Roller Derby Develops “Farm Team” System Like Baseball

Women’s flat track roller derby has become so popular that many aspiring skaters are now assigned to developmental “farm” teams before they have a chance to skate in the big time.

These teams, sometimes referred to as “recreation leagues” allow a skater to develop her skills and determine if she has what it takes to skate with the toughest skaters in the league.  The idea is similar to that used by Major League Baseball, where a prospect might start in a rookie or single A league and then attempt to move up to the Big Show.

Quite often a new skater will spend as much as a year in the farm system before being brought up to the parent team.