Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 It just passed us by but still time (just) to recall a little-noted anniversary in the history of London Speedway. It happened (or rather didn't..) 40 years ago this week on Oct 15th. 1971.. Hackney Wick stadium was staging their leg of the London Fours (or may've been a stand-aloner) and featured the four capital sides of the day, the Hawks (of course), Wimbledon, West Ham & Wembley... Sadly the meeting was rained off - and sadly was the word coz the West Ham Hammers and the Wembley Lions in both cases never rode again... How ironic too that if '71 saw the end of two of London giants, then 20 years later in '91 it was a hugely significant year too in the ultimate demise of the other two.. 40 (and 20) years on how close are we to seeing any return to London as a Speedway centre..? Sadly not too far.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpartialOne Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 It just passed us by but still time (just) to recall a little-noted anniversary in the history of London Speedway. It happened (or rather didn't..) 40 years ago this week on Oct 15th. 1971.. Hackney Wick stadium was staging their leg of the London Fours (or may've been a stand-aloner) and featured the four capital sides of the day, the Hawks (of course), Wimbledon, West Ham & Wembley... Sadly the meeting was rained off - and sadly was the word coz the West Ham Hammers and the Wembley Lions in both cases never rode again... How ironic too that if '71 saw the end of two of London giants, then 20 years later in '91 it was a hugely significant year too in the ultimate demise of the other two.. 40 (and 20) years on how close are we to seeing any return to London as a Speedway centre..? Sadly not too far.. Well, personally, I would say hopefully not too far, but I know what you meant. Maybe the best hope now would be the Olympic site once 2012 is done and dusted but admittedly that's still a very long shot. Is anything being actively done to seek out a new venue in London, contacting the mayor of London or setting up a poll or petition to see how many people would welcome the sport back in the capital? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted October 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 Well, personally, I would say hopefully not too far, but I know what you meant. Maybe the best hope now would be the Olympic site once 2012 is done and dusted but admittedly that's still a very long shot. Is anything being actively done to seek out a new venue in London, contacting the mayor of London or setting up a poll or petition to see how many people would welcome the sport back in the capital? Indeed - we should live in hope NOT sadness!!! In truth I'm usually among the more bullish in saying that there should be hope in our hearts about getting something out of the larger Olympics Park/Eton Manor grounds site but yes, you're right, brave hopes won't win anything there needs to be action... A leading local promoter has said he'll sit down and chat with me about thoughts on the subject once the season's over, so let's see what transpires... At the end of the day though, we'd need people with financial commitment asnd I'm afraid I certainly ain't in a position (next year THREE kids at university!! ) to provide any of that...! Went visiting Central Park in Sittingbourne yesterday and what an ideal venue for Speedway that is, and there's PP - so though not London clearly, there IS real hope for a new and top class venue at that here in the south-east... Simple train journey from the capital too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 It just passed us by but still time (just) to recall a little-noted anniversary in the history of London Speedway. It happened (or rather didn't..) 40 years ago this week on Oct 15th. 1971.. Hackney Wick stadium was staging their leg of the London Fours (or may've been a stand-aloner) and featured the four capital sides of the day, the Hawks (of course), Wimbledon, West Ham & Wembley... Sadly the meeting was rained off - and sadly was the word coz the West Ham Hammers and the Wembley Lions in both cases never rode again... How ironic too that if '71 saw the end of two of London giants, then 20 years later in '91 it was a hugely significant year too in the ultimate demise of the other two.. 40 (and 20) years on how close are we to seeing any return to London as a Speedway centre..? Sadly not too far.. as a nipper i went to the 1970 staging of the london fours. great memories of great clubs. RIP london speedway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deano Posted October 23, 2011 Report Share Posted October 23, 2011 Never give up and have faith, the new silencers silenced Birmingham's critics... perhaps they will help potential London venues too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Alas, there can be very little hope of league speedway ever returning to the capital, for various reasons. The biggest drawback to it is a lack of interest/crowd. The demographics of the Hackney/Stratford (indeed most of East London) area have changed massively since Hackney closed, so they would need to draw sufficient support from much farther afield. Look how crowds have dipped at most venues in recent years. Which construction company is going to speculate on building a sporting stadium capable of housing speedway in the current economic climate? Reading being a prime example. The only realistic chance would be for a GP at the Olympic Stadium, possibly in addition to Cardiff. I'm all for nostalgia and hope, but let's get real here. Edited October 25, 2011 by tmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Knight Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 Alas, there can be very little hope of league speedway ever returning to the capital, for various reasons. The biggest drawback to it is a lack of interest/crowd. The demographics of the Hackney/Stratford (indeed most of East London) area have changed massively since Hackney closed, so they would need to draw sufficient support from much farther afield. Look how crowds have dipped at most venues in recent years. Which construction company is going to speculate on building a sporting stadium capable of housing speedway in the current economic climate? Reading being a prime example. The only realistic chance would be for a GP at the Olympic Stadium, possibly in addition to Cardiff. I'm all for nostalgia and hope, but let's get real here. I basically agree with you I suppose Tony. I do - however - think it is a National disgrace that there IS no Speedway in our Capital City. Very sad indeed. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wilko Posted November 1, 2011 Report Share Posted November 1, 2011 Alas, there can be very little hope of league speedway ever returning to the capital, for various reasons. I'm afraid you are probably right. I am sure it would be impossible to find a new venue here and without wishing to stir up another thread on the subject there really is only one possibility, and that is fading fast, Wimbledon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 I'm afraid you are probably right. I am sure it would be impossible to find a new venue here and without wishing to stir up another thread on the subject there really is only one possibility, and that is fading fast, Wimbledon. The ideal place for a new Speedway track (it seems to me) is in an industrial or retail type park off a major road away from residential areas. There are dozens and dozens of these within the M25 in areas which could certainly be defined as 'London'.. So is finding an all-new venue here in the capital THAT impossible..? It shouldn't really be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norbold Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 There's an industrial estate just off Rigg Approach off Lea Bridge Road in Leyton with a fair bit of open ground that could be used (or at least there was when I last looked). You could call the track Lea Bridge or maybe Clapton.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan_Jones Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 There's an industrial estate just off Rigg Approach off Lea Bridge Road in Leyton with a fair bit of open ground that could be used (or at least there was when I last looked). You could call the track Lea Bridge or maybe Clapton.... Don't be silly Norbold, that would never work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 There's an industrial estate just off Rigg Approach off Lea Bridge Road in Leyton with a fair bit of open ground that could be used (or at least there was when I last looked). You could call the track Lea Bridge or maybe Clapton.... New residential estate recently built near there - which funny enough is called...: Paradise Park! I aagree though that to me, paradise would be Speedway back in Lea Bridge!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 The ideal place for a new Speedway track (it seems to me) is in an industrial or retail type park off a major road away from residential areas. There are dozens and dozens of these within the M25 in areas which could certainly be defined as 'London'.. So is finding an all-new venue here in the capital THAT impossible..? It shouldn't really be... Got to agree that somewhere within the M25 there should be a suitable location. I think the only hope of getting a local authority on board is to offer a package similar to the one mooted at Leicester, with training facilities and learning centre. Getting planning and a site is one thing, but finance is another. Even if you build it however, will they come? THe changes in demographics in London over the past 30 years mean that Speedway areas around Hackney and Wimbledon have changed for good. With Plough Lane being gradually run into the ground by RCP it's hard to see a positive outcome for a return for the Dons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMac Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) Finding a plausible site within the London/M25 area is not the issue. The biggest problem is one of finance - who will foot the bill for a brand new stadium to house declining sports such as speedway and dog racing? . . . Which leads to the next problem of the lack of people who will come and support it. If Wimbledon and all the other old London tracks had been pulling in good crowds and were viable, most would still be staging our sport. Yes, many were sold for redevelopment (West Ham), but the harsh reality is that attendances for league speedway were poor. Take White City as an example. Ditto West Ham in their latter seasons. Crowds at Wimbledon in the last era there were down to the small hundreds, weren't they? Yesterday I spoke to Pete Thorogood, who revealed that Crayford didn't make any money as a speedway club after its first comeback season of 1975. "The people didn't come," he said. The only way speedway could feature in a new stadium in the London vicinity is if the land owner/constructor was a diehard fan with more money than sense. I'm afraid the future template for speedway in Britain is not to be found in a newly built stadium surrounded by housing and objectionable residents, or which is too costly to build, but in rural outposts such as Sittingbourne, where rents and break-even levels are minimal. Edited November 2, 2011 by tmc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadster Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Crowds at Wimbledon in the last era there were down to the small hundreds, weren't they? I read somewhere that the average crowd at Wimbledon in the last NL season was 800. Now Newport would probably kill for crowds like that, but the rental costs at Plough Lane are huge and, of course there's no income from catering to offset that. Those extant speedway fans in London would probably still see themselves as Wimbledon or Hackney fans and be reluctant to attend the 'old rivals' track. The failure of the London Lions suggest that changing the name wouldn't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 west ham averaged 3000 in their last top flight season. a poor crowd by early 1970's standards but excellent by todays. according to jon cook lakeside are getting about 1200 for friday elite league matches. in my opinion this is a very good turn out for a venue with limited facilities and an awful place to get to traffic wise. the majority of the crowd at arena does seem to be made up from fans of defunct london/south east clubs, me included! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 Crowds at Wimbledon in the last era there were down to the small hundreds, weren't they? I read somewhere that the average crowd at Wimbledon in the last NL season was 800. Now Newport would probably kill for crowds like that, but the rental costs at Plough Lane are huge and, of course there's no income from catering to offset that. Those extant speedway fans in London would probably still see themselves as Wimbledon or Hackney fans and be reluctant to attend the 'old rivals' track. The failure of the London Lions suggest that changing the name wouldn't help. That's correct and were actually in the latter stages with the Dons challenging for the title mostly in four figures (ie over 1000!).. I'm sorry to say that I have no time for London-based fans of our sport (including some VERY high-profile ones who post on this Forum ) who didn't bother attending Plough Lane in the '02-'05 CL period - especially if based on former club allegiences. I live in East London and found there no problem whatsoever (sometimes by train, sometimes driving) getting across to Wimbledon and having the sport back in the capital was just FANTASTIC. Use it or lose it I say - though we should be clear actually Wimbledon Speedway did not close due to poor crowds nor indeed on high rent.. If a new track did open I personally would favour the London-wide tag for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cityrebel Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 (edited) That's correct and were actually in the latter stages with the Dons challenging for the title mostly in four figures (ie over 1000!).. I'm sorry to say that I have no time for London-based fans of our sport (including some VERY high-profile ones who post on this Forum ) who didn't bother attending Plough Lane in the '02-'05 CL period - especially if based on former club allegiences. I live in East London and found there no problem whatsoever (sometimes by train, sometimes driving) getting across to Wimbledon and having the sport back in the capital was just FANTASTIC. Use it or lose it I say - though we should be clear actually Wimbledon Speedway did not close due to poor crowds nor indeed on high rent.. If a new track did open I personally would favour the London-wide tag for it... derek, i hope you don't include me as a london speedway snob! i even dragged myself over to arena in 1996 for their season in the CL. Edited November 2, 2011 by cityrebel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wilko Posted November 2, 2011 Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 The only way speedway could feature in a new stadium in the London vicinity is if the land owner/constructor was a diehard fan with more money than sense. That describes me perfectly - unfortunately I don't have much sense!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsloes 1928 nearly Posted November 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2011 derek, i hope you don't include me as a london speedway snob! i even dragged myself over to arena in 1996 for their season in the CL. No I absolutely did NOT mean you, mate!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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