team names can often adopt puns hinting at local cultural references. Bouts and competitions also use cultural references in their names. This highlights the empowering nature of roller derby.
How many references and puns can you spot?
Category: From the Archives
Introduction to Les Pop
Gender Studies Placement student Grace introduces us to the Lesbians and Policing Project Collection.
NMRD Object of the Month: Severn Roller Torrent Artwork
The combination of wearing provocative ’boutfits’ and playing a fierce and violent contact sport helps to challenge gender binary assumptions and heteronormative roles. It shows that women do not need to chose between being sexy and tough. They can be both.
However, in an effort to break the mould and transform from a fun league to a professional one, many teams today are ditching the ‘boutfits’ for more professional and athletic uniforms.
NMRD Object of the Month
In celebration of International Women’s Day on the 8th March 2020, this book details the history of the sport of Roller Derby and helps to illustrate the inclusion of women in this fierce contact sport since the 1930s. Female-led, the sport gained traction in the UK for its punk-rock aesthetic, pop-culture references, inclusivity, and fierce bouts.
NMRD Object of the Month: Chaos on the Clyde Programme
February’s object of the month is the Chaos on the Clyde programme for an International Roller Derby Tournament presented by Glasgow Roller Derby on 25th & 26th August 2012. It features six of Europe’s best roller derby teams from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield, London and Stuttgart.
NMRD Object of the Month: Glasgow Roller Derby T-shirt
January’s object of the month is a sleeveless GRD top. The Glasgow league was rebranded as Glasgow Roller Derby rather than Glasgow Roller Girls in 2012 to reflect the athletic direction and ambitions of the club and to be more inclusive of all gender identities.
Introducing Lauren, our new Archive Apprentice
I’m Lauren, the Archive Apprentice working on the Lesbian Lives project. In this post I introduce myself and my role at the library.
NMRD Object of the Month: Five Years book
The National Museum of Roller Derby is the UK’s first permanent collection of ephemera and memorabilia relating to the sport of Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby. December 2019’s NMRD Object of the month is the Five Years book, featuring the Playworld exhibition which featured items from the NMRD collection.
NMRD Object of the Month: Roller Derby Game Programme
The National Museum of Roller Derby is the UK’s first permanent collection of ephemera and memorabilia relating to the sport of Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby. November 2019’s NMRD Object of the month is a game programme from the British Championships Southern division.
NMRD Object of the Month: Lil Rollers Colouring Book
The National Museum of Roller Derby is the UK’s first permanent collection of ephemera and memorabilia relating to the sport of Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby. October 2019’s NMRD Object of the month is the Lil Rollers Colouring Book.