London Rollergirls 1st, Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames 2nd, Glasgow Roller Girls 3rd.
20 March 2010, "A Fistful of Rollers": Inter-league bout, Hustlers (Texas Rollergirls
home team) 84 vs London Brawling 63; Inter-league bout, London Brawl Saints 79 v Irn Bruisers 19
10, 17, 18 April 2010, "2010 East Coast Tour" first UK team to play inter-league bouts in the USA. Philthy Britches (Philly Rollergirls
home team) 103 vs London Brawling 102, CT RollerGirls
50 vs London Brawling 179, Providence Roller Derby
60 vs London Brawling 157
9-10 April 2011, "Anarchy in the UK" first full WFTDA-sanctioned bouts to be held in the UK. Four-way tournament featuring London Rollergirls, Charm City Roller Girls
, Montreal Roller Derby
and Steel City Derby Demons
.
16-18 September 2011, "Nightmare on 95" WFTDA East Region Playoffs. First team from outside North America to play at a regional playoff tournament. Having initially been seeded #10, London managed to finish the tournament in 5th place with Stefanie Mainey picking up the honour of tournament MVP.
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league and not-for-profit organisation based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Founded in April 2006, the London Rollergirls is the oldest all-female roller derby league in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The skater-owned and run league includes goals of promoting athleticism, charity, teamwork and confidence in women and aims to represent the diverse London area in regard to body shape, occupations, sexual orientation, race and nationality. The London Rollergirls play by the rules of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues in the United States. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501 business...
(WFTDA).
The name "London Rollergirls" and the associated logo are registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s in the United Kingdom and Europe.
League History
Since LRG began in April 2006, the league has grown to include over 60 members plus referees and support crew. The London Rollergirls held the first public women's flat track roller derby bout held in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2007, to a sold out crowd of over 500 people. The London Rollergirls held their first British inter-league bout in March 2008 against the Glasgow Rollergirls’ travel team, The Irn Bruisers, and their first international bout in June 2008 against Team Canada, a Canadian team made up of members from Toronto Roller DerbyToronto Roller Derby
Toronto Roller Derby , is a women's flat-track roller derby league in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2006, the league started play in 2007, and completed its fifth season in 2011...
, Oil City Derby Girls (Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
), Terminal City Roller Girls (Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
), Calgary Roller Derby Association, and Saskatoon Roller Derby.
In July 2009 the London Rollergirls hosted Europe's first roller derby tournament, Roll Britannia, featuring 12 teams from the UK and Germany. The tournament was held at the historic Earls Court
Earls Court
Earls Court is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district centred on Earl's Court Road and surrounding streets, located 3.1 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It borders the sub-districts of South Kensington to the East, West...
Exhibition Centre in London, England. London Rollergirls won the tournament and became the first champions of European roller derby.
On 4 November 2009 London Rollergirls joined the Women's Flat Track Derby Association
Women's Flat Track Derby Association
The Women's Flat Track Derby Association is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues in the United States. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition but was renamed in November 2005. It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina as a 501 business...
under their Apprentice Program, and graduated to full membership status in June of 2010. London Rollergirls was the first league outside North America to become a member of the WFTDA.
The London Rollergirls won the British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
Great Britons competition in Winter 2009 - providing them free tickets on BA to fly to the East coast of the US in April 2010 to train with and play some of the top leagues in the US.
London Rollergirls became the first non-USA team to break the Derby News Network
Derby News Network
Derby News Network is an internet broadcast network featuring the international sport of roller derby, using the internet to collect remote streaming video, photographs, audio, and text from reporters around the world, and distribute it internationally. DNN is frequently cited as an authoritative...
top 20 power rankings in May 2010, after a successful North American tour where they beat Providence Roller Derby
Providence Roller Derby
Providence Roller Derby or PRD was established in 2004 and is the first all-female, flat-track roller derby league in New England. It is the only roller derby league in Rhode Island. In 2006, PRD was ranked 8th in the nation and 4th on the East Coast by WFTDA...
, the CT RollerGirls
CT RollerGirls
CT RollerGirls or CTRG, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Naugatuck , Connecticut. Founded in 2006, the league played their fourth season in 2010. The CTRG are a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association ....
, and lost by one point to the home team Philthy Britches from Philly Rollergirls
Philly Rollergirls
The Philly Rollergirls, or PRG, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005, the league played their fourth season in 2009...
.
In April 2011 London Rollergirls hosted the first WFTDA tournament outside of North America and played host to Charm City Rollergirls (Baltimore), Montreal Roller Derby and Steel City Derby Demons at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London.
Ten members of the London Rollergirls have been selected to represent England at the inaugural Roller Derby World Cup
Roller Derby World Cup
The Roller Derby World Cup is an international women's roller derby tournament organized by Blood & Thunder magazine. Teams of amateur skaters from around the world are fielded to compete for their respective nations. The inaugural 2011 event is being hosted by Toronto Roller Derby, and is being...
, to be held in Toronto in December 2011.
Teams
The London Rollergirls have an all-star travel team called London Brawling, whose name is inspired by the song London CallingLondon Calling
London Calling is the third studio album by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 through CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 through Epic Records...
by U.K. punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
. Official travel team/league colours are pink and black. The London Rollergirls' B team, or reserves team, is called the London Brawl Saints and debuted in June 2009.
In summer of 2008, three permanent league teams were formed: The Steam Rollers, The Suffra Jets, and the Ultraviolent Femmes. A fourth team, Harbour Grudges, had their debut in 2010.
2009 Season Champions - Suffra Jets (2nd Steam Rollers, 3rd Ultraviolent Femmes)
2010 Season Champions - Suffra Jets (2nd Ultraviolent Femmes, 3rd Steam Rollers)
2011 Season Champions - Steam Rollers (2nd Harbour Grudges, 3rd Suffra Jets)
Harbour Grudges
75 - Metallikat (Captain)
17 - Sky Rockit (Vice-Captain)
1815 - Ada Loveless
54 - Little Knell
51 - Liv or Die
5x5 - Bad Faith
404 - Crucial Taunt
100 - Ecchi Killer
45 - Grrim Rita
77 - Hula Gunn
44 - Knickerblocker Glory
19 - Lola Vulkano
32 - Magic Johnson
13 - Stefanie Mainey
3 - Vigour Mortis
Steam Rollers
08 - Slice Andice (Captain)
U-96 - Nuke-Leah (Vice-Captain)
907 - Auntie Terror
B-52s - Axis of Evon
ICU2 - Ena Flash
00 - Erin No Bragh
04 - Fox Sake
500 - Indie Hanna
8734 - May B. Twisted
22 - R. Meg Eddon
.357 - Raw Heidi
14 - Slick E. Toffee
31 - Spooky Von Strange
Suffra Jets
1984 - Grievous Bodily Charm (Captain)
11 - Helen Nash (Vice-captain)
931 - Bexorcist
26 - Daisy Dioxin
108 - Dalai Harmer
999 - Flamin' Aggro
KT0 - Hell Vetica Black
84 - Lottie2Hottie
594 - Mama Mash Bash
85 - Poison Arrow
888 - Shaolynn Scarlett
37 - Silky Briefs
614 - Sugar Bump
Ultraviolent Femmes
27 - Sinister Mary Clarence (Captain)
20 - The Bowmanator (Vice-Captain)
69 - C-Bomb
s6 - Hyps
9 - Kamikaze Kitten
1349 - Katy Peril
410 - Missyle Elliott
212FU - Mouchete
900 - Ninjette
24 - Poddington Peaved
80 - Rebelle de Jour
10 - Snoop Dodge
68 - Vagablonde
616 - Venus Diablo
001 - Vital Sadistic (Bench Manager)
London Brawling
Kamikaze Kitten (Captain)
Grievous Bodily Charm (Vice-Captain)
Axis of Evon
Ena Flash
Flamin' Aggro
Fox Sake
Frightning Bolt
Hula Gunn
Knickerblocker Glory
Liv or Die
Lola Vulkano
Missyle Elliott
Ninjette
Raw Heidi
Shaolynn Scarlett
Sky Rockit
Stefanie Mainey
The Bowmanator
The Dalai Harmer
Vagablonde
Brawl Saints
Sinister Mary Clarence (co-captain)
Vigour Mortis (co-captain)
Bad Faith
C-Bomb
Flamin' Aggro
Frightning Bolt
Helen Nash
Hell Vetica Black
Hula Gunn
Katy Peril
Lola Vulkano
Lottie2Hottie
Metallikat
Misskaten Identity
Poddington Peaved
Rebelle De Jour
Slice Andice
Snoop Dodge
The Bowmanator
The Dalai Harmer
Notable Bouts
7 September 2007, "The Great Rock n’ Rollerderby Swindle": First UK Roller Derby Bout. Intra-league bout, Team Pink 77 v Team Black 10029 March 2008, "Riots of Spring": First LRG inter-league bout, London Brawling 163 v Irn Bruisers 31 (Glasgow Rollergirls’ Travel Team)
7 June 2008, "Mutiny on the Mountie": International inter-league bout, London Brawling 128 v Team Canada 45
28 April 2009, "Grand Slam": Inter-league bout, Ultraviolent Femmes 171 v Barockcity Roller Derby 15; First UK Intra-league championship bout, Suffra Jets 97 v Steam Rollers 73
6 June 2009, "Double Trouble": Inter-league bout, London Brawl Saints (B team, debut bout) 156 v Leeds Roller Dolls 47; Inter-league bout, London Brawling 249 v Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames 20
18 June - 19 June 2009, "Roll Britannia": European Tournament, London Rollergirls 1st, Birmingham Blitz Derby Dames 2nd, Glasgow Roller Girls 3rd.
20 March 2010, "A Fistful of Rollers": Inter-league bout, Hustlers (Texas Rollergirls
Texas Rollergirls
The Texas Rollergirls are a flat track roller derby league based in Austin, Texas, . The full trademarked name of the league is Texas Rollergirls Rock-n-Rollerderby...
home team) 84 vs London Brawling 63; Inter-league bout, London Brawl Saints 79 v Irn Bruisers 19
10, 17, 18 April 2010, "2010 East Coast Tour" first UK team to play inter-league bouts in the USA. Philthy Britches (Philly Rollergirls
Philly Rollergirls
The Philly Rollergirls, or PRG, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2005, the league played their fourth season in 2009...
home team) 103 vs London Brawling 102, CT RollerGirls
CT RollerGirls
CT RollerGirls or CTRG, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Naugatuck , Connecticut. Founded in 2006, the league played their fourth season in 2010. The CTRG are a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association ....
50 vs London Brawling 179, Providence Roller Derby
Providence Roller Derby
Providence Roller Derby or PRD was established in 2004 and is the first all-female, flat-track roller derby league in New England. It is the only roller derby league in Rhode Island. In 2006, PRD was ranked 8th in the nation and 4th on the East Coast by WFTDA...
60 vs London Brawling 157
9-10 April 2011, "Anarchy in the UK" first full WFTDA-sanctioned bouts to be held in the UK. Four-way tournament featuring London Rollergirls, Charm City Roller Girls
Charm City Roller Girls
The Charm City Roller Girls is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association WFTDA roller derby league based in Baltimore, Maryland. The league was established in 2005. It is composed of four local teams, one all-star travel team and a B travel team, Female Trouble...
, Montreal Roller Derby
Montreal Roller Derby
Montreal Roller Derby, the first flat-track roller derby league in Montreal, is a non-profit organization that was started in 2006 by Georgia W. Tush.Montreal Roller Derby League became the first non-U.S...
and Steel City Derby Demons
Steel City Derby Demons
Steel City Derby Demons or SCDD, are a women's flat-track roller derby league based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2006, the league played their fourth season in 2010...
.
16-18 September 2011, "Nightmare on 95" WFTDA East Region Playoffs. First team from outside North America to play at a regional playoff tournament. Having initially been seeded #10, London managed to finish the tournament in 5th place with Stefanie Mainey picking up the honour of tournament MVP.
League Structure
The LRG is a D.I.Y. member-run organisation with a board of directors and committees. League committees include: Administration, Bout Production, Events, Merchandising, Public Relations, Referees, Sponsorship, Coaching, Tech, and Venues. There are also visitor coordinators to provide hospitality to visitors from other roller derby leagues. League members are eligible to vote in league matters and participate on committees. LRG trains participants to roller skate and to play roller derby under a structured training program. Although skaters are all women, men are allowed to be involved in all other league roles (such as referees, support crew, and announcing).WFTDA rankings
| Season | Q4 ranking | Regionals | Championship WFTDA Championships The WFTDA Championships are the leading competition for roller derby leagues.The Championships are organised by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association . They originated in 2006 as the National WFTDA Championship... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | TBA | 5 | N/A |