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[edit]

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[edit]

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

Season summary[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  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