Wolverhampton Speedway Bosses Pledge To Discover Brand-new Venue

25 April 2023
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Nick Clitheroe & Clare LissamanBBC News


Speedway club employers have pledged to find a brand-new venue after news they can not remain at their home of 96 years.


Wolverhampton Speedway said on 17 April they were devastated their tenancy agreement for Monmore Green would not be extended beyond this season.


About 17,000 individuals have actually now signed a petition requiring it to be conserved.


But Wolves promoter Chris Van Straaten stated the "remarkable" assistance had actually caused talks with authorities about a brand-new site.


"The reality that this petition has been signed and got such a substantial quantity of assistance in just a few days is rather exceptional and I believe that's definitely been the influence and opened the door to these conferences for the club," he stated.


Site owner Entain has stated it will concentrate on greyhound racing however comprehends fans and the club will be "disappointed".


Mr Van Straaten, who took over running the club from his father in 1986, said speedway was "a vital part of Wolverhampton folklore".


"My energy in the last couple of days has turned to supplying a new website where we can establish a Wolverhampton Speedway club and we can be the primary tenants," he stated.


"I wish to produce our own venue, I want to be the main holder of the tenancy and also develop something that is open six days a week to help train motorcyclists; to train youngsters to take them off the streets."


He said he had actually handled to bring a stadium to Redcar and had actually gained knowledge from that task.


"I 'd love to be in a position where I can bring a speedway arena to the city of Wolverhampton," he stated.


The from people made him think this was possible.


"The amount of people that signed the petition has actually took my breath away. The support for this sport is quite amazing," he stated.


Mr Van Straaten said it would be an "immense" blow if it didn't occur, but added he was going to be positive and they had the rest of this year to search for a site.


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