join our rookie intake 2024

Interested in giving roller derby a try? We’d love to have you!

Our Rookie scheme is for people of all abilities who are curious about roller derby and want to give it a go.

We work with you, so you can learn at your own pace and move up to our main league training sessions as soon as you are ready.

Our coaches are experienced in helping at all skill and fitness levels. It doesn’t matter if you have been on skates since childhood, or have never been on skates before. We are here to show you the basics and, in time, train you to become an ARDL team skater!

how it works

Typically we run a 10 week Rookie intake 1-3 times a year. In this course you’ll learn the basic skating skills you’ll need to play roller derby. We focus on safety, so your first few lessons will be all about how to fall and stop safely, then we’ll build up from there.

We have skates and gear available to borrow (for free!), which includes: helmets, wrist guards, elbow pads and knee pads. In saying that, our second-hand skates/gear stocks are running a bit low, so it's first come first served. If you have any of your own gear, or could get your hands on some, please bring it along! If we run out of ARDL gear, don't worry: ActivZone has heaps of skates available for a small hireage fee ($4).

If you prefer to have your own equipment from the beginning, you'll need the following: skates (complete with wheels and toe stops), a helmet, wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads and mouth guard. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any questions about roller derby gear.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST

Email the team at aucklandrollerderby@gmail.com to register your interest for our next Rookie intake. When we have new dates confirmed, we’ll email those who have sent enquiries and update this page.

You can also join our Non-Skating Officials (NSO) team and get a head-start! Being an NSO is a great way to learn how derby works and get involved in the community. Get in touch with us today to see how you can get involved early.