The Great Southern Slam returning to Adelaide

The world’s biggest roller derby tournament is returning to Adelaide. That’s right – The Great Southern Slam (TGSS) 2024 is a go! Strap yourself in for three days of hard hits, quick feet, and endless good times as the biennial competition returns to the Adelaide Showground over the June long weekend.

From June 8-10, 2024, local, national, and international derby teams will converge on the Adelaide Showground from every corner of Australia and New Zealand to battle it out on the track once more, with 45 teams will competing in 65 games across three divisions.

Hosted by Adelaide Roller Derby, the event will also double as a showcase for local artisans and world-wide skate brands alike, with a marketplace featuring stalls from Adelaide’s “Craft Queen” Calamity Tash to internationally popular skate company Riedell Skates.

To add to the excitement, this year the2024 TGSS Division 1 will act as the inaugural Women’s Flat Track DerbyAssociation (WFTDA) Regional Championships for the Oceania Region, with two teams set to go through to the World Championships held in Portland, Oregon USA in November.

WFTDA, the umbrella organisation for roller derby internationally, launched a new rankings system in June 2023 to create a regionally based competitive structure, with TGSS receiving recognition as the preeminent tournament in the Oceania region.  The region, comprised of Australia and New Zealand, was allocated two spots in the Global Championships, meaning that the top two teams from TGSS will earn themselves a ticket to the Global Champs to be held in Portland, Oregon in November of this year.

The current top five teams vying for the coveted tickets are the respective A teams from Victorian Roller Derby League (VRDL), Brisbane City Rollers (BCR), Sun State Roller Derby (SUN), Adelaide Roller Derby (ADRD), and Perth Roller Derby (VRDL). As the seventh-ranked team internationally, VRDL are the tournament favourites, but homegrown hopefuls ADRD will be looking to repeat their TGSS 2022 results, where they placed second.

ADRD skater and TGSS committee member Alex Knopoff – who plays under the alias ‘Rage Ruthless’ – said: “Adelaide Roller Derby is so excited to be hosting The Great Southern Slam once again. Fifteen years on from our first tournament, TGSS is the must-attend event of the Australia/New Zealand roller derby calendar and it’s fantastic to have that recognised internationally through being selected as the WFTDA Regional Championship for Oceania. “Putting on a tournament of this scale is a massive undertaking that is only possible due to the hard work of a small group of volunteers – it’s truly a labour of love. On top of that, many of us are also participants, with both our A and B teams in this year’s competition. We (the A team) have been training hard and we’re really hoping to place in the top two to earn our ticket to World Champs.” Hosted by Adelaide Roller Derby and held at the Adelaide Showground in the heart of South Australia, The GreatSouthern Slam is a biennial roller derby tournament that has attracted over5000 athletes and spectators over the June long weekend. Roller derby is played worldwide, with The Great Southern Slam the centrepiece of competition in Australia! Spectators are welcome with pre-sale weekend passes now available via Humanitix for $65 + booking fee. Day passes are available online and at the door for $25 for Saturday and Sunday, and $35 for the Finals on Monday. Under-12 tickets start at just $10 a day. The Great Southern Slam 2024 June 8-10 2024 Adelaide Showground, South Australia, Australia For more information, head to the website greatsouthernslam.com.au