Oxford

[Deleted]

I know we may have heard this all before but, once again, we live in hope!
www.speedwaygb.co/news.php?extend.11611.1
Pip

[Genghis]

Latest Oxford press release:


PAYNE ISSUES RALLYING CALL TO CHEETAHS FANS!

FORMER Oxford Speedway promoter John Payne has issued a rallying call to fans – and asked them to fight for the return of speedway to Oxford Stadium.

He wants supporters to meet at his pub, the Plough Inn in Wheatley, on Friday (June 17) at 8pm.

Speedway at Oxford Stadium in Sandy Lane, Blackbird Leys finished in 2007, after 59 consecutive season of action.

World class riders who competed for the Cheetahs included four-time World champion Hans Nielsen (regarded by many as the best speedway rider of all-time), multiple World Longtrack champion Simon Wigg, the original great Dane Arne Pander and Englishman Ron How, the club’s first World Finalist in 1964.

In its heyday of the eighties, three thousand fans flocked to the speedway every Friday. Payne, alongside the late Bernard Crapper, steered the Cheetahs through this period, and was also deputy stadium manager during this time.

Oxford speedway suffered a string of different owners in its final few years, none of whom could find success. The sport was axed from the stadium when stadium bosses and speedway promoter Allen Trump were unable to agree a rental figure for the 2008 season.

Greyhound racing continues at the venue. But, as recently revealed in the local press, the stadium currently is on a list of potential sites for housing, after communication between the City Council and stadium owners, Risk Capital Partners (RCP).

Payne said: “We’ve all seen the recent stories, but the stadium is not going to be redeveloped for housing any time in the near future. There’s a long way to go yet - it’s just one of a number of possible sites.

“I have it on good authority that it’s not too late to get the speedway back inside the stadium, but that we, the supporters, need to start kicking up a bit of a fuss.

“Both Greyhound Racing and Speedway are needed to make Oxford Stadium a profitable, long-term venture.

“I am inviting any interested Oxford fans, including the two supporters groups, along to the Plough, so that we can form a joint plan of action of where we go from here.”

Payne added: “I've also got a few unique items to auction, with the profits going towards both the Speedway Riders’ Benevolent Fund and also towards a fighting fund for the campaign to bring back the speedway.

“But the main idea of the night is the formation of a committee of supporters to help restore speedway to its rightful place within Oxford Stadium.”

OXFORD SPEEDWAY: A TIMELINE

1939: Billed as Dirt Track Racing, the first-ever speedway meeting at Oxford Stadium takes place on April 8 and is won by Roy Duke. Non-league speedway continues at the venue until 1941.
1949: The stadium undergoes major redevelopment, and league racing begins. The Oxford public themselves choose the name Cheetahs, after a competition in the Oxford Mail.
1950: Oxford win the third division and gain promotion. It’s a boom time for speedway, and a crowd of 17,000 is reported for a match against Poole.
1957: Cheetahs are elevated to the sport’s top tier for the first time.
1959: Dane Arne Pander signs and becomes the club’s first superstar.
1964: Oxford complete a treble of the major domestic honours. Ron How becomes the first Cheetah to reach the World Final.
1965: Cheetahs finish fourth in the inaugural British League.
1972: The team change their name to the Oxford Rebels.
1975: Oxford win the Midland Cup in their most successful season for a decade, but the season ends with the stadium sold to the local council.
1976: Speedway and greyhounds enthusiasts work together to save the stadium as a sporting venue. The Cheetahs are reborn in the second division.
1984: Stadium owners Northern Sports take Oxford back into the British League. Hans Nielsen signs for a record £30,000.
1985: Oxford complete a league and cup double.
1986: The Cheetahs retain the British League, with a 100% record. Hans Nielsen becomes World Champion for the first time.
1989: A third British League title follows. Youngster Paul Muchene is killed in action.
1993: Amid financial problems for Northern Sports, Hans Nielsen departs and the club is only saved from closure two days before the start of the season.
2001: The Cheetahs win the Sky Sports Elite League.
2007: After some troubled years, new owner Colin Horton quits mid-season and Oxford withdraw from the Elite League. Allen Trump saves the club, but is then unable to do a deal with stadium owners at the season’s conclusion.
2008: No new owner is forthcoming, and a run of 59 successive seasons of speedway at Oxford Stadium comes to an end.


SUPPORTERS' CLUB TAKING BOOKINGS FOR CARDIFF

Oxford Speedway Supporters’ Club are still taking coach bookings for the British Grand Prix at the magnificent Millennium Stadium at Cardiff a week on Saturday (June 25th).

Please phone [phone] to secure your place. Prices for the coaches are: £20 Adults (non-members), £15 Adults (members) and £10 Children.

You will need to order your own stadium tickets.

Pick-up points for the coaches are: 9am Plough, Wheatley; 9.15am LIDL (near stadium, adjacent to the top of Sandy Lane).


OXFORD SPEEDWAY PRESS RELEASE BY ROB PEASLEY

[Deleted]

I really hope this is the start of getting the Oxford Cheetahs back on track in Cowley. Oxford Stadium is still standing and it could still be a real asset to the city, if only a company or individual actually interested in running and developing a sporting/leisure facility could step in. If nothing else, I hope the media interest in this again can get to the bottom of exactly what is going on with the GRA and their owners Risk Venture Capital with regard to Oxford Stadium. As far as I know the GRA also own the stadia at Wimbledon, Belle Vue, Perry Barr and Hall Green at Birmingham. Two out of those four track speedway teams, and all run dog meetings. Are they earmarked for closure because they don't make money, or is this just personal to Oxford? None of it has ever really made much sense to me. If the other tracks do make money, what's the formula for success there, and why can't it be replicated at Oxford?

In any case, best of luck with the meeting at the Plough, and fingers crossed for some real progress.