FRESH faces are needed to join a new male Oxford Roller Derby team and try out a new sport that is not for the faint-hearted.

Founded in 2011, the women’s team now has 55 members and a new B-team, and has battered and bruised its way through British and European championships.

Now the Oxford women are seeking a group of male skaters to train with.

A men’s team of up to eight members has been formed and held its first session on Saturday at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre.

Women’s team administrator Carol McLeish, 28, said: “We get quite a lot of enquiries from men and we have had to send them to other clubs like London, Milton Keynes and Swindon. We thought, why not take advantage of it? The guys who have started all live really locally.”

The personal assistant, who lives in Collingwood Road, Headington, added: “Roller Derby is growing so fast and is inclusive to everybody. You don’t have to be able to skate; when I joined I was just looking to make new friends.”

The team sport began in America in the 1930s and the craze has since arrived in the UK and swept across the country.

There are now more than 100 female leagues in the UK and a nationwide British Championships.

Each two-minute play in a bout is called a Jam, with one point-scoring player, the Jammer, trying to lap as many opposing skaters as they can without getting blocked.

There are 16 players on each team, which can be single sex or mixed.

It can be dangerous and nosebleeds are a common feature.

Steve Blick, who will be running the men’s team, said: “It’s hard-hitting and aggressive. If you have had a hard day it’s a good way to let things out.”

Mr Blick, 36, from Aylesbury, was a founding member of Milton Keynes-based male team The Quads of War two years ago.

He and a group of mainly Oxford-based skaters were approached by Oxford Roller Derby at the start of the year and are now looking forward to welcoming new talent.

Mr Blick added: “Roller Derby welcomes people from any kind of sport background. We get people who are very athletic and people who have done no sport before. When I started I had never put on a pair of skates before.

“It’s a very close-knit community.”

Players must be at least 18 years old but no other experience is necessary.

* For more information or to sign up, email enquiries@oxfordrollerderby.com