Derby on a roll with new headquarters

New sports and community venue The Track will open to the public on Saturday, marking a new era of community events.

The Albany Roller Derby League facilitated the building of The Track, which was built by MCB Construction.

ARDL member Julie Bryne-King said the league would manage The Track to encourage community partnerships.

“ARDL has been growing every year and we needed a training facility to meet our growing needs and flexibility for weekends and after-hours training times, as many of our skaters are working parents who need after-hours options,” she said. “We also wanted to provide more skating programs for all ages and genders.

“The Track has a concrete floor space of 825sqm ideal for roller sports, ball sports and any groups needing a medium-sized venue.”

The ARDL was formed in 2014 and has since grown to 40 members, travelling regularly to compete against other teams in WA.

Ms Bryne-King said the venue allowed the league to host games against visiting teams.

“The Track will also host the Healthway-funded Act-Belong-Commit Skate Like a Girl program, which is a targeted program for girls ages 12-17,” she said.

“The Track will also be the venue for junior rollerskating sessions for children aged seven years and up, kindly supported by Bendigo Bank, and both programs have been well received by the community and are full for term one.”

The Track has a mezzanine floor space available for hire to community and fitness groups.

The open day will start at 4pm.

Albany Mountain Bike Club will be running a fundraising barbecue on the day and food van Cultcha Kitchen will provide food alongside the canteen.

The venue is at 300 Roundhay Road, Gledhow.