Liverpool Chads Explained

Clubname:	Salford (speedway)
Track:	Stanley Stadium Prescot Road Fairfield, Liverpool
Country:	England
Founded:	1929
Closed:	1960
League:	Northern League Provincial League National League

Liverpool Chads are a defunct motorcycle speedway team who were based at the Stanley Stadium in Prescot Road, Fairfield, Liverpool, England.^[1]

History

Liverpool Speedway's team was established the late 1920s. League racing first took place in 1929 with the formation of the English Dirt Track League, effectively a Northern League, which ran alongside the Southern League. In 1930, the team competed in the Northern League.^[2] They were known during this time as Liverpool Merseysiders.

In 1937, the Liverpool promotion dropped out of the league in mid-July due to financial problems and was replaced by the Belle Vue Aces promotion led by Mr E. C. Spence,^[3] Belle Vue also had a team in the National League so at this point the Provincial League team were renamed the Belle Vue Merseysiders.^[4]

When the sport was revived in 1949 the team were known as Liverpool Chads. The team's nickname 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.^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^{[1] [7]}

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

Notable riders

• Peter Craven (World Champion)^[8]
• Oliver Hart
• Ginger Lees (rode in the first ever Speedway World Championship final in 1936)^[9]
• Tommy Price

Season summary

width=350	Year and league	width=50	Position	width=350	Notes
	8th
	2nd
	4th
	4th	withdrew, fixtures taken over by Belle Vue Aces
	9th
	8th
	13th
	11th
	N/A	withdrew, record expunged
	9th

Notes and References

1. Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). Homes of British Speedway. Stroud: Tempus Publishing
2. Web site: Exeter 1929 . Exeter Speedway . 2004 . 2008-05-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121008101318/http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/speedwayyears/1929.html . 8 October 2012 . dead .
3. News: Belle Vue take over Liverpool . Weekly Dispatch (London) . 11 July 1937 . 11 January 2024 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
4. Web site: BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939). Official British Speedway website. 16 August 2021.
5. Book: Rogers, Martin. The Illustrated History of Speedway. 1978. 129. Studio Publications (Ipswich) Ltd. 0-904584-45-3.
6. News: Speedway again in Liverpool . Liverpool Echo . 18 July 1959 . 25 January 2024 . British Newspaper Archive. subscription .
7. Web site: Year by Year. Speedway Researcher. 16 August 2021.
8. Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). A History of the World Speedway Championship. Stroud: Tempus Publishing.
9. Jacobs, N & Lipscombe, P (2005). Wembley Speedway : The Pre-War Years. Stroud: Tempus Publishing