Protection Requirements

To protect the insurance policy and eliminate the chance of injury as well as safeguard all skaters, The RDC policy is that All skaters need to wear full protective gear when on skates. Knee, elbow, wrist, helmet and mouthguard (Skating Officials do not need a mouth guard unless participating in contact drills). This means at warm up, before and after a game. The only time a helmet can be removed is during the National Anthem at which time the skater must be stationary (skaters do not need to take a knee). This is a RDC policy that each league needs to adopt within their own safety policy and league bylaws.

Leagues will govern themselves, setting their own league requirements, age level, mixed adults and/or Junior skaters.
The league’s board of directors are responsible for ensuring the safety of the league if you do not have a safety committee member already assigned please have someone in place to create and maintain safety policies and guidelines for leagues and Venues.  

WFTDA (Women's Flat Track Derby Association) has Risk Management Guidelines that all leagues should follow, find out more here

As long as a practice/training session is approved by the league and their Board of Directors they are covered by RDC.  Individuals who decide to hold a personal session on their own without league approval and skaters who are skating during their own leisure time are not covered under our accident policy.

Outdoor practices and skating/training sessions are covered under RDC as long as it is a league event and is approved by the Board of Directors. Leagues can hold practice sessions, outdoor trail skates and skatepark events as long as they are board approved and follow thier provincial Covid-19 guidelines.  

A person with a First Aid certification (that can be verified) is acceptable for a game and this person would NOT be covered by RDC insurance policy. This person would need to be covered for liability under their own professional body, i.e. St John's or other. Please note that people who provide first aid are covered under the Good Samaritan Act and must first ask the injured party for permission to perform first aid.  

For games each league should have at least 2 people with basic First Aid Certification available trackside. This allows the game to continue should one of the medics have to attend to a skater or spectator. For practices each league should have at least one person with basic First Aid Certification. 

Leagues will govern and set a league policy for minimum skills for travel teams, house teams and low contact teams. Skaters must be benchmarked at the league set level before playing in games and scrimmages for safety.  

We encourage leagues to have their own policy in place for pregnant skaters. All skaters are covered for injuries incurred while playing roller derby but the RDC accident insurance plan/policy will not cover injuries that affect any pregnancy, be the pregnancy declared or not. It would be a good idea for leagues to request a letter from any pregnant skaters physician with approval for skating and/or contact while skating.  

RDC membership covers skaters for injuries incurred while playing roller derby under the Accident Insurance Policy, there is no age restriction. Our general liability policy we carry covers skater to skater liability. Most leagues require skaters to be at least 18 years old for senior derby. Some leagues require skaters to be 19 because of provincial drinking laws and some require that skaters be over 21. This is each individual league's policy – not RDC policy. For leagues affiliated with junior roller derby RDC does not have a starting age requirement. RDC does however require that leagues operating both senior and junior roller derby have a safety policy that ensures the safety of the minors. We can provide examples of safety policies and plans to help leagues set these standards. 

We recommend that every league follow JRDA standards for levels of play, rules, and code of conduct. 

RDC has no restrictions on junior and senior skaters. It is each leagues decision how they choose to regulate such practices and games. It is also each leagues choice to have junior and senior skaters on the track together. If you choose to have mixed games and practices that involve junior and senior skaters it is highly recommended that each league has a safety plan in place. 

RDC does not carry Liquor Liability insurance. You MUST have Liquor Liability insurance if you sell liquor at any games or events you have for a derby related event. You face provincial fines from the liquor board if you do not comply with the provincial laws for selling liquor.

As the impact of COVID-19 has been disruptive to our roller derby community, safety and health remains our top priority. RDC requests that each league monitor information and advice of the public health authorities in their respective provincial/territorial jurisdictions, as well as that of their municipal and/or local health authorities to assess the risks and to make the best decision for their league.