Big Five 2009 Tournaments

As a result of the organization’s continuing growth, the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association is launching a new format for its annual tournament season. This fall, more teams than ever before have a chance to win the WFTDA national title.

During September and October, forty teams will compete in the 2009 “Big Five” WFTDA Regional Tournaments, governed by the WFTDA. Each regional tournament will include the top ten ranked teams from that region competing in a multilevel tournament. The top three teams from each regional tournament will advance to the third annual WFTDA National Tournament held in Philadelphia, PA from November 13 to 15. This year’s tournament structure increases the number of teams at the National tournament to twelve, from eight teams for the past two years.

Tournament Structure

The regional tournaments will use equitable seeding: seeds one through six have a bye in the first round, placing them in the quarterfinals, and seeds seven through ten compete for a place in the quarterfinals. In the first round, seeds seven and ten will play each other, and seeds eight and nine will play each other.

During the quarterfinals, seed three will play the winner of the seed eight versus seed nine game; seed two will play the winner of the seed seven versus seed ten game; seed one will play seed six; and seed four will play seed five. Quarterfinal game winners will move on to semifinal play, and are the only teams that have a chance to advance to the National Tournament.

Losing teams from the semifinal games will play each other in the third-place bout. The winner of this game advances to the National Tournament and the losing team does not. The final game will determine the Regional Champion, and both teams will advance to the National Tournament.

In order to generate regional standings through tournament play, all losing teams will play consolation games.

Regional Tournaments

The 2009 tournament season kicks off with the Eastern Regionals September 11–13 in Raleigh, NC, and continues for the next four weekends, stopping in Saint Paul, MN for the North Central Regionals September 18–20, moving to Atlanta, GA and the South Central Regionals September 25–27, concluding with the Western Regionals in Denver, CO October 2–4.

National Tournament

The top three teams from each regional tournament will compete for the national championship at the third annual WFTDA National Tournament November 13–15 in Philadelphia, PA.

These tournaments wouldn’t be what they are without the generous support of our wonderful sponsors.