Southern Discomfort Roller Derby
Southern Discomfort Roller Derby (SDRD) is a men's roller derby league based in London, England. Founded in 2010, the league consists of two teams which compete against teams from other leagues. The league was founded in November 2010, initially as a south of England representative team. After playing a single bout, it remained inactive until August 2011, when it was refounded on a permanent basis. In September, the SDRD played a further game against a North of England team, then later in the year it suffered its first defeat to a mixed team of skaters  from two new leagues: The Inhuman League from Sheffield, and Tyne and Fear Roller Derby from Newcastle. Late in 2011, Southern Discomfort was involved in two firsts for the UK: the first international men's bout, against Roller Derby Toulouse, and the first women vs men game, against the London Rockin' Rollers. In 2013, Southern Discomfort skater "Sutton Impact" said the league's greatest rivalry was with Toulouse. In 2012, Southern Discomfort won the first Men's European Roller Derby Championships, and also played a hard-fought game against the New York Shock Exchange on their tour of Europe. In  December, Southern Discomfort was accepted as one of the first three non-American members of the Men's Roller Derby Association (MRDA). They followed this in May 2013 by competing in the Big O tournament in Eugene, Oregon, at which they played several other MRDA leagues. In 2017 Southern Discomfort competed in MRDA Champs in Wales, the first time this level of tournament had been held outside of North America in the men's game. During the tournament SDRD bested Puget Sound (Seattle), but were beaten by Portland Men's Roller Derby, also known as Bridgetown Roller Derby, and the  Aftershocks from San Diego. Southern Discomfort finished 4th in this tournament, ahead of its European rivals. In 2018, Southern Discomfort competed in Champs, this time hosted in Salem, Oregon, by Portland Men's Roller Derby. Southern Discomfort went into the tournament ranked third, but following an unexpected defeat to Vancouver Murder, dropped in their post-tournament ranking to 11th. Southern Discomfort are currently ranked 5th in the world.