Get ready New Yorkers –
Gotham Roller Derby's Season Opener is Saturday, June 3!
Brooklyn Bombshells and Queens of Pain will face off in our 2023 season opener. Who will win? Be there to find out - purchase tickets now!
Doors at 5:30 pm
Game at 6 pm
LeFrak Center at Lakeside
in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
As you all know, the repercussions of the pandemic have been vast. Gotham Roller Derby, NYC's only flat track roller derby league and founding member of the WFTDA, has faced innumerable setbacks in an attempt to rebuild. Because of your generous support over the past few years, we've been able to host a few mash-up games, deliver some paid programming for both adults and juniors, and even engage in some interleague play.
If you live in NYC, you know how difficult it is to find affordable real estate (or, frankly, any real estate). Add in our very specific spacing needs and you can imagine that our space search has been very difficult. Despite all this and many other setbacks along the way, we have found a new home for Gotham — but we need help now more than ever.
In order to secure this space and pay for the necessary construction costs it needs to be functional, we need to raise $600,000 in a very short amount of time. This space will benefit more than just the denizens of Gotham — other NYC skate groups will be able to rent out the space to use as well, bringing more access to roller skating in the Brooklyn and Queens area.
Our goal is intimidating, but so are we. Will you join us in continuing NYC's history of roller derby and roller skating excellance?
To donate, please visit www.mightycause.com/organization/gotham. Want to connect and share any ideas? Please reach out to fundraising@ggrd.nyc — we look forward to hearing from you!
photo by David Dyte
If you are interested or know a good candidate, please reach out. Candidates are not required to be active or former league members. Please read the outline below and reach out to the board (bod@ggrd.nyc) if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
Board of Directors
As a non-profit organization, Gotham is led by a Board of Directors. This Board serves as the organization’s governing body, and works together with Gotham’s annually elected Advisory Board (AB) which administers all day-to-day and operational issues.
In compliance with state and federal law, Directors act as the fiduciaries responsible for the financial, legal, and public interest activities of the organization. Specific Director responsibilities include:
Advancing the league’s mission
Approving the annual operating budget and reviewing all major financial plans (including, but not limited to, lease signing, borrowing, investing, and negotiating major contracts)
Coordinating annual tax filings and financial audits
Assuming responsibility on behalf of the organization for legal issues and lawsuits
Overseeing paid employee annual compensation and performance
Recruitment and planning for succession – specifically in collaboration with the league’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
The Board currently has 6 members and maintains active officer positions. Directors are nominated and approved by a selection committee consisting of the full board and a minimum of two active league members.
Commitment
Time: Directors serve a term of two years, up to a maximum of 6 consecutive years. Typically, the Board holds monthly meetings but makes special arrangements to meet more frequently or to meet with AB members as needed. In addition, Directors are expected to attend at least 1 annual league meeting and at least 2 Gotham games annually.
Total personal time commitment is estimated between 5-10 hours monthly.
Finances: Gotham currently has no give/get policy in place.
Directors are expected to participate in league fundraising – through organizing events or campaigns, supporting league initiatives, soliciting gifts and donations, and other means.
Expertise
The current Board comes from a range of backgrounds. Gotham is in a transitional period, navigating a variety of organizational issues, and additional expertise is sought in the following areas:
Fundraising & event planning
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Finance/investment
Human Resources
Strategic Planning
Architecture/Construction/MEP fields
Non-profit management
Marketing/social media
Video/visual media arts
Board governance and expansion
Web development
Community building with local gov’t and community organizations
School systems/youth
Legal experience
Professional athletic organizations connection or experience
Photo by Christina Morillo
Gotham Roller Derby’s 2022 Season concludes on Sunday, October 9! These are the last games this year that Gotham will host at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
The evening kicks off at 6:00 PM with the Gotham junior skaters playing their very own mash-up game! At 7:30 PM, the All-Boro Monster Mash-Up game will pit the Vampigeons against the Were-Rats, celebrating the spooky fall season and bringing back the teams that went head-to-head in our June mash-up!
The final game will combine jammers, blockers, and pivots from every home team, and highlight some of the league’s newest upcoming skaters – their collective chemistry together could make all the difference on the track. You’ll have to head to Prospect Park on the late afternoon of October 9 to find out which of these spine-chilling teams comes out on top to close out 2022!
Photo by Jena Cumbo
Gotham Roller Derby’s Home Team Season is starting Saturday, July 23! This is the first of three monthly double-headers — happening in July, August, and September — that Gotham will host at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. More information regarding game times and tickets is available here.
This double-header will pit the Queens of Pain against the Manhattan Mayhem, followed by the Brooklyn Bombshells facing off against The Bronx Gridlock. Doors open at 5:30 PM, the Queens vs Manhattan game starts at 6:00 PM, and Brooklyn vs the Bronx starts at 8:00 PM.
It’s been more than two years since our interborough teams have met up on the track. In 2019, Manhattan beat Queens by 66 points, and The Bronx defeated Brooklyn with a 42 point win. This year’s teams boast new jammer, blocker, and pivot combinations that could make all the difference on the track. You’ll have to head to Prospect Park on July 23 to find out which of these teams come out on top in 2022!
Founded in 2003, Gotham Roller Derby is New York City’s only skater-operated roller derby league for cisgender, transgender and intersex women and gender non-conforming participants. The league is comprised of strong, diverse, and independent members, and our nonprofit is proud to be committed to fostering competition, collaboration, and community, while representing our city on and off the track.
Photo by Sean Hale
Header photo by Stephanie Zakas
