BRSF and UKRDA

Another political theory post! 

Honestly, I'm groaning to myself.

Anyhow, the BRSF have apparently disappeared.  Attempts to call them are re-directed, and their online presence is less than that of Alta-Vista.  What does this mean for UKRDA?


Well, BRSF recognised UKRDA on behalf of those they represent, just as UKRDA recognise leagues on behalf of BRSF.  If the chain is followed, it leads to the British Olympic Ass'n and UK Sport, Sport England, and Sport Scotland.  (If I recall correctly, UKRDA are not yet recognised by Sport Wales)

Thus, UKRDA are recognised by the rest of the chain, as well.  It's not unreasonable to presume that they've cultivated a relationship with Sport England, and that relationship ought to continue.

As well, UK Sport will ensure that there is a roller sports governing body, as I'm sure they don't want to be left out.  It wouldn't hurt for UKRDA to approach UK Sport directly, and cut out the middleman at this point.  There's no reason that derby has to come under the general roller sports umbrella.


Besides recognition, for what it's worth, no other benefit of UKRDA membership ought to be affected.  After all, the UKRDA seem to be well funded from membership dues and not requiring of outside funding.


Speaking of the UKRDA in general, an important moment was reached last week.  To paraphrase, the UKRDA said that they could not form the best possible Team England (etc.) from within member leagues alone, and thus are willing to assist as impartial assistants with the formation process.  However, such a team would not be UKRDA-sancioned officially.

This is an important step in the internal politics of international roller derby.  This, in simpler terms, is the statement "just skate, we'll help you hash out the details when you need them."

This is a national association doing what, in my opinion, it ought to do--support first--and the UKRDA deserve to be commended for their action.


That said, I hope in the future that the UKRDA are able to fully implement a national team programme.  Of course, due to my own personal beliefs, I think this should be on the basis of England, Scotland, Wales, and N. Ireland, only joining forces when specific events require Britain's Derby Megazord.

In order to do so they need a mandate from the eligible skaters, and their recent post reflects an understanding of this point.  A full mandate, though, requires lowering the barriers to entry.

Right now, the barriers to entry are a bit high.  Some leagues will struggle to raise the £100.  For other leagues, the issue will be the two recommendations, which sometimes fall victim to petty derby drama between leagues.  These barriers seem to me like the rules may have been set before their purpose was fully decided, rather than the other way around.

I would like to call on the UKRDA to first investigate their mission.  If, indeed, it is to represent British Derby to the government and the world, then the barriers should be low enough that all active leagues can easily join.

Perhaps:

• Sliding-scale entry fee?  Leagues that bout pay more than leagues just starting, perhaps.

• Vetos rather than recommendations?  Leagues wishing to enter may do so unless a certain number of member leagues deny said membership.  Leagues using their veto must present a valid reason why to the membership board, who can override the veto in case of mis-use.

• Small membership fee combined with a fee per sanctioned bout?  This raises funds very quickly, and is much more easily affordable to newer leagues.

The UKRDA are currently caught in a spot of turmoil, but this is actually an opportunity.  It's an opportunity for them to represent themselves to the entire UK sporting community as the spokes-organisation for and supporter of all of UK roller derby, a position they have already adopted with regard to the men's national teams.

I fervently believe that this is the chance the UKRDA have been waiting for, the chance to step up and make derby better, easier, and more inclusive for the whole of the UK. 

Their press release stated that their support of independent team development was the most fair option for the upcoming Men's World Cup.  I trust by the time the next international tournament of any kind rolls around, their system will be the most fair and most competitive for all eligible skaters.

Derby Census UK 2013 results!

Ladies and gentlemen, time to announce the results of the 2013 roller derby census!
Data numbers will be indicated by italics, but will be put into complete sentences for clarity.

Leagues

Overall, there are 90 leagues in the UK.  By region within England, there are 18 in the south, 5 in the east, 16 in the midlands, 18 in the north.  Wales has 11, Scotland 21, and Northern Ireland 1.

Of these leagues, 40 have yet to contest a bout.  20 are just starting, 20 with a few through min skills/some mixed scrimmage experience.

Bouts

Fully 50 leagues have bouted at least once in the last 12 months, and 26 contested more than 5.  The average bouting league contested 6.85 bouts in 2012.

A total of 322 team-bouts were contested, meaning if both teams in a bout were in the UK, that bout is counted as 2.  A total of 128 bouts and tournaments were hosted in 2012.

The average audience size was 217, with the highest attendance estimated at 1000 for a single bout!!

Skaters

There are 1920 skaters through min skills, and 1557 fresh meat!  That means that the UK is almost 45% fresh meat.

The average league, thus, has just under 22 skaters through min skills, and just over 17 on their way.

Teams

Women's A-teams are a part of 64 leagues, B-teams 23, and C-teams 3.  Men's A-teams are part of 14 and B-teams part of 1 in 2012.  Co-ed teams are a part of 4 leagues.

Non-Competitors

There are 313 referees and 534 NSOs and non-skating team staffs.

Growth over time

Exponential growth, to me!  Well done getting the word out!

Conclusions

Non-mathematically, UK derby is blowin' up!  Over 3,000 skaters, nearly 100 leagues, well done you all!  Be proud of yourselves!

Roll Britannia!

The Fine Print

This data was collected by Stat Man with the kind assistance of Izzy Dauntless for the use of everybody.  Please feel free to use this information to help with venue negotiations, league advertising, etc.  If quoting numbers, we ask for an "According to the 2013 Derby Census" acknowledgement at least; if you would like to include names, we would be chuffed!  We hope this information helps the growth of your league or organisation specifically, and derby in general.  If you have any suggestions for next year's census, please post in the comments section!

For those who have yet to make the move

The whole derby chart can now be found at www.derbychart.com on a regular computer, or m.derbychart.com from a mobile browser.

Check it out sometime, it'll give team details, break down why a ranking is the way it is, and give you scores from past bouts and predictions for upcoming ones.


Well, this week it happened.  Tiger Bay overcame 2-1 odds against to beat LRG[B] in Cardiff, and move into the #8 spot.  In Roll'd Firm action, Auld Reekie beat Glasgow, which put them back in the top 10.

Here is the table for all of Europe!

		Team	Wins	Losses	Rank Pts
	1	London Rollergirls	5	0	272.5
	2	Stockholm Roller Derby	7	3	145.7
+2	3	Central City Rollergirls	3	3	130.7
	4	Bear City Roller Derby	5	3	121.0
-2	5	London Rollergirls [B]	6	1	113.8
	6	Glasgow Roller Derby	10	5	104.0
	7	Rainy City Roller Girls	6	1	94.4
+2	8	Tiger Bay Brawlers	7	3	85.4
+6	9	Auld Reekie Roller Girls	6	7	80.6
-2	10	Crime City Rollers	3	8	79.7
+1	11	Leeds Roller Dolls	6	6	76.8
-3	12	Gent GO-GO Roller Girls	6	4	74.9
-2	13	London Rockin Rollers	4	3	72.1
-1	14	Brighton Rockers	5	1	66.5
-1	15	Paris Roller Girls	3	5	62.2
	16	Gent GO-GO Roller Girls [B]	2	0	55.9
+1	17	Helsinki Roller Derby	11	5	47.5
-1	18	Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz	0	5	47.3
+4	19	Copenhagen Roller Derby	3	3	39.5
	20	Royal Windsor Rollergirls	6	1	38.8
-2	21	Hellfire Harlots	5	3	37.3
-1	22	Bear City Roller Derby [B]	0	3	33.6
-1	23	Kallio Rolling Rainbow	3	2	33.0
	24	Lincolnshire Bombers	3	6	28.3
+3	25	Sheffield Steel Roller Girls	3	4	27.7
-1	26	Hot Wheel Roller Derby	8	4	24.3
	27	Middlesbrough Milk Rollers	6	2	24.1
-2	28	Big Bucks High Rollers	3	5	22.8
+1	29	One Love Roller Dolls	7	5	20.6
-1	30	Birmingham Blitz Dames	4	4	20.4
	31	Romsey Town Rollerbillies	4	7	20.2
+2	32	Dolly Rockit Rollers	2	8	20.0
+9	33	London Rockin Rollers [B]	0	2	18.8
+2	34	Crime City Rollers [B]	7	3	18.3
	35	Cork City Firebirds	2	3	17.6
-3	36	Stuttgart Valley Rollergirlz [B]	3	1	16.8
-5	37	Ruhrpott Roller Girls	4	2	16.6
-1	38	Dublin Roller Girls	6	3	16.6
-1	39	Bristol Roller Derby	8	3	14.8
-1	40	Dirty River Roller Grrrls	2	1	14.7
-1	41	Roller Girls of the Apocalypse	5	2	12.7
+3	42	Leeds Roller Dolls [B]	2	4	11.8
+1	43	Newcastle Roller Girls	4	4	11.7
-3	44	Kent Rollergirls	3	2	11.4
+2	45	Rockcity Rollers	1	2	10.5
+6	46	Barcelona Roller Derby	0	3	9.8
+1	47	Croydon Roller Derby	4	4	9.5
+2	48	Glasgow Roller Derby [B]	6	2	9.1
-6	49	Southern Discomfort	9	0	8.6
+3	50	Manchester Roller Derby	7	3	8.4
+3	51	Plymouth City Roller Girls	4	3	8.3
-6	52	Quad Guards	8	2	7.8
-2	53	Graveyard Queens Cologne	2	1	7.3
+1	54	Roller Derby Metz Club	4	5	7.2
-6	55	Lincolnshire Rolling Thunder	3	1	7.0
+4	56	Central City Rollergirls [B]	2	4	6.8
+1	57	Auld Reekie Roller Girls [B]	2	2	6.6
-2	58	Paris Roller Girls [B]	4	3	6.5
-2	59	Amsterdam Derby Dames	4	5	6.2
+1	60	Brussels Derby Pixies	2	2	5.9
+9	61	Liverpool Roller Birds	1	7	5.9
+1	62	Seaside Sirens Roller Girls	4	3	5.8
+4	63	Granite City Roller Girls	1	4	5.7
+5	64	Rainy City Roller Girls [B]	4	3	5.6
+6	65	Dundee Roller Girls	4	2	5.5
-1	66	Imposters Roller Girls	2	3	5.4
-8	67	Tyne & Fear	5	4	5.3
	68	Namur Roller Girls	1	3	5.2
-3	69	Inhuman League	6	9	4.6
-8	70	MRD: New Wheeled Order	5	7	4.5
+3	71	Lincolnshire Bombers [B]	1	4	4.5
-8	72	Expendables	4	4	4.4
-1	73	Harbor Girls	3	4	4.3
+3	74	Lahti Roller Derby	0	4	4.1
	75	Gothenburg Roller Derby	2	5	4.0
-3	76	Vienna Roller Girls	4	1	3.9
+5	77	Helsinki Roller Derby [B]	5	1	3.9
-2	78	Eastside RocknRollers	1	1	3.8
+1	79	Luleå Roller Derby	1	1	3.7
-2	80	South West Angels of Terror	5	0	3.7
+2	81	Blackland Rockin'K-Rollers	2	3	3.2
-1	82	Severn Roller Torrent	1	6	3.0
-4	83	Barockcity Rollerderby	3	2	3.0
+1	84	Lutèce Destroyeuses - Paris	2	3	2.7
+2	85	Sheffield Steel Roller Girls [B]	4	4	2.6
+4	86	Cardiff Roller Collective	5	0	2.6
+1	87	Milton Keynes Concrete Cows	4	2	2.5
+3	88	Oslo Roller Derby	0	4	2.4
-5	89	Crash Test Brummies	1	8	2.3
-1	90	Newcastle Roller Girls [B]	9	1	2.2
-5	91	Roller Derby Rennes	1	1	2.1
	92	Portsmouth Roller Wenches	3	1	2.1
	93	Dolly Rockit Rollers [B]	3	2	2.0
+1	94	Belfast Roller Derby	3	3	2.0
+9	95	Tenerife Roller Derby	2	0	2.0
+1	96	Dorset Roller Girls	2	2	1.9
-3	97	Munich Rolling Rebels	1	3	1.8
+17	98	B.M.O Roller Derby Girls	2	4	1.8
+1	99	Stockholm Roller Derby [B]	1	4	1.8
-2	100	Aarhus Derby Dames	1	2	1.7
-5	101	Rotterdam Death Row Honeys	1	3	1.7
+6	102	Tiger Bay Brawlers [B]	3	1	1.6
-4	103	Nantes Derby Girls	4	5	1.6
-2	104	Nidaros Roller Derby	4	1	1.5
+1	105	Norfolk Brawds	3	2	1.4
-1	106	Roller Derby Bordeaux Club	4	1	1.4
-4	107	Herault Derby Girlz	5	1	1.3
+2	108	Central City Rollergirls [C]	3	0	1.3
-8	109	Zurich City Rollergirls	0	2	1.3
+1	110	Kallio Rolling Rainbow [B]	2	1	1.3
+6	111	Swansea City Roller Derby	3	5	1.1
+4	112	Wiltshire Roller Derby	1	5	1.1
+5	113	Bristol Roller Derby [B]	3	0	1.1
-5	114	Copenhagen Roller Derby [B]	2	3	1.1
-1	115	Liverpool Roller Birds [B]	2	2	1.0
-4	116	Hulls Angels Roller Dames	0	6	1.0
-10	117	Jakey Bites	0	5	1.0
-5	118	Hell's Ass Derbygirls	2	4	1.0
+5	119	Furness Firecrackers	1	4	0.9
+2	120	Rebellion Roller Derby	3	4	0.9
+2	121	Wolverhampton Honour Rollers	1	2	0.8
+3	122	Tampere Roller Derby	1	2	0.8
-2	123	Kernow Rollers	1	3	0.8
-5	124	Middlesbrough Milk Rollers [B]	0	2	0.8
+1	125	Dublin Roller Girls [B]	3	2	0.7
+3	126	Dom City Dolls	1	2	0.7
+1	127	Oxford Roller Derby	4	5	0.6
-8	128	Nottingham Roller Girls	1	2	0.6
-2	129	Bruising Banditas	2	2	0.6
	130	Hell's Belles	1	5	0.5
+1	131	Mean Valley Roller Girls	4	2	0.5
-1	132	Fair City Rollers	0	4	0.5
	133	Wakey Wheeled Cats	1	2	0.5
	134	Montpellier Derby Club	2	3	0.5
	135	Bedfordshire Roller Girls	2	4	0.4
+1	136	Vendetta Vixens	0	5	0.3
+3	137	Shoetown Slayers	0	3	0.3
	138	Limerick Roller Derby	1	2	0.3
+2	139	Birmingham Blitz Dames [B]	1	2	0.3
-1	140	Red Lion Roller Derby	0	2	0.3
+1	141	Manchester Roller Derby [B]	2	3	0.2
+1	142	Preston Roller Girls	1	2	0.2
-7	143	Fierce Valley Roller Girls	2	1	0.2
	144	Roller Derby Karlsruhe	1	2	0.2
	145	Voodoo Vixens Besançon	0	2	0.2
+1	146	One Love Roller Dolls [B]	1	1	0.2
-1	147	Velvet Sluts	1	4	0.1
-->	148	Hereford Roller Girls	1	1	0.1
	149	Evolution Rollergirls	1	3	0.1
-2	150	Porto Roller Derby	1	1	0.1
	151	Roller Girls of the Apocalypse [B]	0	2	0.1
-2	152	Frankfurt Roller Derby	1	2	0.1
-1	153	Roller Derby Toulouse [B]	2	1	0.1
-1	154	Wirral Whipiteres	0	3	0.0
-1	155	Roller Derby Lyon	5	0	0.0
-1	156	Roller Derby Metz Club [B]	2	0	0.0
-1	157	Marseille Roller Derby Club	0	3	0.0
-1	158	Roller Derby Grenoble	2	2	0.0
-1	159	Les Quads de Paris	1	1	0.0
-1	160	Cherry Blood	0	2	0.0

This weekend (23/24 Feb)

This weekend in derby:

Two bouts in Denmark

#18 Helsinki vs #23 Copenhagen.  Both teams have been improving as of late, with Helsinki's stellar performance in Track Queens.  This is a chance for the Danes to link themselves to such a rising star and perhaps climb out of the 20s into the teens.

#102 Nidaros vs #109 Copenhagen [B].  I don't know much about these two, except that it will help connect Scandinavian derby.  The only one that's missing at this double header are the Swedes.  Did their invitation get lost in the mail?

Two bouts in Scotland

#69 Rainy City [B] vs #71 Dundee.  Dundee had been climbing the rankings before teams from the continent were included.  Now, they look to go up to 6-1 with a win over the 3-3 Rainy City B squad.

#15 Auld Reekie vs #6 Glasgow.  One of the bouts I've always wanted to see, this is the second meeting of the Roll'd Firm.  These two have exchanged the top spot in Scotland 4 times in the last year, and Glasgow hold the series lead 1-0.  Can Auld Reekie even the score, and climb back up the chart?  Or will Glasgow solidify their position as the dominant Scottish team?

Two bouts in Wales

#81 Severn vs #117 Swansea.  The Slayers open their 2013 campaign with a hard-but-winnable bout at home.  This win would set them even at 4-4, wheras SRT are looking to get their first win of the last 12 months, having lost the last 6.

#3 LRG [B] vs #10 Tiger Bay.  Is it wrong to call this the main event?  If I still lived in Wales, I would be glad to have the opportunity to see Swansea early, then pop over to Cardiff for their toughest bout yet.  The Brawlers are 6-3 in the last 12 months, losing to Glasgow most recently by only 6 points, and have recently climbed from UK's top ten into all Europe's top 10.  London Rollergirls [B] are the unquestioned #3 in Europe, with a 6-0 record.  Can Tiger Bay record a historic upset, and deal LRG[B] their first ever loss?  According to the computer, it's a 33% chance.  I can't wait to see the outcome of this one!


Great weekend for roller derby all over Europe.  Good luck everyone, and stay tuned for scores as they post and new rankings on Monday!

Fairness and rankings

In a sport where there's a great deal of upheaval, it is unreasonable to have any sort of official ranking last more than one 'season'. Skaters come and go quickly, and some teams rise very, very quickly. Thus, if a ranking scheme is to pass the basic test of fairness, it must only take into account recent score, and not the scores of skaters who are no longer skating with their teams.


A scheme in which bouts never expire is unfair to the skaters. If a skater commits a mistake, costing that skater's team the win, that loss will be forever be represented in their ranking. In such a scheme, there is no redemption.

A skater can put in hard work for an entire season, and have a great effect on her team's ranking if, and only if, that team has a very short bouting record. If the team has been playing for 3 or more years, that skater cannot have a major effect on her team's ranking for years.


A scheme in which bouts never expire is unfair to the teams. New teams can quickly climb the rankings, or can stay near the bottom of the table, but their position will stagnate. The longer a team has been in existence, the more momentum its ranking has. Thus, a team who did well early in its career need not defend that title strenuously, but can count on the weight of the early bouts.

Such a ranking scheme is entirely unhelpful.  It shows leagues that have had generally good careers but recent poor performance as good, whereas teams with years near the bottom but several wins in a row as poor teams.  When choosing opponents, leagues cannot rely on such a ranking. No one plays their opponent's all-time team, they play their opponent's current team. Thus, such a ranking is at best an interesting intellectual exercise.


Roller derby is a sport that prides itself on fairness. This drives the notion that referees cannot offer assistance, only penalties, and the notion that a strong team shouldn't go easy on a weak team. Fairness is at the heart of the game. Why then use a system which is so patently unfair to those it claims to serve?

The WFTDA have done away with rankings that run the risk of "since the invention of derby..."  As have the MRDA. While all-time rankings have a place, it is in newspapers as pundits debate the results of hypothetical bouts between the 2008 London Brawling and the 2013 Stockholm.  However, they at best allow for an unfair estimation of the current performance of skaters and leagues, and run the risk of misleading other skaters and derby fans.

Support your not-so-local derby!

 I know we were all excited to hear that LRG are going to be covered in a television documentary. It means that the sport we know and love is closer to the big time!

But why? Why are they filming practices, bouts, etc. and editing it into a documentary that I have no doubt will show the sport as difficult, dynamic, and absolutely loved by its participants? Because the TV producers have noted the growth of the game.

TV producers follow the money. If you'll forgive the Americanism, they follow the buck. Wherever the buck stops, they film. A few more independant producers work on behalf of causes, but most mainstream groups work for the benefit of their bank accounts.

Thus, TV sees money in derby.  This is great! It means we, as a sport, are one step closer to being covered as a sport. One step closer to our scores showing up next to the Open Championship on the specialty page of the sports section. One step closer to a "bout of the week" on ESPN or Sky.

Imagine what that would do for recruitment!


Thing is, how do we best show the TV people that there's money in derby? They're not as concerned about the skaters, they're concerned about the fans. The money in sports coverage comes from advertising, and that ad money is linked to the number of fans watching the event.

Want more derby in the news, in papers, and on TV? Increase the fan base. Show that there's potential cash money being unrealised by not covering the best game on 8 wheels.


Thus, your job is twofold.

#1, go to every bout you can.  Live in South Wales? See everything TBB, SCS, and Bristol do.  Live in Manchester? You lucky skunk, you've got two leagues in Mancs, plus Liverpool and Wirral nearby. London? Besides LRG, LRR, and CRD, you should go as far as RWRG and BBHR whenever you can!

#2, advertise. Not just for your own league, but for all other leagues (who're nearby, and whose bouts don't conflict with your favourite league's). Talk up derby to your mates, to your mates' mates, and to the person you're sat next to at Starbucks. When you get that derby conversation comes around, know where and when the nearest upcoming bout is. If you can get one new fan, you've helped the game.


As well, we need a census. We need to know just how many skaters and leagues there are, but we also need to know how many people came to watch derby in the last year. Thus, when TV comes knocking, we can show them just how amazingly large and supportive our fan base is.

This Weekend (16-17 Feb)

This weekend in European derby:

Scandanavia has a packed schedule!  Luleå take on Gothenburg, looking for the league's first win.  Crime City play host to Finland's Dirty River, fresh off their Suomi Cup schedule, and the dominant Stockholm.  Crime City's A-team have climbed from #11 to #8, and even a well-fought loss against Europe's #2 would improve that position.

A little action on the south side of the channel.  Nantes and Metz play an A&B double header, and Rockcity take on One Love.  Both of these have a wide gap between the teams, so there is certainly a potential for a continental shake-up!  [UPDATE] I missed the Royal Windsor Roller Girls travelling down to Paris to face a tough test of their ability.  If there was one bout I could go to this weekend...

SW:UK carries on.  SWAT-Kernow looks a bit one-sided, although SWAT have been slipping down the table lately.  Dorset take on Wilts, fresh off a very helpful defeat by Plymouth.  Never have Dorset looked better!

North of the border, Fierce Valley face up against Preston.  Both teams evenly ranked, both looking for their 2nd win in the last 12 months.

Oxford take on Leeds-B, in what looks like a major challenge for the southern side.  A good result, even a good losing one, would certainly help them look like a rising regional power, as well as buoy up the rest of the Heartlands competitors.


Good luck to everyone bouting this weekend!  If you're not bouting, try to make it over to your nearest bout.