Middlesbrough Roller Derby

Middlesbrough Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league based in Middlesbrough, England.[1] The league is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association.[2]

Middlesbrough Roller Derby
League logo
Metro areaMiddlesbrough, England
CountryUnited Kingdom
FoundedSeptember 2007
Track type(s)Flat
AffiliationsWFTDA
Org. typeNon-profit
WebsiteOfficial website

History

In September 2007,[3][4] inspired by the London Rollergirls,[5] Natalie Boxall (derby name Germaine Leer) and Karen Slater (Bon Sleaze) founded the league under the name the Middlesbrough Milk Rollers.[6] This made them the first roller derby league in the North East of England.

They hosted the Northern EXPOsure roller derby exposition games[7] on 19 September 2009, with commentary by Jet from Gladiators, which also featured Leeds Roller Dolls, Central City Roller Girls and Severn Roller Torrent.[4] As well as taking part in bootcamps, bouts, and guest skating for other leagues, MMR also competed in the London Rollergirls' European tournament "Roll Britannia" in 2009 as part of the mixed team 'Royal Rebel Rollers'.[8] This team was made up of skaters from Middlesbrough, Rebellion Rollergirls, and Windsor Rollergirls.[9]

Former Middlesbrough Milk Rollers logo

In February 2012 the team received a lottery-funded Sport England grant,[10] making them the first roller derby league in the UK to receive one.

The Milk Rollers took first place in the Great Yorkshire Showdown tournament in July, 2012. On 22 September 2012, the league launched their B Team in a closed bout against the Norfolk Brawds, their first open bout being against the Newcastle Roller Girls Whippin' Hinnies.[11]

Middlesbrough Roller Derby plays by the rules of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and is a member of the UK Roller Derby Association (UKRDA). In April 2013, Middlesbrough was accepted as a member of the WFTDA Apprentice Program.[12] Middlesbrough became a full WFTDA member in July 2014.[13]

In March 2017, the league announced a rebrand as Middlesbrough Roller Derby.[14][15]

National Team Representation

Ella Storey and Terri Sudron from the league have represented Team England at both the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup and 2018 Roller Derby World Cup.[16][17]

WFTDA competition

Middlesbrough qualified for the Division 2 Playoffs and Championship in 2017 as the sixth seed in Pittsburgh, but lost 163–156 to Columbia QuadSquad and also lost their consolation round game to E-Ville Roller Derby 199–191 to finish out of the medals.[18]

Rankings
Season Final ranking[19] Playoffs Championship
2014 144 WFTDA[20] DNQ DNQ
2015 136 WFTDA[21] DNQ DNQ
2016 56 WFTDA[22] DNQ DNQ
2017 47 WFTDA[23] N/A CR D2[18]
2018 51 WFTDA[24] DNQ DNQ
2019 49 WFTDA[25] DNQ DNQ
2020 49 WFTDA[26] DNQ DNQ

*Please note that rankings were suspended in March 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.[27]

  • CR = consolation round

In the community

The league takes an active role in getting people in Teesside involved in roller derby[28] and have organised and hosted fundraisers and events including running a pop-up shop as part of the 'We Are Open' project.[29][30][31]

References
  1. "Boro lasses get their skates on". The Northern Line.
  2. "Middlesbrough Roller Derby – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  3. Newsum, Matt (15 May 2008). "A day out with the Milk Rollers". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. "Dianes ready for the Rollers". www.gazettelive.co.uk. Teesside Gazette. 25 July 2009. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. "Middlesbrough Milk Rollers". The Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  6. "Your club: The Middlesbrough Milk Rollers on a roll". gazettelive. Teesside Gazette. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. "Northern EXPOsure, Dolphin Centre, Darlington, Sept 19". The Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  8. "Roll Brittania - participants". London Rollergirls. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  9. Roll Britannia (Redbull Reporter), retrieved 16 September 2022
  10. Live, Teesside (11 February 2012). "Rollers secure £4k grant". TeessideLive. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  11. "Middlesbrough Roller Derby | Roller Derby Stats & Rankings | Flat Track Stats". flattrackstats.com. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  12. "WFTDA Welcomes 16 Apprentice Members", WFTDA, 26 April 2013
  13. "WFTDA Welcomes 16 New Member Leagues - LatestNews - Women's Flat Track Derby Association". wftda.org. WFTDA. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  14. "Middlesbrough Roller Derby Are Here! - middlesbrough rollerderby". middlesbrough rollerderby. Middlesbrough Roller Derby. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  15. Deadwards, Lisa (24 March 2017). "March 24th-26th: Tomodachi Euro Thrill | Derby Central". Derby Central. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  16. "Team England Announce 2014 Roster | Derby News Network". 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  17. "England Roller Derby". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  18. "2017 WFTDA D2 Tournaments: Pittsburgh Central". Derby Central. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  19. "Current Rankings", WFTDA
  20. "Rankings: December 31, 2014 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  21. "Rankings: December 31, 2015 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  22. "Rankings: December 31, 2016 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  23. "Rankings: December 31, 2017 – WFTDA". wftda.com. WFTDA. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  24. Watson, Michael. "Current International WFTDA Rankings". WFTDA Stats Home. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  25. Watson, Michael. "Current International WFTDA Rankings". WFTDA Stats Home. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  26. Watson, Michael. "Current International WFTDA Rankings". WFTDA Stats Home. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  27. wonderpance (28 May 2020). "WFTDA Releases Rankings Transition Plan for COVID-19 » WFTDA Roller Derby Resources". WFTDA Roller Derby Resources. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  28. Eaves, Krista (31 May 2010). "Teesside News - Latest News & Incidents on Teesside from Gazette Live". www.gazettelive.co.uk. Teesside Gazette. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  29. "Middlesbrough Milk Rollers roll in to set up shop". Evening Gazette.
  30. "Middlesbrough Milk Rollers skate 52 miles to raise funds". gazettelive. Teesside Gazette. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  31. Walker, Sarah (9 April 2010). "Middlesbrough skating team help launch Whip It!". gazettelive. Teesside Gazette. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
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