The Northern League was founded in 1929 when it was known as the English Dirt Track League, the earliest league (along with the Southern League) in

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

racing in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, comprising teams from Northern Britain. The addition of two Scottish teams prompted a name change in 1930. The league existed between 1929 and 1931, after which, with many teams folding, it was amalgamated with the Southern League to form the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

.Rogers, Martin (1978) ''The Illustrated History of Speedway'', Studio Publications, , p. 21 In the 1929 season, White City (Manchester) won all 18 matches but resigned from the league after a dispute, leaving Leeds Lions as champions. The season was beset with problems with Warrington's expulsion, Bolton completing only one match before their fixtures were taken over by Hanley, and

Long Eaton Long Eaton is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Erewash district of Derbyshire, England, just north of the River Trent, about south-west of Nottingham and south-east of Derby. The town population was 37,760 at the 2011 census. It has been part ...

entering the league but not completing a match. Belle Vue won the league in both 1930 and 1931. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

a one-off division 2 competition was held called the 1946 Speedway Northern League. This was effectively the National League Division 2 because it was sandwiched between the 1939 Speedway National League Division Two and the 1947 Speedway National League Division Two.

Middlesbrough Bears The Middlesbrough Bears were a British speedway team which operated under various names from 1929 until their closure in 1996. History Origins and 1920s Speedway arrived in Middlesbrough during 1928 when an attendance of 15,000 turned up f ...

were the winners.

Champions

References

Speedway leagues Speedway competitions in the United Kingdom {{UK-motorcycle-speedway-competition-stub

Champions

See also

References