National League (speedway)
| Formerly | Conference League |
|---|---|
| Sport | Speedway |
| Founded | 2009 |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Most recent champion(s) | Eastbourne Eagles |
| Notes | |
| SpeedwayGB | |
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.
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.
Contents
1 History
1.1 Overview
1.2 2009-2013
1.3 2014-present
2 Rules
3 Champions
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
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 have been 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]
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 |
See also
List of United Kingdom Speedway League Champions
References
^ "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ "HISTORY ARCHIVE - British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
^ "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
^ "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
^ "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
^ "British Speedway Official Website". www.speedwaygb.co. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
^ "SCB Rulebook", SCB, retrieved 2012-03-31
External links
- Official BSPA (British Speedway Promoters Association) Homepage
United Kingdom Speedway Seasons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tier One League Top division |
|  |
| Tier Two League Second division |
| |
| Tier Three League Third division |
| |
