The Victorian Roller Derby League (VRDL or Victoria) is a flat track roller derby league based in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 2007, VRDL provides opportunities for all ages and at all levels to participate and compete in Roller Derby. VRDL is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), having gained membership in December 2011. In November 2017, VRDL became the first non-American team to win the WFTDA Championships. Since 2019, VRDL is the 2nd-ranked team in the WFTDA.
VRDL consists of three adult representative teams that compete in interleague competitions within Australia and internationally:
VRDL All Stars / Lightning - the International representative team. VRDL Thunder - The National representative team (Thunder) VRDL Storm - The State representative team (Storm)
VRDL also has two Home Teams, the Toxic Avengers and Dead Ringer Rosies. VRDL is currently planning the 2023 Home Season with dates.
Alongside their adult teams, VRDL also runs Victorian Junior Roller Derby League, with both developmental and competitive training for junior skaters.
History
Founded in March 2007, the Victorian Roller Derby League was started by Cherry Rockette (Mandar Nelson), Betty Bamalam, Toxic Judy, Denim Destructor (Chandelle Macklin) and Hidden Magenta. By the end of the year the VRDL had 40 members, playing their first invite-only bout for friends and family at the Dandenong Showgrounds, and by 2009 the three teams were competing at 'Puckhandlers' in the suburb of Reservoir.
In 2008, the first interleague bout in Australia, "Skate of Origin", was held. The VRDL travelled to Adelaide to compete against Adelaide Roller Derby. The Victorians won at the end of a close bout. Other interleague bouts over the years have included "Skate of Origin 2" in Melbourne, where the Adelaide team defeated the Victorians; the Great Southern Slam in 2010, in which the VRDL won the largest roller derby competition that had been held outside of the United States; and the Canberra Roller Derby League at the AIS Arena in Canberra in 2011.
In 2010 bouts were moved to the Melbourne Showgrounds, and in 2011 the VRDL was both accepted into the WFTDA Apprentice program and gained a new training ground in Preston. The VRDL was the first league in Australia to be accepted into the WFTDA Apprentice program. In December 2011, they graduated from the Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice program and became full members of the WFTDA - the first Australian member, as well as the first member league in the Southern Hemisphere at the time.
This created opportunities to compete in Europe and the United States. In 2011 the VRDL played their first international match against the Hotrod Honeys from the Texas Rollergirls, losing out to the more experienced side. In November 2011 the VRDL played their second international match against the Rat City All Stars from the Rat City Rollergirls, again losing to the more experienced team, but gaining a lot of skills in the process.
In 2012 the league expanded to four home teams and two levels of skater development within their recreational league. In April the travel team competed in their first international tournament in Tucson, Arizona. The Dust Devil Tournament is an invite-only event, which was then in its fifth year. The VRDL went into the tournament seeded tenth and ended in fifth place.
The league used to field four home teams: Dead Ringer Rosies, Toxic Avengers, Rock Mobsters and Dolls of Hazzard. For now, these have been retired.
In 2022, Adelaide Roller Derby hosted The Great Southern Slam at the Adelaide Convention Centre. VRDL sent both teams Lightning and Thunder. Lightning made it to the grand final against Adelaide Roller Derby, winning the final 248-66 and placing 1st in Australia. Thunder won the game to place 3rd in Australia in a tight game against Brisbane City Rollers 137-135.
In the community
The VRDL won the Women's Health magazine inaugural Women in Sport Award for best 'A' team of the year in August 2011, citing the general groundswell of support from the Australia-wide roller derby community for this people's choice award.
They contribute to the wider roller derby community in Australia by holding Master Classes and bootcamps on a regular basis, their coaches visit fledgling leagues all over Australia and are actively involved in the Australia Roller Derby Coalition (ARDC).