The British Roller Derby Championships are Europe’s largest Roller Derby Tournament, with 72 leagues from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland going head to head over the course of 2015.
Auld Reekie Roller Girls (ARRG) are in the Premier Division of the competition and have already travelled to Cardiff to take on Middlesbrough Milk Rollers in the first round of the tournament. That nail-biting game between two closely-matched teams resulted in a 114-108 win for the Edinburgh women.
Round two of the tournament will be hosted by ARRG at Meadowbank Sports Centre on Saturday 2 May, where Edinburgh’s finest will take on two of the UK’s strongest teams: Manchester’s Rainy City Roller Girls (RCRG), and – in what is guaranteed to be a very exciting game – ARRG face their closest neighbours and deadliest rivals in the Edinburgh v Glasgow Derby Derby!
ARRG are currently ranked number 1 in the UK rankings, but Glasgow are close behind at number 2. Will the mighty ARRG be able to hold on to their top spot, or will the Glaswegians opposition be too strong?
The day will also host games between Birmingham’s Central City Roller Girls (CCR), Middlesbrough Milk Rollers (MMR) and Cardiff’s powerful Tiger Bay Brawlers (TBB): it’s sure to be a day of fiercely-fought battles between the highest-ranking teams in the UK.
This is an incredible chance to see the country’s best teams play at the bargain rate of only £12 for the entire day – come and see why people are getting so excited about the fastest-growing women’s sport in the world!
British Roller Derby Championships: Premier Tier – Round 2
9am – 7pm, Saturday 2 May: Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh
Tickets: Tickets available from: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1353385
Full-day tickets: £12.00
ARRG vs. Glasgow tickets: £5.00
Free for children aged 14 and under.
What is modern roller derby?
Roller derby is an all-female sport that involves teams competing on an oval track in a series of ‘jams’ – two minute periods that see teams of five players each battling to score points.
During each jam, one player on each team is designated as the ‘jammer’ who scores a point for every member of the opposing team she passes.
The sport requires a punishing array of agile and athletic skills, from zig-zag blocking moves to body slams to all-out speed-skating.
To perfect these manoeuvres, skaters commit to several hours of practice every week, paying for gear and practice space out of their own pockets. While it has its roots in sports-entertainment-style exhibition games going back as far as the 1930s, modern roller derby has reinvigorated the game with a grass-roots DIY ethos that puts the passion for athleticism front-and-centre.
The trend finally reached Edinburgh in 2008, when a small group of women founded the Auld Reekie Roller Girls. The Edinburgh league now averages over 100 skaters, and is run purely on the volunteer efforts of its members.
ARRG became full members of the Womens Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in 2011. ARRG’s All Stars are currently ranked number 1 in Europe and number 60 in the world.
For further info go to www.arrg.co.uk.
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