FAST, furious and adrenaline-fuelled ...

roller derby is one of the quickest growing women's sports in the UK.

And in Glasgow the high-speed contact sport is gaining competitors – and fans – as Glasgow Roller Derby makes an attempt to earn success in America.

Players from the city's A team, the Irn Bruisers, aim to beat the Americans at their own game after being picked to compete in the East Coast Derby Extravaganza in Philadelphia.

Team member Grace McLean, who plays under the name Mona Rampage, said: "Roller derby attracts a lot of women who have never played sport before and they quickly see their fitness get up to a really high level.

"In the early days of the league we attracted a lot of women who were the partners of people who did extreme sports and who wanted to do something for themselves.

"Now there is no such thing as a 'typical' member and we have something for everyone – anyone can join us."

Roller derby is a full-contact sport played on quad roller skates. It grew from simple skating races held in America during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The sport was reborn in 2003 – and came to the UK in 2006 – when a group of women in Texas began playing on a flat track, developing it into a fast, hard-hitting sport.

Players compete in teams of five. Wearing roller boots and body pads, they skate around an elliptical track in a series of furious, two-minute bursts.

There are now about 100 clubs playing in the UK, with Glasgow Roller Derby one of the first teams established, in 2007.

Players compete under pseudonyms and Glasgow Roller Derby – now one of the top 10 in Europe – was set up by Teri Toxic and Mistress Malicious.

The sport came to prominence in 2009 in Drew Barrymore's film Whip It.

Teams are all run by volunteers, meaning that at every level the players help run the clubs they skate for.

Grace, 22, added: "We have a strong community and there are always events going on. It is a great way for people to make friends because we become really close.

"There is no body shape or type that can't find a role. If you are big and broad you are difficult to get past or if you are tall and thin you can fit through narrow gaps and if you are small and fast you can get past players. "

Grace, from Simshill, heard about the league through a work colleague who had seen the film Whip It. She agreed to go along and ended up hooked on the sport.

New skaters take part in a four-month course of competitive skate training and if they are not deemed safe after that time then they cannot compete.

In Glasgow there are about 60 active skaters in two teams, the Irn Bruisers and Maiden Grrders. With the "fresh meat" – the Glasgow Roller Recruits – added the total is about 100.

Grace added: "People think it sounds scary but we would not put anyone up to play who had not passed the training and was confident in knowing what was happening, how to fall properly.

"The first time you feel someone skating at your back and you feel the adrenaline rush of being part of the team, it is a properly empowering feeling.

"A girl in my work saw Whip It and asked if someone would go along with her to see what it was all about. I had done netball and skating, but when I tried this I fell in love."

The women are preparing to travel to Philadelphia for the East Coast Derby Extravaganza from June 28-30. The players must pay their way, with the only financial support coming from other players and fans.

They have launched a fundraising campaign involving everything from bag packing to sponsored maths tutoring. Dozens of fundraising initiatives are in the pipeline, including an auction on eBay. More information will be posted on Glasgow Roller Derby's Facebook page.

They hope to raise £10,000 to pay for flights for the team of 20 travelling to the US.

Glasgow Roller Girls have also won political support, with Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon backing their bid and Glasgow MSP Bob Doris lodging a motion in the Scottish Parliament.

If you wish to donate, go to www.glasgowrollerderby.com/ get-in-touch/donate