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Women's Flat Track Derby Association
File:WFTDA logo.jpg
WFTDA logo
SportRoller Derby
Founded2004
Country(ies)File:Flag of Australia.svg Australia
Flag of Canada.svg Canada
File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg.png United Kingdom
Flag of the United States.svg United States
Most recent champion(s)Gotham Girls Roller Derby (New York City)
Most titlesGotham with three
Official websiteWFTDA.com

The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is an association of women's flat track roller derby leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Coalition (ULC)[1] but was renamed in November 2005.[1][2] It is registered in Raleigh, North Carolina[3] as a 501(c)(6) business league organization, which is a type of non-profit organization. According to its mission statement, the organization "promotes and fosters the sport of women's flat track roller derby by facilitating the development of athletic ability, sportsmanship, and goodwill among member leagues" and its governing philosophy is "by the skaters, for the skaters" — the primary owners, managers, and operators of each member league and of the association are women skaters, although this does not preclude any particular business structure (leagues don't have to be legally incorporated or internally egalitarian). The mission statement also says WFTDA sets "standards for rules, seasons, and safety, and determining guidelines for the national and international athletic competitions of member leagues" and says "all member leagues have a voice in the decision-making process, and agree to comply with WFTDA policies."[4]

History[]

2004[]

In its first year, the ULC was an informal electronic message board through which established leagues compared notes in order to prepare for interleague play, and it was also used to exchange information to help new leagues that were just getting started.

2005[]

The ULC evolved into a more formal organization in July 2005, when representatives of 20 leagues met in Chicago to discuss establishing a governing body for women's flat-track roller derby. At the meeting, a voting system was established, as was a set of goals and a timeline was established for facilitating interleague play. Among these goals was the production of a standard track design and standard game rules. The design and rules which were settled upon and distributed later that year.

In November 2005, the ULC voted to change its name to the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.[4]

2006[]

In early 2006, a track design and rules were published on the organization's fledgling web site. By that time, the organization had grown to 30 leagues, a cap decided upon at the July 2005 meeting.[1][5]

Induction of new member leagues was postponed until revised membership requirements could be discussed at the next face-to-face meeting, scheduled for the end of May. However, in February 2006, soon after the initial requirements were published and following the fragmentation of several leagues, a "multi-league per city" clause was added to the membership requirements. Although throughout early and mid-2006 the clause was listed as a requirement for membership, WFTDA's web site was later updated to state that the policy is "unofficial". WFTDA also claims the policy is intended to uphold goodwill between members — by excluding leagues not likely to find favor with established members — as well as to prevent rival leagues in the same city from being privy to each other's "proprietary information."[6]

Following the May 2006 meeting, a press release was issued to promote the organization and publicize the meeting.[5] The June statement covered the following points:

  • Representatives of the "30 founding leagues" met to discuss rules, business structure, skill standards, rankings and future tournaments.
  • 30 more leagues were slated to be inducted in late summer[7] 2006, bringing the total membership to 60.
  • Version Two of the WFTDA Flat Track Derby Standardized Rules for Interleague Play was announced as forthcoming in late summer, 2006.
  • Changes to the member league divisions were announced (see table below).
  • A 2007 tournament schedule was announced.

In addition, Eastern and Western divisions, delineated by the Mississippi River, were announced. Thus, each member league is either Eastern or Western, and Division 1, 2 or 3.

In September 2006, new membership was reopened.[4]

2007[]

By late August 2007, WFTDA membership was up to forty-three leagues.[8][9] On August 15, 2007, WFTDA announced it had struck a deal with the MavTV network to record, edit and broadcast the 2007 Eastern Regional Tournament as a weekly series of 12 one-hour episodes (one episode per bout).[10]

In mid-2007, WFTDA's Web site was updated to reflect changes in the requirements for placement in the three divisions: it is now based on seniority, as measured by readiness for inter-league play and the number of seasons completed while a WFTDA member (see table below).[11]

In September 2007, WFTDA was admitted to USA Roller Sports (USARS) as a Class V member — a national amateur roller skating organization — and a WFTDA delegate joined the USARS Board of Directors.[12]

2008[]

In February 2008, WFTDA announced that leagues from Canada would be eligible for membership.[13]

In June 2008, the WFTDA Rules Committee created a Question and Answer forum to "provide definitive and final answers about the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association Standard Rules.

In July 2008, WFTDA began a referee certification program.[14]

In September 2008, WFTDA had grown to 60 leagues, and the official WFTDA magazine fiveonfive began publication.

In November 2008, a flyer was published announcing that for 2009, WFTDA member leagues would be divided into four regions, rather than two: West, South Central, North Central, and East.[15] Each region has a tournament scheduled, followed by a national championship:

  • September 11–13, 2009: Eastern Regionals in Raleigh, NC
  • September 18–20, 2009: North Central Regionals in St. Paul, MN
  • September 25–27, 2009: South Central Regionals in Atlanta, GA
  • October 2–4, 2009: Western Regionals in Denver, CO
  • November 6–8, 2009: Nationals in Philadelphia, PA

2009[]

In January 2009, Montreal Roller Derby became the first Canadian league admitted as a member. The league was WFTDA's 66th member, and was placed in the East region.[16][17]

Also in January, the WFTDA announced it would stop accepting applications for new membership from February until July, so that it could concentrate on internal restructuring in order to, among other things, "grow the scope" of the organization.[18]

In April 2009 the WFTDA published revised rules, WFTDA Rules 4.0. The revised rule-set became effective for all WFTDA sanctioned bouts on June 1, 2009.[19]

In May 2009, the first officially sanctioned international WFTDA bout was played between Montreal Roller Derby and Harrisburg Area Roller Derby at the Olympic Skating Center in Enola, PA.

In July 2009, the WFTDA announced its new apprentice program for aspiring member leagues that replaced its traditional membership application process. The program is designed to act as a "WFTDA 101" tutorial, and will match new leagues with an established WFTDA mentor, who will guide the apprentice through the processes and requirements necessary to becoming a full member. Upon completion of the program, apprentice leagues will have the knowledge (and the recommendations) needed to apply for full WFTDA membership.

In November 2009 the WFTDA opened for worldwide membership and the London Rollergirls became the first league outside North America to join as apprentice members.[20]

2010[]

In June 2010, the WFTDA announced the first round of Apprentice league graduates, and formed two new regions outside of the United States. (Leagues in those regions will compete in the closest US region until they develop more fully.)[21]

2012[]

In March 2012, Bear City Roller Derby from Berlin, Germany became the WFTDA's first full member league in continental Europe.[22]

Championship tournaments[]

Each WFTDA region holds a tournament in September or October: the Eastern, North Central, South Central and Western Regional Tournaments. The top three leagues in each tournament qualify for the WFTDA Championships, held in November. The winner of the Championships is awarded the Hydra Trophy. Together, the four qualifying tournaments and Championships are termed the "Big 5".[23]

List of winners of WFTDA Championship Tournaments:[24]

  1. 2006 - Texas Rollergirls Texecutioners - 2006 Dust Devil
  2. 2007 - Kansas City Roller Warriors All Stars - Texas Shootout 2007
  3. 2008 - Gotham Girls Roller Derby All-Stars - Northwest Knockdown
  4. 2009 - Oly Rollers Cosa Nostra Donnas - Declaration of Derby
  5. 2010 - Rocky Mountain Rollergirls 5280 Fight Club - Uproar on the Lakeshore
  6. 2011 - Gotham Girls Roller Derby All-Stars - Continental Divide and Conquer
  7. 2012 - Gotham Girls Roller Derby All-Stars - Grits and Glory

WFTDA league divisions[]

WFTDA League Divisions[25]
Division Definition to mid-2006 Definition to mid-2007 Current definition
1 Finished one season (season minimum: five games, including exhibition games), and "is ready to travel by being in compliance with interleague standards of play". Finished three seasons including inter-league play. Finished two seasons as a WFTDA member and is engaged in inter-league play.
2 Actively bouting and has completed at least one public game, including one or more exhibition games. Finished at least one season "including inter-league play" Finished one season as a WFTDA member and is engaged in or ready for inter-league play.
3 Still forming / has not completed any public games (including exhibition games), but is in compliance with WFTDA membership standards. In training / has not completed one season. Has not yet completed one season as a WFTDA member.

Member leagues[]

As of December 3, 2012, 172 leagues are WFTDA members:[16]

Apprentice Leagues[]

As of December 2012, 95 leagues are enrolled in WFTDA's Apprentice Program:[26]

Many roller derby leagues that are not WFTDA members use the WFTDA rules.[citation needed]

Former members[]

  • Orange County Roller Girls - Orange County, CA (January 2008–March 2009)[27][28]
  • East Texas Bombers - Tyler, TX (November 2005-July 2009)[29]
  • Salt City Derby Girls - Salt Lake City, UT (March 2011)[30]
  • Gem City Rollergirls - Dayton, OH (July 2007-November 2010) - became an Apprentice member[31]
  • Rollergirls of Southern Indiana

Rankings[]

Official WFTDA regional rankings[32] as of January 29, 2013
Rank Region
East North Central South Central West
1 Gotham Girls Roller Derby Windy City Rollers Texas Rollergirls Oly Rollers
2 Philly Rollergirls Minnesota RollerGirls Atlanta Rollergirls Denver Roller Dolls
3 Charm City Roller Girls Naptown Roller Girls Kansas City Roller Warriors B.ay A.rea D.erby Girlss
4 London Rollergirls Ohio Roller Girls Tampa Roller Derby Rose City Roller
5 Montreal Roller Derby Detroit Derby Girls No Coast Derby Girls Rat City Rollergirls
6 Boston Derby Dames Mad Rollin' Dolls Nashville Rollergirls Rocky Mountain Rollergirls
7 DC Rollergirls Brewcity Bruisers Houston Rollergirls Sacred City Derby Girls
8 Carolina Rollergirls Arch Rival Rollergirls Omaha Rollergirls Angel City Derby Girls
9 Steel City Derby Demons Cincinnati Roller Girls Jacksonville Rollergirls Wasatch Roller Derby
10 Dutchland Derby Rollers The Chicago Outfit Tallahassee Rollergirls Jet City Rollergirls
11 Maine Roller Derby Bleeding Heartland Roller Girls Mid Iowa Rollers Victorian Roller Derby League
12 New Hampshire Roller Derby Tri-City Roller Girls Blue Ridge Rollergirls Terminal City Rollergirls
13 Queen City Roller Girls Killamazoo Derby Darlins Duke City Derby Arizona Roller Derby
14 Columbia Quad Squad Toronto Roller Derby Dallas Derby Devils Pikes Peak Derby Dames
15 Dominion Derby Girls Grand Raggidy Roller Girls Oklahoma Victory Dolls Fabulous Sin City Rollergirls
16 Suburbia Roller Derby Fort Wayne Derby Girls Memphis Roller Derby Santa Cruz Derby Girls
17 Long Island Roller Rebels Burning River Roller Girls Gold Coast Derby Grrls Tucson Roller Derby
18 Providence Roller Derby Paper Valley Roller Girls Sioux City Roller Dames Sac City Rollers
19 CT RollerGirls NEO Roller Derby Springfield RollerGirls Silicon Valley Roller Girls
20 Roc City Roller Derby Old Capitol City Roller Girls Alamo City Rollergirls Emerald City Roller Girls
21 River City Rollergirls North Star Roller Girls Des Moines Derby Dames Treasure Valley Rollergirls
22 Cape Fear Roller Girls Demolition City Roller Derby Hard Knox Rollergirls Slaughter County Roller Vixens
23 Bear City Roller Girls Fargo Moorhead Derby Girls ICT Roller Girls Humboldt Roller Derby
24 Rideau Valley Roller Girls Twin City Derby Girls Big Easy Rollergirls Bellingham Roller Betties
25 Central NY Roller Derby Babe City Rollers Assassination City Roller Derby Sonoma County Roller Derby
26 Ithaca League of Women Rollers Sioux Falls Roller Dollz Dixie Derby Girls Rage City Rollergirls
27 Garden State Rollergirls Black-n-Bluegrass Rollergirls Northwest Arkansas Roller Derby Central Coast Roller Derby
28 Green Mountain Derby Dames Derby City Rollergirls Oklahoma City Roller Derby Slaughterhouse Derby Girls
29 Lowcountry Highrollers Hammer City Roller Girls Tragic City Roller Girls FoCo Girls Gone Derby
30 Charlotte Roller Girls CoMo Derby Dames Little City Roller Girls Choice City Rebels
31 Lehigh Valley Rollergirls St. Chux Derby Chix Spindletop Roller Girls Junction City Roller Dolls
32 NRV Rollergirls Fox Cityz Foxz Chattanooga Roller Girls Ark Valley High Rollers
33 Jersey Shore Roller Girls Rockford Rage Women's Roller Derby Red Stick Roller Derby Lava City Roller Dolls
34 Harrisburg Area Roller Derby Southern Illinois Roller Girls West Texas Roller Dollz Pueblo Derby Devil Dollz
35 Auld Reekie Roller Girls Dockyard Derby Dames
36 Hudson Valley Horrors Roller Derby Pacific Roller Derby
37 Rocktown Rollers Fairbanks Rollergirls
38 Castle Rock 'n' Rollers

Member teams unranked at this time:

  • Black Rose Rollers
  • Central City Roller Girls
  • Charlottesville Derby Dames
  • Cheyenne Capidolls
  • Circle City Derby Girls
  • Classic City Rollergirls
  • Crime City Rollers
  • Derby Revolution of Bakersfield
  • Diamond State Roller Girls
  • Gainesville Roller Rebels
  • Gent Go Go Rollergirls
  • Glasgow Roller Derby
  • Glass City Rollers
  • Green Country Roller Girls
  • Helsinki Roller Derby
  • Lilac City Roller Girls
  • Lincolnshire Bombers Roller Girls
  • Little Steel Derby Girls
  • Magnolia Roller Vixens
  • Mason-Dixon Roller Vixens
  • Mississippi Valley Mayhem
  • Rainy City Roller Dolls
  • Royal Windsor Rollergirls
  • Sick Town Derby Dames
  • SoCal Derby
  • Stockholm Roller Derby

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 "A Short History of the Sport of Roller Derby". Sin City Rollergirls. Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. http://web.archive.org/web/20071208081505/http://www.sincityrollergirls.com/2nd_level/history.html. Retrieved 2007-07-09.
  2. Later histories recall the original name as United Leagues Committee.
  3. "North Carolina Secretary Of State". http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/corporations/Corp.aspx?PitemId=8104033. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "About WFTDA". Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20070820141135/http://www.wftda.com/about.html. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
  5. 5.0 5.1 WFTDA press release: "FLAT-TRACK ROLLER DERBY SOLIDIFYS [sic] NATIONAL PRESENCE / SECOND ANNUAL FLAT TRACK DERBY CONFERENCE MEETS IN ST. PAUL, MN" (June 2006)
  6. "Multi-league per city clause". Women's Flat Track Derby Association. Archived from the original on 2006-06-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20060620040109/http://wftda.com/multi-league.html. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
  7. Throughout the article, "Spring", "Summer", etc. refer to Northern Hemisphere seasons.
  8. "WFTDA Member Leagues". http://www.wftda.com/leagues.html. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
  9. Chris "Hurt Reynolds" Seale (2007-08-22). "Tampa Bay newest WFTDA member". Archived from the original on 2007-09-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20070902201110/http://www.havederbywilltravel.com/news/latest/tampa-bay-newest-wftda-member.html. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  10. "WFTDA EASTERN REGIONAL ROLLER DERBY TOURNAMENT "Heartland Havoc" TO BE BROADCAST BY MavTV" (Press release). Women's Flat Track Derby Association. 2007-08-15. http://www.wftda.com/broadcast/. Retrieved 2007-08-25.
  11. "Statistics and Rankings: Member Leagues' Bout Experience". Archived from the original on 2007-08-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070804030836/http://wftda.com/stats.html. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
  12. "WFTDA joins USA Rollersports as a Class V national organization". 2007-09-19. http://leadjammer.com/wftda_joins_usa_rollersports_class_v_national_organization. Retrieved 2007-09-20.
  13. "WFTDA opens membership to Canadian leagues". 2008-02-20. http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/2008/02/20/wftda-opens-membership-to-canadian-leagues/. Retrieved 2008-02-20.[dead link]
  14. "WFTDA Referee Certification FAQ". http://www.wftda.com/officiating/referee-certification/. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  15. "Introducing…2009 WFTDA Regions". WFTDA. http://www.wftda.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/wftda_4regionsflyer2008.pdf. Retrieved 2009-01-27.[dead link]
  16. 16.0 16.1 "Women’s Flat Track Derby Association - Members". http://www.wftda.com/leagues/. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  17. Chris "Hurt Reynolds" Seale (2009-01-22). "WFTDA makes a run for the border". http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/blog/hurt_reynolds/2009/01/wftda_makes_a_run_border. Retrieved 2009-01-27.[dead link]
  18. "WFTDA temporarily closes membership until July 1, 2009" (Press release). 2009-01-15. http://www.wftda.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/wftdarelease01-15-09_final.doc. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  19. http://www.wftda.com/official-rules/
  20. http://wftda.com/news/london-rollergirls
  21. http://wftda.com/news/WFTDA-adds-eleven-new-members/
  22. http://wftda.com/news/new-members-march-2012
  23. "WFTDA 2011 Big 5 Tournament Schedule Announced", WFTDA, 9 November 2010
  24. http://flattrackstats.com/tournaments/championships
  25. "WFTDA Rules". Women's Flat Track Derby Association. http://wftda.com/rules/wftda-rules.pdf.
  26. "Apprentice Leagues". WFTDA. http://wftda.com/leagues/apprentice. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  27. "OC Roller Girls Joins Women's Flat Track Derby Association". 2008-01-02. http://blog.ocrollergirls.com/2008/01/02/oc-roller-girls-joins-womens-flat-track-derby-association.aspx. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  28. "Angel City squeezes OC Roller Girls 161-69". 2009-03-20. http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/2009/03/20/angel_city_squeezes_oc_roller_girls_16169. Retrieved 2009-04-28. "OC Roller Girls resigned their WFTDA membership earlier this month. Founded in 2005 with 30 member leagues, WFTDA's membership has grown rapidly and now stands at 77 leagues. OCRG is the first league to resign membership."[dead link]
  29. "WFTDA Releases Second-Quarter Rankings". 2009-07-29. http://www.derbynewsnetwork.com/2009/07/29/wftda_releases_secondquarter_rankings. Retrieved 2009-07-31. "Notably, original WFTDA league East Texas joins OC Rollergirls this year as one of the only two teams to leave the organization after being accepted."[dead link]
  30. "SCDG Goes Banked Track". 2011-03-08. http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-5240-roller-derby-scdg-goes-banked-track.html. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  31. "Gem City Rollergirls". http://flattrackstats.com/teams/3426. Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  32. "Current Rankings". wftda.com. http://www.wftda.com/rankings/.

External links[]

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