How to Start your own Roller Disco

You’ve realised that people in your area LOVE roller skating as much as you do – and you’ve mooted the idea… what if I started my own roller disco? How would that look?

RGG first launched Friday Night Social in 2019 and there was a regular roller disco on a Wednesday in Leeds before that – around 2015. The last permanent roller rink in Leeds was closed in 1973 and since then, like much of the UK, skaters have had to find spaces themselves.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find a friendly community centre owner or a sports hall with a space in their timetable.

The problem is, in winter, everyone wants to be indoors… so competition for hall space is fierce between different sports.

But, I see you are determined, and in order for roller skating in the UK to grow – more skate spaces means better accessibility. Better accessibility, means more skaters. It’s an upward spiral!

I’d love to help you build your roller skate community, but be warned – it is not for the faint hearted. At best you will have a fabulous group of committed individuals who value the benefits of roller skating as much as you do. You’ll be able to convince the local powers-that-be to support your mission by providing a low cost space, or even grant funding to get you going.

At worst, it’s you and some folks who apparently want to help, but when it’s time for the hard work… they’re nowhere to be seen. They may appear and disappear when it suits them, but running a regular roller disco isn’t high priority for them right now as they’re really busy with the rest of their life. That means it’s on you.

I’ve been asked this question so much that I actually put together a mini-series on YouTube about it. Running your own roller disco is running a community group or club, so before you start – just ask yourself the following questions.

I’d highly recommend that you whip out a notebook and actually write things down (I’m old school and like pen and paper, but you use an app if you like!)

Are you giving yourself a space to skate and want to split the cost with pals?

Are you wanting to start something for the local community?

Are you wanting to make money?

Are you going to be family friendly, adult only or a mix? This is your customer base. Be really clear about who you want to come to this.

Based on the above, are you going to formalise your roller disco into a sports club structure or community group? Doing this can bring benefits of funding (aka money) but it can also lead to additional requirements such as having named responsible people and writing reports.

Make sure you check the cancellation policy of the space you are booking. Most won’t allow you to cancel at the last minute if no-one turns up, so you’ll end up footing the bill.

At the other end of the scale, what is your maximum capacity? Do you have support to ensure a smooth running of the space or are you on your own here?

It’s great to be able to skate weekly of course. Are you prepared to give up an afternoon or evening a week all the time?
My suggestion would be to start with a monthly skate to make sure it is busy. People will buy their tickets in advance and you’ll likely sell out. In my opinion, it’s much better to have the problem of turning people away than not having enough of them.

It’s perfectly fine to NOT provide hire skates initially. If folks don’t have their own skates, it means they are on the skate-curious end of the spectrum. They’re not ‘serious’ enough to buy their own boots. Folks needing to hire skates are usually less experienced skaters too, are more likely to fall and are therefore at a greater risk of injury. By not providing hire skates, you’re not responsible for these people. Once you do provide hire skates, you are also responsible to making sure they are in skateable condition. Allowing people to skate in unsafe skates is never a good idea. On the other hand, having hire skates opens up the world of roller skating to people who may have never be able to try it otherwise. And for families, buying roller skates for everyone may not be possible.

Will it be cash only, tickets in advance, register onto a list or you can sign up for a ticket processing website like Eventbrite. All these sites will take a fee for processing your payment, but they may also support visibility of your event.

Getting started checklist:

• hall space

• hire equipment – skates, pads, helmets

• insurance

• music – speaker / DJ

• supportive team

• social media page

• This list is not exhaustive. It is just intended to get you started. Check out the video below for more tips, or the other videos in this mini series on YouTube.

If all of this sounds like too much of a headache, but you do like skating with other people, then I’d suggest a closed group of simply people you know, and split the cost between you.

Find a sports hall / community hall that is friendly to skaters and have 5-10 people per session to split the cost between you. No additional insurance needed, no responsible person, no club constitution or legal structure required. You’re just a group of pals skating in a hall.

Of course, you’ll be called cliquey. People will be confused why they can’t just come along to your session, after all the more the merrier eh? If you’re struggling with this, just send them this post! They will hopefully realise the responsibility required and back off! If you’re just booking on a week to week basis (as opposed to block booking) potentially someone else can come along and book your slot…

For a mostly hands-off turn-up-and-skate you ideally want a friendly council-run sports hall that will add your session to their timetable, have people pay them on entry, so you can effectively just provide skate marshalling in the hall to keep people safe.

BUT, I don’t know of a sports hall that is happy to do this. Why? Because of the additional risk of roller skating. People perceive a significantly higher risk of injury than other sporting activities. The additional insurance cost is steep!

Running your own regular roller disco is brilliant. You’re creating a community space that people will value and respect, You’re supporting the mental and physical wellness of the community you serve as well as your own. If you enjoy meeting people – well that’s your social life taken care of! Of course, it has it’s challenges – absolutely everything does! I just chose this particular line of work. While the pandemic completely changed the trajectory of roller skating – catapulting it from a subculture to a mainstream activity – there are sadly plenty of lockdown skaters who no longer skate. This is perfectly normal with hobbies and we see waves of skaters start, go all in to skating, attending every session for months, then…. nothing. They owe us nothing, no explanations, but I do wonder what happened. Sometimes they come back and share…invariably life handed them a lemon. From house moves, new babies, injury, illness or simply being busy, there are all sorts of reasons that people don’t prioritise roller skating.

I’ve grown RGG’s roller disco and regular classes to a full time business in a few short years and learned so much! Every possible mistake I have made and then some more that you wouldn’t even have dreamed of. Having realised I have so many gaps in knowledge about running a business, I took myself back to university in 2022, completed a mini MBA, found my confidence to run the business and have opened a roller skate studio this year in 2024. Along the way I’ve also developed my skills as a business leader and coach by undertaking a life coach qualification, mental health first aid, and been shortlisted or awarded a range of business awards. I’m now working with universities in Leeds to offer student placements and am supporting enterprise.

If you’d like my help as you start on your journey to grow your roller disco, you are welcome to reach out.

I can offer a range of support, that is affordable to you, from looking over your plans and ideas, providing business coaching and accountability, to offering a full consulting service. This includes how to approach prospective venues, a full training package for your skate marshalls and discounted rates on purchasing your hire equipment. It also includes vital mindset work for you, how to draw loving boundaries with your community and still find joy in roller skating yourself.

I wish you every success with your future roller disco endeavours.