Liverpool Chads

Speedway in Liverpool began in the summer of 1928 when a track was constructed inside the greyhound track at Stanley greyhound stadium. The sport which had recently been introduced to the United Kingdom from Australia, attracted an audience to the first practice on 21 August,{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000649/19280822/011/0011 |title=New Motor-Cycling Sport |website=Liverpool Daily Post |date=22 August 1928 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2025 }} with a full race meeting held a few days later on 25 August.{{cite web|url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/1928record.pdf |title=1928 full results |website=Speedway Researcher |access-date=8 February 2025 }}

A Liverpool speedway's team was duly established and the first league racing took place in 1929, with the formation of the English Dirt Track League, effectively a Northern League, which ran alongside the Southern League. The Liverpool team's first fixture was a home match against Burnley on 4 May 1929.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000699/19290504/278/0016 |title=Won Every Race |website=Burnley News |date=4 May 1929 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2025 }} The following year in 1930, the team competed in the Northern League and finished runner-up in the league that season.{{cite web | title = Exeter 1929 | work = Exeter Speedway | year = 2004 | url = http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/speedwayyears/1929.html | accessdate = 2008-05-10 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121008101318/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/speedwayyears/1929.html | archive-date = 8 October 2012 | url-status = dead }} Although declaring for the 1931 season the speedway ended at Stanley for several years, although there were events held at the rival track Seaforth Greyhound Stadium from 1934 to 1935.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19340816/281/0007 |title=Dog Track as Speedway |website=Liverpool Echo |date=16 August 1934 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2025 }}

Speedway returned with the Liverpool Merseysiders for the start of the 1936 Provincial Speedway League season{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19360502/117/0003 |title=Speedway Racing |website=Liverpool Echo |date=2 May 1936 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2025 }} and continued into 1937{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19370426/300/0010 |title=Speedway Again |website=Liverpool Echo |date=26 April 1937 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2025 }} but in mid-July the Liverpool promotion dropped out of the league due to financial problems and was replaced by the Belle Vue Aces promotion led by Mr E. C. Spence.{{cite news |title=Belle Vue take over Liverpool |work=Weekly Dispatch (London) |date=11 July 1937 |access-date=11 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003359/19370711/335/0021 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }} Belle Vue also had a team in the National League so at this point the Provincial League team were renamed the Belle Vue Merseysiders.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwaygb.co.uk/history/leaguetables1929-1939|title=BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)|website=Official British Speedway website|access-date=16 August 2021}}

The sport was revived in 1949 by James Baxter (a promoter at Southampton and Plymouth) who agreed a deal with the Electric Hare Greyhound Racing Ltd, the stadium owners.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000771/19490119/003/0003 |title=Liverpool's Restart |website=Liverpool Evening Express |date=19 January 1949 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 February 2025 }} The team's new nickname Liverpool Chads' referred to a popular piece of cartoon graffiti at the time known as a Chad. They opened again in the National League Division Three and were again based at Stanley Stadium, Liverpool.{{cite book|last=Rogers|first=Martin|title=The Illustrated History of Speedway|year=1978|page=129|publisher=Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd|isbn=0-904584-45-3}}

The team moved up to National League Division Two for the 1951 season and operated there until 1953 when the track closed, again in mid season. A new side now called Liverpool Eagles were created in 1957 but closed after a few meetings. A few open meetings were staged in 1959 and the club, now racing as the Liverpool Pirates, competed in the 1960 Provincial League.{{cite news |title=Speedway again in Liverpool |work=Liverpool Echo |date=18 July 1959 |access-date=25 January 2024 |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19590718/104/0010 | via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}

The club again closed at the end of the year and the Stanley Stadium was demolished and a fruit market was constructed on the site.{{cite web |url=https://www.speedwayresearcher.org.uk/yearbyyear.html|title=Year by Year|website=Speedway Researcher|access-date=16 August 2021}}

Speedway was also staged in Liverpool in the 1930s at Seaforth Greyhound Stadium.

• Peter Craven (World Champion)Bam

ford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7524-2402-5}}

• Oliver Hart
• Ginger Lees (rode in the first ever Speedway World Championship final in 1936)Jacobs, N & Lipscombe, P (2005). Wembley Speedway : The Pre-War Years. Stroud: Tempus Publishing {{ISBN|0-7524-3750-X}}
• Tommy Price

{{reflist}}

Category:Defunct speedway teams in the United Kingdom

Category:Sport in Liverpool