Manchester's rollerblading renaissance

A budding group of young rollerbladers have emerged in Manchester since the COVID pandemic, helping to re-energise the sport in the city.

Strangers have been using social media apps to meet other like-minded skaters at many of the city’s hot-spots.

Allowing them to express their individuality and - above all else - find community in trying times.

Rollerblading experienced a boom in the 1980s and 90s, punctuating the memories of many in the era through depictions in popular media as well as the success of competitive events like the X Games.

Though its place in mainstream UK society has waned, the sport has retained a huge number of participants around the world.

Barcelona for example - seen as the sport’s capital - has over a quarter of a million active skaters.

In the UK however, skating has struggled to bounce back from its decline at the turn of the century.

Unreliable weather, a crowded sporting landscape and the dominance of other urban sports have kept rollerblading in the shadows.

But the Covid lockdowns of 2020 sparked a revival, with many youngsters seeking outdoor spaces to congregate with their communities, which is yet to abate.

Skaters would routinely organise impromptu meet ups, facilitated by the use of popular social media apps, and find spaces in the city to showcase their talents.

“Anyone up for a skoot tonight,” read one such message from one user.

“Meeee,” replied another seconds later.

“If anyone was floating around at 5 or 6 I’ll come say hi,” said a third.

Before another added: “I’ll join you guys at around 6 or 7.”

A prominent member of Manchester’s skating community and the final participant in that exchange, Joe Bazli, 26, said: “I started posting stories [on Instagram] at the start of lockdown.

“Just off the back of that, people that I’d worked with or [that] I’d been mates with would see it and be ‘oh yeah I used to skate.’

“Essentially over that period it went from 10 [or]15 people in Manchester, that I knew of, to loads of skaters just popping up.”

Metropolitan centres like Manchester are fertile ground.

Not only for its vast concrete playground but also the diverse inhabitants who live within it. Many of whom are exposed to skating in their countries of origin or during their upbringing.

Prominent routes and rollerblading hotspots in the city

This was the case for Bazli, who spent his formative years in the Middle East before moving back to the UK in his early teens.

He said: “I did it in Dubai, Turkey and a bunch of countries when I lived around there for a couple of years.

“But when I came back to the UK I never saw any other skaters.

“Whereas every other country on the planet has at least some kind of skate community going on.”

He added: “From what I’ve noticed it [attracts] a lot of foreigners as well.

“Because a lot of people from abroad can feel alienated and they do look at [skating] as a kind of escape.

“It’s freeing for them.”

He said: “The majority of the people that I come across just want to embrace their individuality and at the same time do something that’s a bit positive.”

The world of skating is, itself, diverse from inline to quad to street to jam - its various disciplines allow participants to express themselves in the way they see fit.

Another in the group, Katie, 32 - a jam skater - uses the form to showcase her passion for dancing.

Lamia, 25, recently took up skating again having done so on the ice while growing up in her native UAE.

Like Katie - and many others in this community - she believes the activity and the people she has been introduced to because of it, helped her cope with the pressures of the pandemic.

“Honestly, I don’t know where I would be right now if not for skating,” the 25-year-old said.

“It really helped me get through.”

Quad skating - which will be familiar to many on account of roller discos - consists of four wheels arranged in a square grid on each skate.

It is a point of entry for many getting into the sport.

In fact, the spring opening of a new rink in Deansgate by the company behind Junkyard Golf shows there is not only an appetite but also a market for skating in the city.

Named Paradise Skate World, the outer space themed roller rink is hoping to capitalise on the renewed interest in the city.

In a statement national PR manager Sophie Larissa Houghton said:

“We are so excited to launch this new concept. We have created an amazing new world where people can escape reality, get lost in music, roller-skate into space, drink incredible cocktails and try out some cool snacks too.

“We will be taking roller skating to new heights, no matter what your level of skating, Paradise Skate World is for all.”

With millions of views on social media for rollerblading content and a raft of new ventures there is real excitement for the next chapter.

And Manchester is staking its claim to be a major centre.