Roller derby officials

Skating Officials

Also known as Referees, they (try to!) keep us on the right side of the Rules of Flat Track Roller Derby, and without them we wouldn't be able to play.

If you’ve been to see a game, you’ll have seen the referees skating around the inside and outside of the track watching gameplay and whistling for penalties. They’re the ones in stripey black-and-white tops, earning them the nickname ‘Zebras’. We need 5-7 referees for a game of roller derby so if you train to be a ref with us, you’ll always be in high demand! We love officials!

To train as a ref, you first need to learn to skate, which you can do through our Glasgow Roller Recruits program. There’s also loads of information on officiating on the WFTDA website.

Non-Skating Officials (NSOs)

NSOs are also essential to roller derby gameplay: they whistle to start every jam, time and record penalties, keep the score and plenty else besides. Often they are skaters as well, but we do have NSOs who don’t play the game so there’s a role (roll?) for you even if you don’t want to be on eight wheels!

You’ll see them standing inside the track or sitting behind the scoreboard laptop, usually wearing an entirely black outfit, clutching a pencil and clipboard. They used to wear pink t-shirts, earning the nickname “Flamingoes” which has stuck about longer than the t-shirts did…

Get involved

Want to join us as a skating official or NSO? Get in touch - we’d love to have you! Click the link below, fill out the form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.