Following Monday’s (16/12) meeting of Speedway promoters, Kent have confirmed that they are entering a team in the 2020 National League [NL].
With the senior TouchTec Kings moving up the ranks in the SGB Championship for the first time, the Central Park Stadium-based side stay loyal also to the division where they’ve cut their teeth since the sport opened at their Sittingbourne home in 2013, by committing to a second team contesting the NL also.
The NL will see seven teams coming to the tapes in 2020 with Kent joining last year’s champions Leicester and Manchester-based Belle Vue as higher division clubs entering the NL to take on remaining stand-alone tracks Mildenhall, Isle of Wight and Plymouth. And showing how ‘national’ the NL is another Championship club, Edinburgh are entering the fray. The club from north of the border are resurrecting the Armadale Devils side – Armadale being the area just outside the Scottish capital city limits where the Edinburgh Speedway circuit is located.
By entering the NL they’ll be an additional six home fixtures for the Kent Speedway-going public who flock to Central Park to lap up (as well as six more away fixtures to follow the second side as well as the senior Kings); and the Kings’ fans will await with bated breath, firstly the line up for the NL side and then the full fixtures – expected to be announced soon after the turn of the year. As in previous years the NL title will be decided after Play Offs contested by the top four in the league standings – with Kent hoping to go one better after missing out in Grand Final to Leicester last term.
The points limit for NL team-building rises to 39.00, and a change from last season sees the elimination of the 2.00 points minimum average, which has now reverted to 3.00.
British Speedway Promoters’ Association [BSPA] Chairman Rob Godfrey said: “A lot of hard work has gone into the arrangements for the NL and as an association we are very keen to preserve the three tiers of British Speedway.
“We have had to strike a balance between the interests of the stand-alone clubs and those, like Kent, who now run in the NL in addition to their senior teams and we believe the outcome of the AGM is that those needs have been met for all clubs involved.
“I’d like to thank all the clubs for their co-operation. It is a big commitment especially for those who are running two teams, and it is particularly pleasing to see NL racing returning to Scotland and also that Kent are committed to contesting the NL in addition to moving up to the second tier.
“The NL is a highly valued division in British Speedway and I am sure we can look forward to another excellent year of racing in 2020.”