A TEAM of skaters at the forefront of Europe's fastest growing women's sport are starring in a BBC documentary.

The North Cheshire Victory Rollers, a flat track roller derby league based in Rudheath, feature in a 20-minute iPlayer exclusive called 'Roller Derby: Skate Fast Hit Hard', as part of BBC Sport's Get Inspired programme.

The league has 14 players making up the Air Raid Sirens team, who are featured as they get ready to play Oldham's Rainy City Roller Girls for the first time at Europe's only dedicated skate venue, the Thunderdome, in Oldham.

"It was really nerve-wracking being filmed because I've never been filmed before," said skater Zoe Corker, from the Victory Rollers.

"But it's been nice to see a different perspective on it – it's beautifully shot and is a very good explanation of what we do."

Roller derby is a full contact sport played on quad roller skates which has been driven and dominated by women.

It has its origins in 1920s roller skating marathons evolving into sports entertainment where the theatrical overshadowed athleticism.

A grassroots revival began in Texas in the early 2000s.

In roller derby five women from each team skate in the same direction around a track with one member of each side trying to score points by lapping the other team while the other four members try to block her.

Players have alter-ego names, costumes and face paints.

Zoe, whose roller derby name is Barbarism, said: "It looks brutal and a lot of people describe it as completely brutal but we're trained so well that we won't hurt each other - we may bruise each other but we won't break a leg or an arm."

The mum-of-two, who works in a garden centre craft shop, said the sport gives women escapism and a break from everyday life.

"When you're on track it's completely different and you're viewed as a different persona," she said.

"When you're put in different situations you react differently so if you need to block someone from doing something then you will."

The North Cheshire Victory Rollers was formed four years ago and meets at Rudheath Leisure Centre.

Zoe joined around a year ago.

"It's like riding a bike – you don't forget how to skate," she said.

"And if you don't skate we can teach you how to."

She said the team has skates, helmet and safety gear available to new riders and will be training up a new intake in the New Year.

The team is also looking for a new home that is more suitable to the sport.

For more information visit ncvr.co.uk or search for the North Cheshire Victory Rollers on Facebook.