 | |
| Metro area | Birmingham |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Dissolved | July 2021 |
| Teams | All Stars (A team) Bomb Squad (B team) |
| Track type | Flat |
| Venue | Futsal, Newtown, Birmingham |
| Affiliations | WFTDA |
| Org. type | non-profit |
| Website | birminghamblitzdames |
Birmingham Blitz Dames (BBD) was a women's flat trackroller derby league based inBirmingham inEngland. Founded in 2006, the league was a member of theWomen's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).[1]
BBD was founded in October 2006 by American transplant Brenda Bentley (Bee Sting née Iva Issues), who introduced roller derby to the West Midlands.[2] The league was the first to form in the UK outside London,[3] and was originally named theBirmingham Blitz Derby Dames. They took part in Europe's first roller derby tournament, Roll Britannia in 2009, hosted by theLondon Rollergirls. The tournament featured 12 teams from the UK and Germany, and was held at the historicEarls Court Exhibition Centre in London, England.[4]
In 2009 the league was restructured and the name shortened to the Birmingham Blitz Dames. The league had two travel teams and over 70 members, recruiting and training new skaters on an ongoing basis.
The Dames were founder members of theUK Roller Derby Association.[5]
Two skaters from the league were selected for theRoller Derby World Cup in 2011: Violet Attack forTeam England,[6] and Roisin Roulette forTeam Ireland.[7] In 2014 Roisin Roulette was again selected to compete for Team Ireland in the2014 Roller Derby World Cup held in Dallas, Texas.[8]
In 2021, it was announced that Birmingham Blitz Dames would merge withCentral City Roller Derby to formBirmingham Roller Derby.[9]
Birmingham joined theWFTDA Apprentice Program in October 2014,[10] and became a full member of the WFTDA in September 2015.[11]
| Season | Final ranking[12] | Playoffs | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | NR | DNQ | DNQ |
| 2016 | 179 WFTDA[13] | DNQ | DNQ |
| 2017 | 85 WFTDA[14] | DNQ | DNQ |
| Preceded by New competition | British Roller Derby Championships Tier 3 Champions 2015 | Succeeded by Incumbent |