Welcome the official FISS About Us

 

Our History

 

You could be forgiven for thinking that the Federation of Inline Speed Skating (FISS) in Great Britain is a relatively new organisation.  Well, you would only be half right.  You see, although FISS came into being in 1998 it has it’s roots firmly planted in what was once known as the National Skating Association (NSA) of Great Britain – whose patron was none other than Queen Elizabeth II.


The National Skating Association was formed as far back as 1879, and although the Queen was it’s patron in later years, past Presidents of the Association included the likes of the Duke of Devonshire, the Earl of Leicester and H.R.H. The Duke of York (afterwards H.M. King George V).
The Association was formed initially to recognise ice speed skating as a national sport and in so doing allowed Great Britain to be represented at major international competitions.  Very quickly other other skating disciplines followed suit and for the next 100 years the NSA was the umbrella body for ice speed, ice figure (dance), roller dance and our very own roller speed.


As the governing body for these four skating disciplines within Great Britain the NSA was also a member of the International Skating Union, Federation Internationale de Roller Skating (now the Federation Internationale de Roller SPORTS – FIRS) and the British Olympic Association.


Roller speed skating in this country held it’s first ever British Championship event in 1894 in Wandsworth.  The distance skated was one mile with C.J.Wilson being the winner.  Incidentally, the trophy awarded was the Benetfink Challenge Cup which is still raced for today and is presented to the winner of the Senior Men’s 1000 metres outdoor event.  Ladies Championships did not come into being until 1924.


In 1936 the first European Championships were held in Stuttgart, Germany on an indoor track.  Britain fared successfully whereby Wilkinson, Ross and Reed won six of the eight titles between them.  In 1937 the first World Championships were held on a road circuit in Monza, Italy.  In 1938 Britain hosted the World Championships for the first and, to date, only time, on an indoor circuit at Wembley.  Again our skaters featured prominently with Wilkinson, Ross and Cooper winning four out of the six titles.  It would be another 25 years before a British skater was crowned World Champion again, but in 1963 we had two.  On a road circuit in Nantes, France, Danny Kelly won the 1000 metres knockout whilst Leo Eason won the 10000 metres.


In 1969 Britain had its last World Champion when John Folley won the 10000 metres on the track in Mar del Plata, Argentina.  Since then Britain has only enjoyed European gold medal success – John E. Fry (1971, 78, 79); Michael McGeough (1978, 79); John Mullane (1978); Patrick Feetham (1979); Leon Flack (2004) and juniors Ashley Harlow (1984); Lisa Smith (1984) and Michael McInerney (1987).  Britain has also had European success in relay events – John E. Fry, Rohan Harlow and Darren Cobley (1984) and John C. Fry, Tony Marriott, Sean McGeough (1988).


1989 was to be a significant year for the NSA.  After 110 years as the umbrella body for the four skating disciplines in Great Britain it was disbanded.  Each of the disciplines effectively split from the NSA to form their own new national governing bodies.  With both roller dance and roller speed international events governed by FIRS and CERS (the European confederation) it was felt that a combined governing body would be a good idea.  The knowledge and experience shared by the two disciplines would be used to form a new entity – and so in 1990 the Federation of Roller Skating (FRS) came into being.


In 1992 the prefix “British” was added and the FRS now became known as the British Federation of Roller Skating (BFRS).


The effective “marriage” of these two disciplines soon began to break down, though, with apparent conflicts of interests in how the BFRS was run.  In 1997 it came to head and roller speed and roller dance finally accepted that they should go their separate ways.  Roller dance formed the Federation of Artistic Roller Skating (FARS) and roller speed formed the Federation of Inline Speed Skating (FISS).  With inlines having been prominent in roller speed skating for some six or seven years now, it was considered that the use of the word “inline” in the name showed that spped skating in Great Britain had moved with the times.


And so, in 1998 the then elected Chairman, John E. Fry and Vice-Chairman, Brian Wood, single handedly set out a constitution and registered the Federation of Inline Speed Skating as a limited company by guarantee with Companies House in London. 


The story doesn’t stop there though. Since 1998 FISS has been instrumental in founding the British Roller Sports Federation (BRSF).  It is one of just five founder members of this umbrella body that now encompasses ALL roller sports within the UK – that is to say hockey in all it’s forms, artistic, downhill and of course…our very own speed.


And there you have it.  Out of the ashes of the National Skating Association, a body formed during the reign of Queen Victoria, FISS was born.  So whilst FISS itself is relatively young it can boast some very interesting and influential ancestors.