Following 26 wonderful seasons, speedway racing will cease at Armadale Stadium at the end of the 2022 season. The West Lothian venue, which has hosted the most successful era of the Monarchs, will close and notice has been formally served that the club must vacate the stadium.
The current owners are ending their tenure as landlords and intend to sell the site this year. Armadale Stadium may not have been the plushest of homes for the Monarchs, but the club has enjoyed much success and many terrific times both on and off track.
Chairman Alex Harkess (pictured left at Armadale with John Campbell by Nigel Duncan) said: “Armadale Stadium has been a happy place for the Club over what has been very many years. We are thankful to have had it as our home and will be sad to see it go, but we must now look to the future and that is exciting. There is life beyond Armadale Stadium for the Monarchs.
“For the remainder of this season, the team has a job to do. It is still early days and a place in the Play Offs is very achievable. With the continued excellent support of our fans, we can get there.”
Officials at the club have spent much of the Armadale era attempting to bring the Monarchs closer to Edinburgh, with numerous avenues having been explored. However, with a definitive end date to the Armadale era now set, bosses are working hard to secure the future of the Monarchs in a new venue.
West Lothian Council has expressed their support for retaining the Monarchs in the area and discussions are on-going.
Monarchs’ positive influence in the community has grown significantly in recent years with the launch of Monarchs Speedway Academy creating opportunities for local youngsters, Monarchs Community Initiative offering a free speedway experience for local community groups, alongside Monarchs ongoing support of Armadale Children’s Gala Day.
Monarchs co-promoter John Campbell said: “For many years there has been a threat to the existence of Armadale Stadium. Throughout that time we have been developing plans and casting a wide search over the local area for a new stadium.
“This will be a significant challenge but as a Club, with our wonderful supporters, we are known to rise to challenges again, and again, and succeed. That is what we will do here. We are working hard at it and will continue to work even harder still.
“The two critical ingredients for our new stadium are finding the right site and securing the necessary finance. We are putting out a call to anyone who can assist us in these areas to please come forward and contact the Club.”
If you are able to assist the Club in its bid to move to a new stadium, or can support the move financially, please email future@edinburghmonarchs.co.uk with details of how you can help.
The Monarchs Fans Trust and Monarchs Grand Draw continue to play a vital role in ensuring the continuation of the Monarchs presently and into the future. The steadfast support of these initiatives by Monarchs fans will be crucial in delivering a bright future for the lub.
Bosses say they will keep supporters informed of all updates regarding the future where possible over the coming weeks and months.
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