Raging Brawl

Welcome to Manchester Roller Derby, or for one Academy One night only, the Wonderbrawl

Words: Matthew Mahabadi
Photography: Shirlaine Forrest

For the uninitiated, it’s a guts-and-glory, unashamedly intense contact sport that is dominated near-exclusively by gungho types equipped with roller skates, shin-pads and helmets. And don’t worry, Steph O’Connor assured us, “Most of the girls don’t give two shits about Oasis…”

In roughly three years, it’s spread like wildfire on this side of the Atlantic and for this, the sport’s first big event in Manchester, home team ‘Manchester Roller Derby’ (MRD) pitched in against the hot-panted ‘Hot Wheel Roller Derby’ from West Yorkshire, sending the away side packing with a comprehensive 171 to 56 victory. The undercard proved a worthy attraction in itself, with Cardiff-based Tiger Bay Brawlers narrowly beating the Birmingham Blitz Dames 123-110 (above).

There were ostensibly no sly shoves or tackles and the atmosphere couldn’t have been more warm and welcoming as packed halls holding 300 or so go. Families of all ages belied the niche playlist which had the sound-system blaring out heavy metal and rock, with the result an upbeat carnival feel. They even had a raffle… the first prize being £100 worth of tattoos.

“The whole Wonderbrawl thing was kind of a throwaway joke,” skater Steph admitted afterwards. “We wanted a name that linked to Manchester and roller derby really loves its puns. Most of the girls don’t give two shits about Oasis… so when we wanted something a bit more immediate and with more punch, MRD was born.

“Seeing the beautiful merchandise stalls set up in the foyer, the track laid out, the scoreboard ready, DJs hard at play and the sold-out crowd it was plain to see everything had actually come together. Securing a venue as prominent as the Academy was a dream come true and one girl even had MRD shaved into her hair!”

One of Steph’s 17 team-mates, the green-haired Skulldozer – real name: Kirsty Eighteen – told us that although she only got involved in March 2009, she’s now heavily involved in the team, which is entirely comprised of volunteers, and how in future she hopes such events will be staged every 3-4 months.

The rules of Roller Derby are quite simple. Two teams of up to 20 skaters race against one another on a track marked out in a school hall-sized space. Skaters choose their own skater name, which included ‘Cilla Smack’, ‘Kate Push’ and ‘Shell Yeah’, on the night, to name but a few.

Once the teams are set, four skaters from each team line up on the starting line. These are called ‘blockers’, there to block the opposing team’s ‘jammer’, of which there are two, one from each team. Jammers start a few metres behind the blockers and have a star on their helmets. It is the job of each team’s jammer to get ahead of and lap the opposition. The first in front is the ‘lead jammer’, and they win points depending on the number of opposition skaters they lap.

When the starting whistle goes, that’s the start of ‘The Jam’, and everyone shoots off, the jammers trying to cut ahead and the blockers trying to, well, block. Expect punk/rock/metal at this point, if you can hear it above the screams of the crowd. Once a jammer becomes lead jammer, they can then choose to call off The Jam whenever they want – normally when they’ve scored a few points. This repeats until then end of each period, of which there are two lasting half an hour each, before the final scores are totted up.

We asked Steph the differences in UK and US roller derby? “It’s not so much a case of an English version and a US version, it’s more a difference between banked track roller derby and flat track roller derby. Even in the US, flat track roller derby is more common, purely because it’s easier to set up.”

Do they attract women who hated sport at school? “Probably… I think perhaps that with it being such a new sport there’s not that bad association that some people get from various sports in school, and MRD makes it as inclusive as can be – we’ve currently got a ladies’ team, a men’s team and a junior roller derby team.”

Played any mixed sport yourself? “Not really, apart from pool. I played netball in primary school but that was single sex and got really bitchy in secondary school so I gave up.”

What’s the student/non student split or is there one job more common among players than any other? “The thing about roller derby is that these things aren’t important. Anyone can do it, so you tend to forget about differences in boring things like occupations. Everyone just talks derby all the time.”

What’s the typical male/female split in crowds, and can it vary much by region? “Hmmm, let me just check my stats… I honestly have no idea! Girls from different teams come to support us, as well as girls from MRD and elsewhere who aspire to play one day. Men involved in derby directly or indirectly come along too, maybe for the girls in hot pants and fishnets supposedly-beating-each-other up aspect, but whatever.”

And what kind of expense is a potential player looking at given the minimum price of kit, weekly subs etc? “Before people get heavily into roller derby, they can hire gear. It’s quite a financial commitment. For skates, wrist guards, knee/elbow pads, helmets and a gum shield, you’re generally looking at about £200 upwards. You can get lots of stuff cheaper second hand, though.”

Given the potential for pain, has Steph or any team-mates been tempted to sort a grievance afterwards or settle a score? “What happens on the track stays on the track. In roller derby it’s pretty good natured – afterwards teams mingle and congratulate and hug. It’s all good… Generally the only thing that stops people playing is injury… or real life. Roller derby and real life seem to clash on a regular basis, and it’s sometimes hard to balance, but worth it.”

If a try-out is what you’re after, or the MRD training programme ‘Zero to Hero’ appeals, head down to the Levenshulme Arcadia on Wednesday and Sunday evenings at 7pm. It’s free, and open to all. For more, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .