![]() | |
Metro area | Aberdeen |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Founded | 2008 |
Teams | Northern Fights (A team) The Fight Hawks (B team) |
Track type(s) | Flat |
Venue | Beach Leisure Centre |
Website | https://www.facebook.com/GraniteCityRollerDerby/ |
Granite City Roller Derby (GCRD) is a roller derby league based in Aberdeen, Scotland. [1] Founded in 2008, the league currently have two teams which compete with teams from other leagues. [2]
The league has two travel teams:
Originating as the Aberdeen Aces, GCRD were the second roller derby league established in Scotland.[ citation needed ] The league struggled in the early days to find a training hall to practice in and resorted to skating in a local car park when weather allowed. In November 2008, the league began skating at the Aberdeen Lads Club, and was reborn as the "Granite City Roller Girls".
In May 2010, the league hosted Scotland's first roller derby tournament, "Highland Fling". [5] This was attended by Glasgow Roller Girls, Auld Reekie Roller Girls and Dundee Roller Girls. The league's A-team, the Northern Fights, came a respectable fourth in the competition out of 6 teams taking part. The tournament was attended by around 650 people over the course of the two days. [6]
GCRD have been members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association since 2011. [7] Thought they aren't members of the association, they play to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) ruleset.
In June 2012, team captain Clinically Wasted (Carolyn Mackenzie) took part in the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay, carrying the Torch through the local town of Peterculter. [8]
In August 2013, The Northern Fights emerged victorious in the first ever "Quad Nations" tournament, hosted by Swansea City Roller Derby. [9] The competition was between four teams representing England (Severn Roller Torrent), Northern Ireland (Belfast Roller Derby), Wales (Swansea City Roller Derby) and Scotland (Granite City Roller Derby).
In June 2015, Granite City's B team, The Fight Hawks, was formed. [10] On 12 September 2015 they made their debut at the Jack Kane Sports Centre, beating Lothian Derby Dolls 157 – 147. [11]
They also took part in 2016's "ARRGmageddon", an all-Scottish tournament hosted by Auld Reekie Roller Derby which took place in November 2016. [12] [13]
GCRD received a revamp and a name change to Granite City Roller Derby in November 2015. [10]
The league took part in the inaugural British Roller Derby Championships in 2015, qualifying for the Women T3 North tier. They lost four of their five games, against Dundee Roller Derby, Sheffield Steel Roller Derby, Liverpool Roller Birds and Furness Firecrackers, but beat Halifax Bruising Banditas. [14]
The Northern Fights took part in the 2016 competition and placed first in Tier 4 North, having won all three of their games against Spa Town Roller Derby, Blackpool Roller-Coasters and Halifax Bruising Banditas. [15]
This earned them promotion, and they moved up to Tier 3 North for 2017, ultimately coming first in their section. To achieve this, they played Bath Roller Derby, Rebellion Roller Derby, Dolly Rockit Rollers, Furness Firecrackers, Halifax Bruising Banditas, North Wales Roller Derby, Auld Reekie Roller Derby's All-Star Reserves (B) and Spa Town Roller Derby. [16] The Fights went on to Tier 3 Playoffs and placed third overall.
In 2018, they lined up in the Womens T3 Regional tier and won three-quarters of their games, beating Wakey Wheeled Cats, Halifax Bruising Banditas and Hallam Hellcats Roller Derby, and losing to Nottingham Roller Derby. [17]
They were elevated to the Womens T2 National tier in 2019, and lost all their games, defeated by Wirral Roller Derby, Hallam Hellcats Roller Derby, Arcadia Roller Derby and Hulls Angels Roller Derby. [18]
The competition rebranded in 2021 from the "British Roller Derby Championships" to the Five Nations Roller Derby Championships. [19]
The league contributed two skaters, Carolyn Mackenzie (derby name Clinically Wasted) and Fight Cub (previously of Auld Reekie Roller Girls) to Team Scotland Roller Derby for the inaugural 2011 Roller Derby World Cup. [20]
For the 2014 Roller Derby World Cup, the pair made a return to the Scottish roster, joined by teammate Jill Simpson (Rock'n Riot).
Rock'n Riot stayed on for the Team Scotland 2018 Roller Derby World Cup roster, with Jo Mamma by her side. [21]
London Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league and a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The league were founding members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA).
Auld Reekie Roller Derby (ARRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded in 2008, ARRD was the first Scottish Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) member. The league aims to create teams with the ability to compete locally and internationally at the highest levels.
Newcastle Roller Derby (UK) is a flat track roller derby league from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The league is a member of both the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and plays by the WFTDA ruleset.
London Rockin' Rollers (LRR) is a flat-track roller derby league based in London, England. Founded in 2007, the league is a member of both the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league, based in Lincoln, England. Lincolnshire is a member of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
The Dolly Rockit Rollers (DRR) are a flat track roller derby league based in Leicestershire, England.
Glasgow Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 2007, the league consists of two travel teams, three home teams and a skater training course for players and referees. Glasgow is a member of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA), and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Royal Windsor Roller Derby (RWRD) was a flat track roller derby league based in Berkshire, England. Founded in 2007 as Royal Windsor Roller Girls, RWRD was Berkshire's first roller derby league and one of the first in the UK. The league trained in Ascot and played its home games at Windsor Leisure Centre.
The United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) was the member-led National Association for roller derby in the UK, with the aim of promoting and lobbying for the sport. The association was formed in 2008 but formalised in 2010 with 14 member leagues and in February 2011, it was recognised by the British Roller Sports Federation.
By September 2011, there were more than 1,000 amateur roller derby leagues, covering every inhabited continent, with teams in countries such as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Singapore In the UK, the sport is mostly played by women.
Vendetta Vixens Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league based in Northampton, England, which was founded in 2011 and played their first games the following year.
Nottingham Hellfire HarlotsRoller Derby was a flat track roller derby league based in Nottingham, England. Founded in April 2010, the league had two travel teams who played against teams from other leagues. It was a member of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) and the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The league announced their disbanding on the 3rd of August, 2023, citing the difficulties with continuing to run a grassroots sports team.
Belfast Roller Derby (BRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in January 2010, the league consists of two teams that play teams from other leagues, and is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).
Norfolk Roller Derby (NRD) are a flat track roller derby league based in Norwich, England and were the first roller derby team to form within the county. Initially playing as The Norfolk Brawds, they changed their name to Norfolk Roller Derby in 2019.
Brighton Rockers Roller Derby (BRRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Brighton in East Sussex, England. Founded in 2010, the league consists of three teams, which compete against teams from other leagues.
Bath Roller Derby is a roller derby league based in Bath, Somerset. Founded in 2012, the league plays to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) ruleset. The league has been a member of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) since May 2015.
Halifax Bruising Banditas (HBB) are a flat track roller derby league based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Established in 2011, they are the first roller derby league in the Calderdale and Kirklees area. They play to the ruleset of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), and have been members of the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) since 2013.
Nottingham Roller Derby is a flat track roller derby league based in Nottingham, England. Founded in 2013, from a merger of two local leagues, it was the first league in the UK to host a co-ed roller derby competition.
Dundee Roller Derby (DRD) is a flat track roller derby league based in Dundee, Scotland. There are two travel teams, the Silvery Tayzers (A), and the Bonnie Colliders (B), as well as three home teams who play in intraleague competitions: Jutes of Hazzard, Press Gangsters and Jammin' Dodgers.
Liverpool Roller Birds (LRB) are a flat-track roller derby team based in Liverpool, Merseyside. They joined the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association (UKRDA) in 2015, and became a member of the WFTDA Apprentice Program in December 2018. They graduated as full members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) in February 2019.