Founded 2008 | Country United Kingdom Track type(s) Flat | |
Teams Rainy City All Stars (A team)Tender Hooligans (B team)The Bet Lynch Mob (C team) | ||
Rainy City Roller Derby (RCRD) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Manchester, England. Founded as "Rainy City Roller Girls" in 2008, the league consists of three teams, which compete against teams from other leagues. Rainy City is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) and will serve as the host league for the 2017 edition of the Roller Derby World Cup.
Contents
History
The first league in North West England, Rainy City played its first home bout in November 2009, against the Leeds Roller Dolls. In September 2011, it opened the "Thunderdome", its own training and bouting venue, in a former snooker hall in Oldham which they have renovated and made into the 'Bouting venue of the North'. In March 2012, it joined the UK Roller Derby Association. As well as bouting, the team also run skating and officiating clinics and bootcamps throughout the year.
In July 2012, Rainy City was accepted as a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice Programme, and it became a full WFTDA member in September 2013.
In April 2013, a third team (The Bet Lynch Mob) was formed for new skaters at starter level to gain experience and learn.
in 2016, Rainy City re-branded as Rainy City Roller Derby, a move linked with success the organization has achieved on the flat track.
Teams
The Rainy City All Stars are the league's A team. The original Rainy City team, members have included 2011-12 Team England squad skaters Missy Rascal and Dee-Mise. Fay Roberts & Missy Rascal were both part of the 2014 England training roster.
The Tender Hooligans are Rainy City's B team. formed in 2010, and the Bet Lynch Mob, formed in 2013, is Rainy City's "third team', composed of newer skaters.
Rainy City's officiating crew; headed by Head Ref "Errington" & Head NSO "Pretty Miffed" (a WFTDA-certified Level 2 NSO) includes "Matt the Knife" (a WFTDA-certified Level 3 Referee), "Emmeline Pancakehurst", "Clint Roll Alt Delete", "Spark", "Karl Lagerfilled", "Pip", "KatZilla", "Emily of the State", and "Yvel Saint Laurent" (the last two also certified level 2 NSOs).
WFTDA competition
Rainy City played their first WFTDA-sanctioned game in October 2013 against Glasgow Roller Derby. At the WFTDA European Tournament (WET) in Malmö, Sweden, in November 2014, Rainy CIty went 2-1 with victories over Copenhagen Roller Derby and Oslo Roller Derby, and a narrow loss to Bear City Roller Derby.
In 2016, Rainy City qualified for WFTDA Playoffs for the first time, making the Division 1 tournament at Columbia, South Carolina as the 7th seed. During the weekend Rainy City went 2-2, with victories over Steel City Roller Derby (Pittsburgh) and Santa Cruz Derby Girls, and losses to Jacksonville RollerGirls and Crime City Rollers (Malmö), to finish the weekend in 6th place.
European competition
In 2013, Rainy City captured the win at the United Kingdom Roller Derby Association's "Sur5al" event, an unusual contest with modified rules and regulations.
European rankings
Roller Derby World Cup
Two league members, Missy Rascal and Dee-Mise, were selected to play for Team England at the 2011 Roller Derby World Cup in Toronto. Missy Rascal returned to Team England's roster for the 2014 World Cup in Dallas, joined by teammate Fay Roberts.
In December 2016, it was announced that Rainy City would host the 2017 Roller Derby World Cup in early February 2018, hosted at the EventCity facility in Manchester. Eight members of Rainy City were named to the training roster for Team England in October 2016: Alex Valentine, Alex Wilde, Fay Roberts, Fayetal Blonde, Fisher, Menace, Missy Rascal and Philly.