2018 WFTDA Continental Cups Hosts and Locations Released
The WFTDA is proud to announce its partnership with the member-leagues that will host the 2018 WFTDA Continental Cups series in North America and Europe. The Continental Cups are set up with the format that best fits the rankings needs of each region. The two North American Cups are three-day events with 12 competing teams, while the European Cup is a two-day event with eight competing teams.
The first ever WFTDA Continental Cup for the North America East region will take place August 17–19, 2018 in beautiful Kalamazoo, Michigan hosted by the Kalamazoo Derby Darlins.
The Kalamazoo Derby Darlins have been a WFTDA member since 2010, won two WFTDA Division 2 bronze medals, hosted the 2013 International WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs and are the hosts of the long-standing WFTDA-Recognized Tournament K-Town Shakedown.
The North America West region Continental Cup will be hosted by the Omaha Rollergirls August 24–26, 2018. Formed in 2006 and a full WFTDA member league since 2008, Omaha Rollergirls have competed in four WFTDA Playoffs since 2012. They also hosted the 2015 International WFTDA Division 1 Playoffs at the same venue they plan to use for the Continental Cup.
We are very excited to announce that Birmingham Blitz Dames will be hosting the European Continental Cup in Birmingham, United Kingdom October 27–28. Birmingham Blitz Dames was founded in 2006 and joined the WFTDA in 2015. The league is a proud founder of the UKRDA, the national governing body for roller sports in the United Kingdom. This will be the Birmingham Blitz Dames’ first experience with a WFTDA Tournament.
We are very proud of all of our member leagues who submitted bids and encourage you to continue to apply for opportunities in the future. Please join us in congratulating these three leagues as they take on the very first Continental Cup tournaments on behalf of their fellow WFTDA Members.
“Rolling out a new program is always an exciting challenge.” Says WFTDA President Molly Stenzel. “We are grateful to all our member leagues who supported the regional development of our sport by submitting bids and encourage all our membership to continue to apply for host opportunities. Join us in congratulating these three leagues as they take on the very first Continental Cup tournaments on behalf of their fellow WFTDA Members.”
WFTDA Continental Cups Dates and Locations
North America East
August 17–19, 2018
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Hosted by Kalamazoo Derby Darlins
North America West
August 24–26, 2018
Omaha, Nebraska
Hosted by Omaha Rollergirls
Europe
October 27–28, 2018
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Hosted by Birmingham Blitz Dames
About the Continental Cups System and WFTDA Playoffs and Championships
The International WFTDA Playoffs and Championships in 2018 will showcase the top 28 teams in the world based on June 30 global rankings. The top four ranked teams will automatically receive an invitation and top seeding at the International WFTDA Championships in November. The next 24 ranked teams will be seeded by competitive S-curve seeding into two Playoffs tournaments with the top three teams from each tournament receiving invitations to Championships.
Teams ranked below the International WFTDA Playoffs range will be seeded into the new regional Continental Cup tournaments and announced on July 16, 2018. The WFTDA Continental Cups represent the play previously served by the Division 2 structure, and in 2018 serve 32 teams through the three regional tournaments.
Each year, the WFTDA Competitive Play Committee will determine the number and structure of the Continental Cup tournaments based on the competitive needs of regions globally. This system is scalable and allows for regions to be split or combined and for events to be added in future years. These events are operated by WFTDA-member league hosts using the WFTDA’s competitive brackets and per WFTDA requirements, with the ability to tailor the event to suit the needs of the region and host.
For more information on the 2018 and 2019 competitive structures, please see our Latest News post here.