Established in 2012, the National Museum of Roller Derby (NMRD) is the UK’s first permanent collection of ephemera and memorabilia relating to the sport of Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby. In 2016, to celebrate our new permanent home in Glasgow Women’s Library’s new Bridgeton HQ, we bring you an ‘Object of the Month’ from our ever expanding collections.
We want your old team shirts, flyers, zines and other paraphernalia to illustrate the remarkable development of the sport in the UK. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for future announcements on how to donate items to the Museum.
Photos taken by Rebel Rebel #15 (aka Catheine Hemelryk) with thanks to Joe Brown & Luke Harby
MAY 2022
The 1880’s saw the emergence of roller skating, and races developed soon after. Roller Derby was founded by Leo Seltzer in Chicago in 1933. Here, the sport was co-ed with both male and female players, and on the track, all players were equal. It was immensely popular in its day, however, its popularity had its ups and downs (at its height, roller derby sold out Maddison Square Gardens). However, it made a more recent comeback in the 2000s. This resurgence brought with it a largely female led sport, gaining traction in the U.K. in 2007 due to the punk-rock aesthetic, pop culture references, inclusivity, and fierce bouts.
This sticker was produced by the Windy city Rollers, a team based in Chicago, U.S.A., which is the founding city for Roller Derby as we know it today.
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