Proud members of the WFTDA!

To find out more about the WFTDA, visit www.wftda.com

Frequently Asked Questions:

To find out more about Fort Wayne Derby Girls, check out our FAQ.

Our History:

We are Fort Wayne’s only and Indiana’s first all-female, flat track roller derby league. Our season runs from January through April and our home bouts are held at the Coliseum. With the resurgence of roller derby across the country, our goal was to create Indiana’s first all-female roller derby league. We were founded in October 2005 and have since grown from 5 skaters to 50.

We held our first public bout at Roller Dome South in May 2006 to a sold out crowd of 1,200. Our first full season consisted of 4 bouts between two exhibition teams in 2006. In January 2007, our all-star team, the Bomb Squad, made its debut against the Gem City Rollergirls from Dayton, OH. Since then, the Bomb Squad has played the Naptown Rollergirls, The Windy City Rollers, The Chi-Town Sirens, Grand Raggidy Rollergirls, Rocky Mountain Rollergirls, The Chicago Outfit, Grand Raggidy’s Rebelles, the Mitten Kittens, CT Rollergirls, Madison's Dairyland Dolls, Cincinnati's Black Sheep, Ohio Rollergirls All Stars, BrewCity Bruisers, Arch Rival Rollergirls and Burning River Rollergirls.

In early 2007, we made a move to the PLEX and held 5 out of 6 of our 2007 home bouts there. We also formed three home teams: Alpha Dollz, Little Arsenic Annies and The Smokin’ Guns.

For our 2008 season, we featured 2 home teams, the Smokin' Guns and the Lucky Harmers and played our bouts at the PLEX. For 2009, we have dissolved our home teams and will feature 2 interleague teams, the Bomb Squad and the SWAT Team. All of our bouts will be double headers held at the Coliseum.

Mission Statement:

The Fort Wayne Derby Girls encourages community involvement from all socio-economic groups in Fort Wayne and its surrounding communities. The league embodies the strength, courage, and vitality of Fort Wayne women but also serves to provide another form of semi-professional athletic entertainment to the Summit City.

Fort Wayne Derby Girls encourages its members to contribute to the community through both volunteering and monetary contributions to Fort Wayne charities. The skating program includes regular supervised training and instruction for city competition between 2 home teams. These competitions serve to train and prepare skaters for travel team selection. The travel team, the Bomb Squad, which is comprised of 14 permanent members and 6 alternates, represents Fort Wayne in national competitions.

Sponsorships, fundraising, and event ticket sales are the primary financial means of the league. Roller girls are not financially compensated for skating and must pay monthly dues to secure practice space.

Skaters must meet the following requirements:

- Female
- At least 18 yrs of age
- Have current health insurance
- Be willing to skate up to 3 times a week
- Supply own gear (skates, knee/elbow pads, wrist/mouth guards and helmet)

What are others saying about us?

Dot Matrix, co-captain of the Grand Raggidy Roller Girls Traveling All Star Team, sent the following to Bang Bang LaDesh, captain of the Bomb Squad, after our bout with them on June 30: All I can say is WOW! I had such an amazing time. Your team, your league and your fans were all so welcoming. It was a great pleasure to play there. I swear, that was the best after party I have ever been to! It’s funny how much fun things are when you just get back to basics! Fortunately the excitement from that game will last much longer than the sharpie tattoos! It was the most exciting game I have ever played in. Huge congrats back at your team for an amazing fight right to the finish and thanks for the high level of sportswomanship from your team. In a game like that, as cliché as it sounds, it’s not whether you win or lose and the Bomb Squad played a HELL OF A GAME!

After our bout with Gem City on January 6, 2007, Bob Noxious posted the following on the Announcer's board: “As you pump up Baltimore, let me say the FORT WAYNE DERBY GIRLS were WELCOMED TO WFTDA YESTERDAY!! And, they will be a team to be reckoned with too. Of my top 16, I think FWDG has the ability to upset anyone 9-16. Doesn't mean they'd be favored to win, but if they played all 8 they'd probably surprise a few of them. Though I've never seen Dallas nor Ohio, and hear great things from everyone about them, Fort Wayne, whom many fans/leagues probably aren’t as aware of, is the best first-year league I've ever seen play.”

Baam Baam, also a guest announcer from Madison, WI posted the following bulletin on myspace on September 21, 2006: "Derby Love is Alive in Fort Wayne! As well as ass kicking. I thought that I would mention to the derby world that Ft. Wayne Derby Girls are right up there bout wise with some of the more established leagues. Plus their hospitality rivals that of Texas (but not quite). Look out Midwest, could there possibly be a new contender for the conference?"

Bob Noxious, a guest announcer from Madison, WI posted the following on his blog, "July 15, 2006- Fort Wayne, IN, calling Good vs. Evil - Baam and I smoke the mics and watch what may be the best 2nd-ever bout a league could have. Be afraid, The Fort will be tough - you heard it here first!"

Ref Raff, a guest referee from the Windy City Rollers, located in Chicago, states "I also ref for GRRD and Ft. Wayne, and the scores are already dropping after a few bouts. After seeing how well Ft. Wayne improved after only one bout, they could be a league to fear in interleague rivalry."