National League (speedway)

The current National League was formed in 2009 as the third division of speedway in the United Kingdom, replacing the Conference League. It follows the same rules and regulations as the SGB Premiership and SGB Championship, including the use of rider averages.

For the league that operated between 1932 and 1964, see National League (1932–1964). For the renamed second tier of British speedway between 1975 and 1990, see British League Division Two.
National League
FormerlyConference League
SportSpeedway
Founded2009
No. of teams8
CountryUnited Kingdom
Most recent
champion(s)		Leicester Lion Cubs
Most titlesBirmingham Brummies 2
Domestic cup(s)Leicester Lion Cubs
Notes
SpeedwayGB

There were two previous speedway leagues in Britain sharing the 'National League' name, the main league that operated from 1932 to 1964, and British League Division Two, which was renamed the National League between 1975 and 1990.

History

Overview

The current National League, originally the Conference League, was formed in 2009 with ten teams.[1] Several teams were in the league in the past, but are no longer in speedway for various reasons, such as Newport, Bournemouth, and Weymouth. These were replaced in more recent years by Kent in 2013, along with Birmingham and Eastbourne, former Elite League teams.[2] After a decline in National League teams to eight in 2013, the National League has increased to 11 teams as of late 2017.[3]

2009-2013

In the early years of the National League, Plymouth was a National League team; however, they went into the Premier League at the start of the 2011 season.[4] The teams Newport, Bournemouth, and Weymouth left speedway around this time.

2014-present

At the start of the 2014 season, the Dudley Heathens National League team changed its name to Cradley Heathens.[5] This was accompanied in 2014 by short spells of the teams Devon and Scunthorpe. These two teams returned completely to the Premier League in 2015, but Eastbourne and Birmingham joined the National League that same year.

In 2017, the Plymouth Devils, under new management, joined the National League.[6] In 2019, Leicester Lion Cubs joined the National League, with Birmingham and Eastbourne leaving the National League and moving up to the SGB Championship and Coventry not applying to race in 2019.

Rules

The rules follow those of the SGB Premiership and SGB Championship with some relaxation of regulations. Riders who hold a non-British FMN licence are not permitted to compete in the National League.[7]

Champions
Season Champions Second
2009 Bournemouth Buccaneers Plymouth Devils
2010 Buxton Hitmen Newport Hornets
2011 Scunthorpe/Sheffield Mildenhall Fen Tigers
2012 Mildenhall Fen Tigers Dudley Heathens
2013 Dudley Heathens King's Lynn Young Stars
2014 Cradley Heathens Coventry Storm
2015 Birmingham Brummies Eastbourne Eagles
2016 Birmingham Brummies Eastbourne Eagles
2017 Belle Vue Colts Eastbourne Eagles
2018 Eastbourne Eagles Mildenhall Fen Tigers
2019 Leicester Lion Cubs Kent Kings
2020 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

See also

List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions

References
  1. "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  2. "HISTORY ARCHIVE - British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  3. "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  4. "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  5. "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  6. "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  7. "SCB Rulebook", SCB, retrieved 2012-03-31
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