Tough Times For The World Champ Rollers

It’s seems such a shame for a league like the Rose City Rollers to be facing such hard times.

The league’s top team, Wheels of Justice, just recently won its THIRD WFTDA championship.  I found this gem from their 2016 championship match, which attracted hundreds of people to Veterans Memorial Coliseum;

It was on national television!!

Everyone likes a winner, right?

Apparently not so much in Portland.

It’s been reported since early this year, the local roller derby league needs a new, bigger place to play.

Woes for the Rose City Rollers’ rest primarily with the usual — money.

The league is a non-profit entity and just like every other sports league, they rely largely on ticket sales to drive revenue.

That’s where the Rollers have a new problem.

Basically, the Rollers are bringing too many people into too small a space.  The league is now required to dramatically slash attendance at “The Hangar” at Oaks Park in order to meet fire code.

Dramatically lower attendance means dramatically fewer ticket sales, which means dramatically lower revenue — and you get the picture.

When I had the chance to speak with the Rollers’ communications director, I really got the sense the league is in dire need of a break.

It sounds like they don’t currently have the money to buy a proper space to play and they won’t be able to generate enough new revenue to get there, at least not in the short term.

The Rollers tell me they will consider spaces to rent, but that purchasing property would be preferred.

If you think you can help, here is a link for additional info.