Event of the Week: The Coastal Assassins Battle at the Beachside Brawl

7/04/2014

Fans of the Coastal Assassins had a treat the 22nd of March with the Coastal Assassins’ Roller Derby Beachside Brawl. The event, held at the Caloundra Indoor Stadium in Golden Beach, Queensland, featured two of the league’s teams battling other derby teams from the Sunshine Coast as well as tons of activities for families and roller derby supporters.

“Dusty Flya,” the treasurer for the Coastal Assassins, explained more about the league and their fundraisers. “Coastal Assassins Roller Derby are the Sunshine Coast Premier Roller Derby League,” she said. “We hold multiple events throughout the year to showcase our amazing sport and fundraise for our league.”

The Beachside Brawl was no different in terms of showing off the league’s roller derby skills. “Our A grade team the ‘Blood Diamonds’ and The B grade team the ‘Ace Invaders’ play off against teams from the surrounding areas,” said Dusty Flya. “The event include a licensed bar area, market stalls, a family friendly atmosphere and of course Roller Derby!”

To promote the family-friendly event, the league used both physical tactics as well as online promotion. “We used flyer drops to local shops, markets and attended community events, as well as a Facebook event page,” said Dusty Flya. “We utilized any community notice groups that we could find and arranged for a shout out in the local radio station.”

For Dusty Flya, the event was a great building block towards building a loyal fan base. “We had average numbers through the door but we are hoping to build on these figures for future events,” she said. “We have started to build a local fan base of supporters who attend all or events this is really helping on the night with the atmosphere and the crowd support for the skaters.”

In fact, Dusty Flya said the fan participation was one of the best parts of the event. “One of the best part for us was having a really supportive crowd,” she said. “Although the numbers were down on previous events our fans were really into the game and there was a great atmosphere. We aim to promote roller derby as a sport first and foremost and our regular attendees are appreciating the athleticism of the skaters and the strategy of the game as well as the spectacle that is roller derby.”

If you’re planning a similar event, Dusty Flya said to use all avenues for promotion. “Get the information out in the public any way you can, street teams, use any free marketing that is available,” she said.

You can learn more about the Coastal Assassins at their website and Facebook page.

Which local teams do you root for? Talk about it in the comments section.