The Auckland Roller Derby League (ARDL) is a women's flat track roller derby league based in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Founded in 2011, the league is made up of a range of dedicated skaters, officials and volunteers. The bolts team wear blue and white with lightning-patterned pants. ARDL play teams from other leagues and across the globe, and is a member of the

Women's Flat Track Derby Association The Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) is the international governing body for the sport of women's flat track roller derby, and association of leagues around the world. The organization was founded in April 2004 as the United Leagues Co ...

(WFTDA).

History

The league was founded in 2011 by a group of skaters from the

Pirate City Rollers Pirate City Rollers is a women's flat track roller derby league based in Auckland. Founded in 2006, the league is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History and organization Pirate City founded by Black Dahlia, who had ...

. They planned to reduce their use of derby names, and to wear more traditional sporting uniforms. Described by the ''

Derby News Network Derby News Network (DNN), based in Baltimore, was an internet broadcast network, founded in 2007, which featured the women's skating sport of roller derby. DNN used the internet to collect remote streaming video Video on demand (VOD) is a med ...

'' as "some of the most experienced derby skaters in the Southern Hemisphere", they were soon joined by Anna "Wonton Destruction" Wong, the founder of Bristol Roller Derby in England.Beck Wise,
Feature Preview: The Great Southern Slam
, ''

'', 8 June 2012 Auckland competed in the 2012

Great Southern Slam The Great Southern Slam (TGSS) is the largest competitive roller derby event in the Southern Hemisphere, contested by teams from New Zealand and Australia. It is held bi-annually in Adelaide in South Australia. TGSS was created and continues ...

, losing 202-66 to the

Victorian Roller Derby League 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. VR ...

, but beating the Newcastle Roller Derby League 107-89. They did not progress to the semi-finals. In August, Auckland played at the first national tournament in New Zealand, beating Richter City in the semi-final, and the Swamp City Roller Rats in the final, to take the trophy. In October 2012, Auckland was accepted as a member of the

Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice The Women's Flat Track Derby Association Apprentice is the program affiliate of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). In operation from 2009 until early 2019, the Apprentice Program served to onboard new member leagues into the WFTDA. ...

Programme.22 Leagues Join WFTDA Apprentice Program
, WFTDA, 18 October 2012 In January 2016, ARDL was accepted as WFTDA full members.

WFTDA rankings

*''NR'' = no end-of-year ranking supplied

References

{{reflist Roller derby leagues in New Zealand Roller derby leagues established in 2011 Sport in Auckland 2011 establishments in New Zealand