Thunder on the track: CRDL’s grand final and your chance to join the action
Posted on
The thunder of wheels on polished wood, the crack of body-on-body contact, the roar of the crowd – Canberra Roller Derby League is bringing the heat this Saturday, 22 November, with a grand final double header that’s set to be the most electrifying night of the season.
Head to Evelyn Scott School in Denman Prospect to watch CRDL’s own Surly Griffins and Red Bellied Black Hearts go head-to-head with visiting powerhouses Northern Beaches Roller Derby League and Sydney Roller Derby League. After a season of nail-bitingly close games and fierce competition, these four teams are ready to leave everything on the track.
It’s been a massive year for CRDL, with both home teams showing serious skill and grit throughout the season. The camaraderie between Canberra’s league and their Sydney friends has added an extra layer of excitement to 2025, and this double header is the perfect celebration of a year’s worth of speed, strategy, and spectacular athleticism.
Whether you’re a derby devotee or you’ve never seen a jam in your life, these bouts deliver non-stop action that’s impossible to look away from. You’ll witness some of the country’s finest skaters demonstrating their strength, agility, and style as they battle it out on the flat track – all wrapped up in local entertainment and that unmistakably welcoming community vibe that makes CRDL special.
Tickets can be purchased online at crdl.com.au (sales close at 2 pm on game day) or at the door on the night. Bring the family, bring your mates, and prepare for fast-paced thrills and spills that’ll have you on the edge of your seat.
Ever watched roller derby and thought “I want to do that”?
Credit: Mark Zouroudis.
For Hex (they/them), that moment came as a teenager. “I remember watching a derby game and thinking it looked so badass,” they recall. Derby stayed firmly on their ‘badass wish list’ until they finally decided to just give it a go with CRDL’s Learn to Skate program in 2025.
Vicious Blockery (he/him) had a different path back to the track. After skating juniors as a kid, life got in the way – but the pull of derby never faded. “I always wanted to get back into it as soon as possible,” he says. Once he’d had top surgery and convinced his friends to join him (so they could drive him to training), he signed up for freshies without hesitation.
Both skaters are now graduating from Learn to Skate into full bouting status, and their experiences capture exactly what makes CRDL’s training program so special. It’s not just about learning to skate backwards or mastering transitions (though Hex admits those were highlights). It’s not even just about learning to safely hit people (Vicious Blockery’s favourite part of Learn to Derby). It’s about the people.
“These are the nicest, most fun people playing the greatest, most fun sport,” Vicious Blockery enthuses. “Everyone is so different – some people you’d never be in the same circle as – but you all have this common love of derby, and it makes it such a fun place to be!”
For Hex, who describes themselves as “generally pretty anti-peopling,” the supportive culture was transformative.
“Learning (and falling!!) together just makes you forget your anxiety for a hot minute,” they explain. That confidence built on wheels has translated into confidence off them too.
“I feel much more confident in the physical space I take up and the things I’m capable of,” says Vicious Blockery.
“I never liked sports or exercise growing up because it just wasn’t fun, but roller derby is so much fun that now I love exercising and feel good in my body like I never have before!”
Credit: Average Jo Photography.
CRDL’s training program runs in two phases – Learn to Skate and Learn to Derby – each lasting approximately eight weeks. Learn to Skate covers the foundations (falling safely, transitions, stops), while Learn to Derby introduces the rules and technical skills needed for gameplay. The trainers’ genuine love for the sport is infectious, creating an environment where newcomers feel welcome from day one.
Expressions of interest for the 2026 program are open now at crdl.com.au/freshies. CRDL’s trainers will contact everyone in early 2026 with full program details.
So whether you’re coming to watch Saturday’s grand final spectacular or you’re ready to lace up your own skates in 2026, Canberra Roller Derby League is waiting. As Hex puts it: “Derby is great! You feel so powerful when you’re doing it.”
And really, who doesn’t want to feel that powerful?
Feature image: Mark Zouroudis.
