Auld Reekie Roller Derby, Edinburgh’s Roller Derby club, are to host an international tournament this Saturday (17th November). Close Encounters of the ARRD Kind, taking place at Dalkeith Community Campus, will see teams from Austria, France and Finland battle it out on track with Edinburgh’s finest.
This family-friendly event will celebrate the growth of grassroots roller derby and showcase how it inspires women of different ages and backgrounds to take up the sport and improve their physical and mental health. Auld Reekie’s up and coming skaters the All Star Rookies will face the Vienna Beasts, before a three way battle between Auld Reekie’s All Stars, Helsinki Queen Bs and Lille Roller Derby.
All Stars captain Lianne Parry says: “We don’t shy away from challenges, that’s for sure! We’re honoured to host these three amazing, high-level European teams on Saturday. We’ve all been training hard all season and are looking forward to what promise to be incredibly exciting and close games.”
Elin Andersson, who heads the team of event volunteers, adds: “This will be a brilliant day with four thrilling games and a great family atmosphere with stalls, home baking, half-time games, raffles and food trucks – plenty of fun for all ages. Not to be missed!”
This will be Auld Reekie’s first home event since rebranding – they recently dropped the ‘girls’ from their name in favour of the more inclusive Auld Reekie Roller Derby, unveiling their new look on 2 November.
