Heathens fans find sites for new stadium

Fans fighting to bring back the Heathens to speedway in the Black Country have put forward 64 suggested sites for a new stadium, it was revealed today.

A shortlist of sites within the region are being discussed with council officials. The suggestions were presented at a meeting with members of the supporters' group Cradley Raising Aid Saving Heathens (Crash). The group along with representatives of the newly-formed Dudley Heathens met Dudley Council officials this week to start talks.

They want the speedway team to be based within Dudley borough, preferably in Cradley and council officials are due to meet the Crash team again at the end of the month for further talks, the fans say.

Crash spokesman Bob Edwards gave details of the discussions at a Dudley Heathens public meeting at Cradley Heath Liberal Club.

He said: "We went through a big presentation with them. We reminded them of our campaign and the need to get speedway back in the borough.

"We also looked at ways in which we can start working together to make something happen here. We are a community club, the most successful and best supported sports club in Dudley, in the borough.

"Dudley is the largest town without a professional sports team of any description.

"They've agreed to go away, look at the sites and examine them and come back to us by hopefully the end of February with a view on each of the sites, whether they're feasible or not."

Dudley Heathens, carrying the nickname of the famous old Cradley Speedway team, have been accepted into the 2010 National League.

The team begins races in April and will stage home meetings at Wolverhampton's Monmore Green Stadium and Perry Barr Stadium, in Birmingham.

Cradley Heathens raced in front of thousands at Dudley Wood Stadium from 1947 but it was lost to housing development at the end of the 1995 season.