Country Scotland League SGB Championship | Team manager Alan Bridgett | |
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Track address Armadale Stadium
Bathgate Road
Armadale
West Lothian Founded 1928; 89 years ago (1928) Website www.edinburghmonarchs.co.uk | ||
Edinburgh monarchs v sheffield tigers
The Edinburgh Monarchs are a Scottish Speedway team, currently based in Armadale. They compete in the Speedway SGB Championship, racing on Friday nights during the Speedway season. The club is run by a Board of Directors, chaired by Alex Harkess. The team manager is Alan "Doc" Bridgett.
Contents
- Edinburgh monarchs v sheffield tigers
- Edinburgh monarchs v workington comets
- Brief history
- 2016 Team
- 2015 Team
- 2014 Team
- 2013 Team
- 2012 Team
- 2011 Team
- 2010 Team
- 2009 Team
- 2008 Team
- 2007 Team
- 2006 Team
- Premier League
- Premier Trophy
- Premier League Knockout Cup
- Premier League Four Team Championship
- Premier League Pairs Championship
- National League Knockout Cup
- National League Pairs
- Scottish Cup
- Queens Cup
- North Shield
- Individual Honours
- World Championship
- Premier League Riders Championship
- Scottish Championship
- Australian Solo Championship
- Australian Under 21 Championship
- South Australian Championship
- Victorian Championship
- Victorian Under 21 Championship
- References
Edinburgh monarchs v workington comets
Brief history
The club was founded in 1928 and operated at Marine Gardens, Portobello in 1929, 1930, 1931, 1938 and 1939. A few team matches were staged in 1929 and an Edinburgh team competed in the Northern League in 1930. The Edinburgh team of 1938 and 1939 was known as The Thistles and they staged a number of challenge matches.
After the war, Marine Gardens was not available and the potential of Old Meadowbank, then the home of Leith Athletic F.C., was said to have been spotted by Ian Hoskins. The Monarchs (Meadowbank Monarchs) were re-established in 1948 by a consortium including Frank Varey, ex-rider and Sheffield promoter, and R.L.Rae, a local Edinburgh businessman.
The team operated at Old Meadowbank 1948 in the National League Second Division until midway through 1954. The team finished at the bottom of the league in 1948 but improved to a best place of third before closure in 1954. Under its promoter Ian Hoskins from 1960 until 1964 the Monarchs raced in the Provincial League and were founder members of the British League that ran from 1965 to 1967. The track was used for practice sessions between 1957 - 1959.
Old Meadowbank Stadium had been purchased by the City of Edinburgh Council from Leith Athletic in 1956. Following their successful bid to host the 1970 Commonwealth Games they decided to redevelop the site of the stadium and surrounding area. The Monarchs were evicted as Speedway was not incorporated into the new Meadowbank Stadium plans due to the government of the day refusing to fund stadia which would be used by professional sports. The new stadium sits immediately west of Old Meadowbank essentially on the site of the old running track known as New Meadowbank. The team moved en bloc to a new track at Cliftonhill, Coatbridge (nearer to Glasgow than Edinburgh) and operated as the Coatbridge Monarchs for the 1968 and 1969 seasons before the track licence was sold to Wembley.
Speedway returned to Edinburgh in 1977, with the Monarchs racing at Powderhall Stadium from 1977 until 1995. During the 1995 season, the company operating Powderhall ran into financial difficulty, and the stadium was sold to a housing company for redevelopment. This meant the Monarchs were again evicted.
In 1996, the Monarchs' rivals Glasgow Tigers closed down, so with a stadium not in use in Glasgow, and the Monarchs without a home in Edinburgh, the Monarchs' moved to Shawfield Stadium, Glasgow to form the Scottish Monarchs. Many Tigers fans refused to support what they saw as a team of old rivals, and although Monarchs fans initially travelled through to Glasgow, crowd numbers soon fell.
In 1997, the Monarchs left Glasgow after gaining permission to operate at Armadale Stadium, where they continue to operate to this day.
The Monarchs have won the Premier League championship five times in their history, in 2003 again in 2008 in 2010, in 2014, and once more in 2015.
Edinburgh took part in the first Premier League Promotion Play off in 2008 when they faced Wolverhampton. Although they put up a valiant fight, they lost the tie on aggregate. Despite finishing runners up in 2009 they faced Belle Vue in the Premier League Promotion Play off losing both legs.
Recent plans of the supermarket chain Sainsburys to redevelop Armadale Stadium fell through after the planning application was rejected.
Edinburgh secured another Premier League title in the 2010 season, their third in seven years. The Championship was secured by winning away at Stoke's Loomer Road track, with Edinburgh riders Ryan Fisher and Kevin Wölbert going through the card unbeaten.
The Monarchs lost out on another League Championship in 2013 losing narrowly to winners Somerset, though took some consolation by securing the Premier League Fours.
The 2014 Monarchs had a very successful season winning the Premier League Cup, the Knock Out Cup and the Premier League. Sam Masters and Max Fricke won the Premier League Pairs Trophy.
The 2015 Monarchs topped their qualifying section in the League Cup before seeing off Ipswich in the semi finals to progress on to defeat Glasgow on aggregate in the Final. They just missed out on the KO Cup to Somerset, however made up for this by securing the Premier League Fours. The Monarchs topped the Premier League after the regular season and went on to retain their title with another aggregate victory over Glasgow in the Premier League Championship Final.
2016 Team
Also rode
2015 Team
2014 Team
2013 Team
Also rode
Signed but failed to obtain necessary paperwork
2012 Team
Also Rode
2011 Team
Also rode
2010 Team
Also Rode:
2009 Team
Also rode:
2008 Team
2007 Team
Also Rode
2006 Team
Premier League
Champions: 2003, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015
Premier Trophy
Winners: 2008, 2014, 2015
Premier League Knockout Cup
Winners: 1997,1999, 2014
Premier League Four-Team Championship
Winners: 1981,1993, 2013, 2015
Premier League Pairs Championship
Winners: 2014
National League Knockout Cup
Winners: 1981
National League Pairs
Winners: 1986
Scottish Cup
Winners: 1951, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010
Queen's Cup
Winners: 1953
North Shield
Winners: 1951
Individual Honours
Championships won while an Edinburgh Monarchs rider.