Leicester Stadium (speedway team)

Leicester Stadium
Club information
Track addressThe Stadium,
Blackbird Road,
Leicester
CountryEngland
Founded1929
Closed1931
Team managerNorman Coates
Team captainSyd Jackson
LeagueEnglish Dirt Track League/Southern League
Club facts
Track size348 yards (318 metres) (1929)
353 yards (323 metres) (1930-31)
Major team honours
Midland Champions1930

Leicester Stadium were a motorcycle speedway team which operated from 1929 until 1931.[1]

History

Speedway was first staged in Leicester in 1928 and the following year a team based at Leicester Stadium joined the English Dirt Track League.[1] In 1930, the team joined the Southern League.[1] Financial problems meant that the team failed to complete the 1931 season, with Coventry taking over the remaining fixtures in late May.[2][3][1] League speedway was later briefly revived at the stadium in 1937.[4][5]

Notable riders

Notable Stadium riders include team captain Syd Jackson, Cyril "Squib" Burton, Billy Elmore, Alby Taylor, and John "Slider" Shuttleworth.[4][6]

Season summary

Year and league Position Notes
1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League 7th
1930 Speedway Southern League 10th
1931 Speedway Southern League 10th withdrew, fixtures taken over by Coventry

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001) Homes of British Speedway, ISBN 0-7524-2210-3, p. 147-149
  2. ^ "Coventry Take Over League Fixtures". Leicester Evening Mail. 26 May 1931. Retrieved 25 July 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Stadium team withdraws". Leicester Evening Mail. 25 May 1931. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ a b Jones, Alan (2010) Speedway in Leicester: The Pre-War Years, Automedia, p. 22, 53 105-9
  5. ^ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. ^ Hoare, Ron (1979) Speedway Panorama, Haynes, ISBN 0-85429-252-7, p. 122