WFTDA Releases June 30 Rankings and 2017 Playoffs Seeding
It’s one of the most highly anticipated days of the year in roller derby — WFTDA Playoffs seeding day! Today, the WFTDA released the June 30, 2017 rankings of its member leagues, which reflect games played through June 30, 2017, and are used to determine the seeding for the WFTDA Division 1 and 2 Playoffs.
The 2017 International WFTDA Playoffs and Championships tournaments showcase women’s flat track roller derby’s top athletes and teams on the track and on WFTDA.tv, creating some of the most competitive match-ups of the year.
The magnitude of roller derby’s global growth is evident in this year’s tournaments. The Malmö, Sweden, event marks the first time the WFTDA Playoffs will be hosted outside of North America. Host league Crime City Rollers will join five other European teams in that bracket. This is also the first year teams from South America (2×4 Roller Derby from Buenos Aires, Argentina) and New Zealand (Pirate City Rollers from Auckland, New Zealand) have qualified for the WFTDA Playoffs.
This year, the WFTDA announced a new tournament structure for the 2017 International WFTDA Playoffs and Championships, which combined the Division 2 (D2) Playoffs into a dual-track structure and stand-alone D2 Championship bracket, and reduced the number of Division 1 (D1) Playoffs to three events.
Brackets were created as eligible teams were split among the Playoffs brackets for each division using “S-curve” seeding. Two issues affecting eligibility were the WFTDA Board of Directors’ approval this year of the inclusion of membership Class C leagues, and two leagues were unable to complete the required four sanctioned games to compete in the Playoffs. Additional adjustments were made to the S-curve seeding to assign any tournament hosts grouped in the same bracket to a separate one, to account for any teams that declined the invitation, and to accommodate certain location requests made by participating teams. According to WFTDA seeding procedures, a league with a demonstrated, exceptionally large and dedicated fan base in close proximity to one of the Playoffs locations could be assigned to that location. Leagues that informed WFTDA of any significant financial or other hardship associated with travel to a particular Playoffs location could have also been approved to be swapped with an equally seeded team in a different bracket.
The Division 1 Playoffs include the top 36 eligible and participating teams ranked by the WFTDA. The top four finishers from each of the D1 Playoffs will advance to the 2017 International WFTDA Championships, which will be held Nov. 3-5 in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
D1 Playoffs: Seattle, WA, USA
Sept. 1-3, 2017
- Rose City Rollers
- Angel City Derby Girls
- Jacksonville Rollergirls
- Bay Area Derby
- Montreal Roller Derby
- Rat City Rollergirls
- Tampa Roller Derby
- 2×4 Roller Derby
- Windy City Rollers
- Ann Arbor Roller Derby
- Mad Rollin’ Dolls Roller Derby
- Charlottesville Derby Dames
D1 Playoffs: Malmö, Sweden
Sept. 8-10, 2017
- Gotham Girls Roller Derby
- Denver Roller Derby
- London Rollergirls
- Crime City Rollers
- Helsinki Roller Derby
- Rainy City Roller Derby
- Stockholm Roller Derby
- Detroit Roller Derby
- Kallio Rolling Rainbow
- Terminal City Rollergirls
- Calgary Roller Derby Association
- Charm City Roller Girls
D1 Playoffs: Dallas, TX, USA
Sept. 22-24, 2017
- Victorian Roller Derby League
- Texas Rollergirls
- Arch Rival Roller Derby
- Minnesota RollerGirls
- Atlanta Rollergirls
- Queen City Roller Girls
- Santa Cruz Derby Girls
- Philly Roller Derby
- Arizona Roller Derby
- Dallas Derby Devils
- Houston Roller Derby
- Wasatch Roller Derby
The Division 2 Playoffs and Championship tournament includes the next 16 WFTDA-ranked eligible and participating teams, and will be split into two brackets of eight teams each. The top two winners from each bracket will compete for the D2 Championship in Sunday’s Championship bracket.
D2 Playoffs and Championships: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Aug. 18-20, 2017
- Auld Reekie Roller Girls
- Tucson Roller Derby
- Paris Rollergirls
- Jet City Rollergirls
- Oklahoma Victory Dolls
- Middlesbrough Roller Derby
- Boston Roller Derby
- Ohio Roller Derby
- No Coast Derby Girls
- Pirate City Rollers
- Columbia Quad Squad
- Naptown Roller Derby
- Treasure Valley Rollergirls
- Bear City Roller Derby
- E-Ville Roller Derby
- Dublin Roller Derby
The 2017 tournament season begins Aug. 18 with the Division 2 Playoffs and Championships in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Brackets for all of the Playoffs and other details about the WFTDA’s biggest events of the year are available at WFTDA Tournament Central.