Hogtown Roller Derby (formerly GTA Rollergirls) is Toronto’s first not-for-profit flat track roller derby league, formed in the Spring of 2007 by Cynthia Brooks, aka Splat Benatar #27.
Adhering to a not-for-profit business model, Hogtown Roller Derby is a skater supported league. We pay monthly dues to cover all league costs, and the financials are open to all members of the league. Each and every skater at Hogtown contributes their talents to make roller derby happen from the ground up.
Our skaters lead very busy lives. We are students, teachers, mothers, public health nurses, scientists, office workers and business owners. Despite the different daily lives we live, we are all united on the track by our love of roller derby.
In 2009, the Derby Debutantes had their breakout season, competing in 11 events against teams from across Canada and the United States. With the widespread interest in this fantastic sport, 2010 was a year of growth for the league and a second team was introduced, the Chrome Mollys. In 2011 the league we were accepted into the WFTDA apprentice program and a new travel team, the G-sTARs, was created to represent our membership on the WFTDA stage.
In 2013 we were welcomed into the WFTDA as full members with the G-sTARs competing in sanctioned games in Canada and the United states. Our Derby Debutantes became our only home team, representing us locally and competing against teams around Ontario.
In 2018 the GTA Rollergirls took on a new name, Hogtown Roller Derby and both teams were renamed. The Derby Debutantes became the Debu-Taunts, and the G-sTARs became the Horror.
The name Hogtown comes from the historical nickname for the city we call home, Toronto. Additionally the name was selected to do a better job of representing our members and our sport. Hogtown is made up of Skaters, Officials and a dedicated group of volunteers, our organization values the contributions of all it’s members. We are a family before we are a sports league and we want to continually strive to create a space where everyone feels welcomed, heard and included.
Hogtown is an inclusive league, and there are no tryouts. We welcome skaters of all levels who have a positive attitude and want to play roller derby. We will train you from the ground up, with safety first in mind. Some of our best skaters tried on skates for their first time ever with Hogtown. We adhere to WFTDA derby rules and regulations.
We skate for the love of the sport and we want you to share our love.
We are based in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada.
