Oxford back Are there any chance of other defunct tracks returning

[marko]

Last I heard Arena Essex was being used as a covid test centre so I still don’t know if any building work has even started yet, I bet the track is still there though, such a waste, the sport could have carried on there for at least a couple of seasons.

If it ever comes back to Essex and I doubt it now, most former fans would have been lost to the sport because once something is gone, it takes a lot to get it back.

I hope Oxford does ok because it’s been a long time since they last rode and people would have moved on.

[Triple.H.]

It has to be remembered that Oxford City Council were fully behind retaining the Stadium for sporting and leisure use,also our former local MP Andrew Smith along of course with the Committee formed to save the stadium. 

Other areas aren't as lucky with having the local council on board. 

[Derrickn]

On 3/8/2022 at 3:27 PM, brianbuck said:

Going back on topic, if speedway is to come back to Bradford, I'd suggest that the stadium owned by Bradford (Park Avenue) Football Club could be a much better option than Odsal. Bradford PA are amongst the strugglers in the National League and their attendances are quite low, so they would probably welcome additional income from the speedway. Photographs of the stadium show it to be small, but quite modern, and there is already an athletics track surrounding the football pitch. 

That's about the limit of my knowledge of the venue, but perhaps someone living in that neck of the woods could give a better opinion?

I think personally, that it would be very difficult to get an atmosphere in a stadium as big and sprawling as Odsal, so perhaps the football club could be a better proposition? (I'm told also, that former Bradford Speedway promoter Allan Ham is now one of the football club's directors!)

Without taking out the athletics track,there is no way Horsfall stadium could be used for speedway.Another problem is the football pitch is of the synthetic 4g variety,so defiantly no bikes allowed on that surface.Interestingly,Bradford fc 's former home at Park Avenue staged noise tests for speedway,just before the stadium closed,but nothing came of it.

[arnieg]

44 minutes ago, Triple.H. said:

It has to be remembered that Oxford City Council were fully behind retaining the Stadium for sporting and leisure use,also our former local MP Andrew Smith along of course with the Committee formed to save the stadium. 

Other areas aren't as lucky with having the local council on board.

Reading did, but what they also had was Gaming International.

[noaksey]

47 minutes ago, Derrickn said:

Without taking out the athletics track,there is no way Horsfall stadium could be used for speedway.Another problem is the football pitch is of the synthetic 4g variety,so defiantly no bikes allowed on that surface.Interestingly,Bradford fc 's former home at Park Avenue staged noise tests for speedway,just before the stadium closed,but nothing came of it.

It's in a residential area isn't it?

[Derrickn]

12 hours ago, noaksey said:

It's in a residential area isn't it?

Sort of,there are houses around the site,but they are not that close.Does not really matter,as it will never happen.

[noaksey]

13 hours ago, Derrickn said:

Sort of,there are houses around the site,but they are not that close.Does not really matter,as it will never happen.

Thanks I went to Bradford PA a few seasons back and was pretty sure I recall houses nearby. It was an "interesting" walk from the railway station that I do recall 

[Ovalman]

Hopefully the Tangerine drem team will return to the Abbey next year, and finish where they left off in 2019, double champions.The new stadium is coming along nicely up on the hill.

[Derrickn]

14 hours ago, noaksey said:

Thanks I went to Bradford PA a few seasons back and was pretty sure I recall houses nearby. It was an "interesting" walk from the railway station that I do recall 

Which station did you use?.Low Moor,on the Halifax line is nearest.It's a fair old drag uphill to Horsfall if you use either of the city centre stations.Plenty of buses you could use though.

[noaksey]

8 hours ago, Derrickn said:

Which station did you use?.Low Moor,on the Halifax line is nearest.It's a fair old drag uphill to Horsfall if you use either of the city centre stations.Plenty of buses you could use though.

Low Moor.

Wasn't a pleasant walk through some industrial area were a few shady characters about 

[Derrickn]

12 hours ago, noaksey said:

Low Moor.

Wasn't a pleasant walk through some industrial area were a few shady characters about 

Sadly,there are more than a "few" shady characters in Bradford. It's a shadow of the city it was 50 years ago.